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One tank of gas
Cogwhaler13	#1  Posted on 07/13/10 - 8:57 PM
Member Posts: 22 Comments: 0 Joined: 06/27/10	I have a 13' whaler sport with a 2-stroke 30hp Johnson. The engine is fairly old (1970s-80s). I was wondering the average amount of time spent on the water with one 6 gallon tank. I was thinking around 2-3 hrs per one tank...?
CES	#2  Posted on 07/14/10 - 3:54 AM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 2681 Comments: 7 Joined: 04/27/07	It all depends on how you're using the boat as to whether or not the fuel load you mentioned will last you. Typically a six gallon tank will last us all day in our Whaler. Cliff 1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker
Gamalot	#3  Posted on 07/14/10 - 6:25 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1086 Comments: 3 Joined: 06/21/10	Me and a friend had the same hulls and engines. Mine was a CC and his was a Fish & Ski. We would head out with 12 gallons each at the crack of dawn maintaining radio contact but each going to our favorite spots and having a private fishing contest. I would troll for most of the day and he would run to a few of his hot spots and set up to troll. At the end of each contest he would be well into tank 2 while I still had plenty of fuel left in tank 1. I think the best indicator of fuel usage is RPMs. If you go fast a lot then your fuel will go fast. Each of our boats had a nice plane position where we could get it up and keep it on a good cruise at about 25 MPH with a reasonable engine RPM. If we did 40 the fuel would last half as long. On full days out on Lake Ontario I always had a 6 HP kicker with 3 gallons of fuel that would get me home from just about any where as long as I watched the weather and wind direction. I never did run out of fuel out there but I did get back to the launch once in a pea soup thick fog that completely socked in the shore line and scared me so much that I went directly to C-ME Marine and bought a GPS on the way home. The compass got us back to the shore line but we could not see it and had no idea which way to go to get to the river outlet. It was bright sun and gorgeous 5 miles out on the lake but all of a sudden the entire shore line disappeared in thick fog. Gary
DWinter	#4  Posted on 07/14/10 - 7:28 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 252 Comments: 0 Joined: 01/02/10	On most outboards the difference in fuel consumption between WOT and around 4000 rpm is twice the fuel usage. And you're not running twice the speed at WOT. Of course this depends on sea conditions and load but that's a general rule in most newer motors. Duane G Winter 1984 BW Sport 15 Center Console
lrak	#5  Posted on 07/14/10 - 8:02 AM
Member Posts: 62 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/08/07	I find fuel consumption to time on the water is almost not correlated at all. Some tanks might last me 30 hours on the water and others will last me 2.5. It really depends on how you'll be using the boat. Towing a tube at full throttle will probably burn through a tank in 2.5-3 hours. With one person on board cruising a canal at 2000rpm the tank will probably last 15 hours. If you head out half a mile, drop anchor, and spend all day fishing or having squirt gun fights with the kids it just might last all season. Also consider your fuel reserve. On a small lake you might be fine getting back with a quart of fuel left. If your dealing river current or you're headed out 10 miles into the ocean it is a good idea to get back with half a tank left just incase the unexpected happens.
bruser	#6  Posted on 07/14/10 - 1:29 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 82 Comments: 2 Joined: 09/22/08	Fuel burn, interesting topic. I fish alot on Lake Michigan. the 90 hp does a lot of 700 RPM ideling (2.2 mph). I have to run 6 mi to get to the set up location (70 feet of water) I can run out, troll for hours then run back on 1/3 tank (4 gal) but I never leave the launch with out 1 full tank and almost never with out both full (24 gal). 1977 17' Montauk, 1996 90 hp Johnson, Code Name "AMBERGRIS"
Tig	#7  Posted on 07/14/10 - 7:59 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 122 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/24/09	2-3 hour sounds like a reasonable estimate. I've heard the estimate of 1 gallon per hour for every 10 horsepower at WOT. 1995 Dauntless 15, Honda 50
MW	#8  Posted on 07/15/10 - 12:56 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1827 Comments: 10 Joined: 01/08/06	I use the the "Fuel" rule for ALL boats, 1/3 of a tank there,1/3 of a tank to get back, and 1/3 of a tank "Reserve". Matt
lrak	#9  Posted on 07/15/10 - 5:58 AM
Member Posts: 62 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/08/07	IMO the "fuel rule" makes sense if you are doing an out and back trip like the northeast canyons, but I don't do trips like that in a 13' Whaler. I bet less than 1% of 13 Whaler drivers head way offshore or way down river with their boats. When I'm cruising the local 100 acre pond I can cross the entire thing several times with a quart of fuel. Although its unsinkable, I've never been comfortable enough to take a boat that size out of sight of land. Assuming I can see the tops of all of the 50' above sea level buildlings/trees while sitting, that's no more than 10 miles from the shore. If I head out zigzag between fishing/snorkeling spots all day and never go more than 15 miles from the inlet I came out of, getting home with half a six gallon tank left is fine with me. With the OPs boat and motor that's enough to make it that last 15 miles three or four more times in good conditions and twice if the weather turns snotty ... after he's already back at the dock.