Crusader 454's....Fuel Burn....Not so Good

[aaronbocknek]

i've read this thread from day one and i have to ask this. i thought crusader's (big blues) were some of the best engines out there. efficient and powerful and quite reliable i'm lead to believe. i do not have them, (my tri cabin was repowered in 1996). i have PCM's seamaxx 250hp on a ford 351 block. not big blues, but, i have to admit, i love the sound of my engines. they start every time and purr like kittens.

btw.... isn't PCM, pleasure craft marine, made by the makers of crusader?

aaron

[todd brinkerhoff]

Well, it's probably not very fair to give my opinions about ride because this is my first boat and so I don't have any previous boat to compare to. I have ridden in other boats but not actually driven very many. Having said that, I will share my observations which should be taken for what they are worth!

Since I have put my boat in the water I have taken it very easy with the throttles because I'm still learning the boat and developing confidence in the motors and everything else. Also, there have only been a few days when I've taken it out where the conditions were good. The last trip I took was without a doubt the best conditions and the highest speed I've taken it.

It was a nice calm day and we headed out at 8am to do some local fishing. The seas very calm with small swells @ 10 seconds apart. At about 2,500 rpm the boat planes well and everything smoothens out. The steering becomes less "mushy" and feels much more responsive to inputs. If I remember correctly this was something @ 17 knots.

So then I took it to 3,000 rpms and this was @ 20 knots. Wow!, it really improved and felt like a completely different boat. Smooth as silk, excellent steering feel, and simply consumed any swell/wave with ease like a knife through butta. I loved this, I mean really loved this. To me, at this point it really felt like smaller much nimbler boat but with the added benefit of slicing through the swells as if they weren't even there.

So, as you can tell I really think this boat responds well to getting her ass out of the water and being on plane as much as possible.

I currently plan on putting some new carbs on it to hopefully get some better economy, better cold starts, and smoother running. What I would really like to do is put some diesels in her and I've been doing a lot of research on that subject. The financials for diesels is a hard one to justify as everyone knows. I do love the boat but there is one thing I would "like" to have and that's a salon which would be enjoyable for when I'm just relaxing on the boat in the marina. So, I am still up-in-the-air on what to do long term. I could put diesels in my Express, or buy another boat with diesels and a salon. It's not a straight forward or easy decision because of all the pros/cons for each scenario. Until I can figure that out I'll keep fine tuning what I have and enjoying her, and that doesn't exactly suck! I swear, there isn't a person that walks by my boat on the dock that doesn't say "wow, that's a nice looking boat" which of course makes me feel good after all the work I've put into it.

I too will agree with better handling at greater speed. Although the hull on your 10 Meter is different than on my 10.8m, I truly believe that boats of this size were meant to have the power and torque of diesels. I read one review of my 10.8 Meter model that was refitted and he said it was night and day, and that the boat became a huge enjoyment to drive and he would take it on extended trips with no issues or fears.

I too have the same dilemma. We just don't have the season up here to justify two large boats. My issue is that the common thinking is always buy an existing boat with diesels in lieu of refitting because it will never be worth refitting a boat like this. My issue with is that I know exactly what is wrong with this boat, and bought this boat for very cheap compared to what I got. I too would love a salon, and I have been keeping my eye on some 40 to 45 foot Vikings. The Viking would cost me more overall than a refit, so I too am in a quandry.

I've been eyeing the new Yanmar 8LV 370s. They are lighter than the Crusaders and would fit nicely. But they are very pricey.

I'm interested to see what direction you go.

[tsawyer]

I've never been happy with my fuel burn. But, when I bought my boat I made the decision to have a lower fixed cost and a higher variable cost.

So when I am not using it much I pay very little. As much as I hate the cost of fuel, I'm certain that I won't use it enough to justify purchasing a diesel boat for 3x the price ( or more).

My boat sits behind my house and I could run it year round. The reality is that I'm very busy during tax season (Jan through April) and it doesn't get used as much as it should.

For me, the cost of the fuel is cheaper than the cost of a diesel boat and the full cost of ownership.

Each person has to make that analysis for their own situation.

[my10meter]

First of all- the boat looks great and I am glad to see it is in the water. Now for my opinion-- My 10 meter is an express like yours-- data from mid cabin boats can not be used for comparison due to the increased weight- shaft angle and engine placement. With that being said I will give you my 2 cents. I charter my boat full time here in Michigan- been out 184 times since April 2nd. I have floscans installed senders installed but ironically I am finally hooking up the head unit this week since charters have dropped down. My boat had 3 blade props and I averaged 25 to 26 gallons a trip(6 hr trip--average run 3-5 miles each way- the rest of the time trolling) When I went to 4 blade props this consumption dropped about 2 gallons a trip. Furthermore- my cruise speed at 3150 is now 23.7mph vs 21 with the 3 blade props. The boat has more lift in the stern and the bow rides lower. I will be glad to share the prop data if you are interested. I also have quadrajunks---my mechanic has done many swaps to edelbrocks and he feels that this could save up to 5% in fuel consumption. Ultimately, my next move is to go to the edelbrock carbs because at my volume this could be a huge savings $$$$- my fuel bill is over $20k for the season.