Here are a few simple, yet often overlooked tips on saving gas with your boat.
- Clean the bottom of your boat. Plant and barnacle buildup causes extra friction that burns additional fuel.
- Remove excess weight from your boat. If you have a lot of heavy objects in the boat that you do not regularly use, simply remove them. This can account for as much as a 2 percent reduction in miles per gallon.
- Have the engine tuned-up. Marine engine performance heavily depends on a properly tuned up engine. Don't scrimp here. Fuel savings will far surpass the cost of the tune-up.
- Change the oil and be sure the flame arrestor is clean. The flame arrestor must be clean for the best fuel economy. The biggest cause of a dirty flame arrestor is belt dust from engine belts. Changing the oil every 100 operating hours is a good way to keep your engine fuel-efficient and in top working condition.
- Take a look at your propeller. Is it in good condition? Bent or chipped blades can cost you gas! You may also realize fuel savings with a different choice of propeller pitch. Ask your marine mechanic about this.
- Buy your fuel in the morning hours. Gas is considered to be denser with less heat in the air, so you can get more fuel for your money. Remember gas is metered by the gallon, not the pound!
- Consider investing in a fuel meter or computer. Your engine burns a given amount of fuel at a given rpm rate. Having a fuel meter or fuel computer on board gives you instant visual feedback on exactly how much fuel you are burning at any given time, thereby making it easier for you to make real-time adjustments based on your rate of acceleration, weather conditions and effects from currents. There are many factors that can affect the efficiency of your fuel use, and a computer can help you isolate the most important factors so that you end up using more fuel for your money.
- Operating tip: When starting out with a fiberglass planeing hull, give enough throttle to get the boat up and out of the water. This will allow the boat to run flat across the water, taking much less fuel. Once you get the boat on the surface of the water, you can then drop the throttle back to the speed you want.
- Operating tip: If your boat is an I/O or outboard, learn how to adjust the trim angle. Once the boat is on plane, you can make adjustments to the trim angle to optimize your boat's operation. This has a great effect on speed and fuel efficiency.
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