Performance, how's yours?

[wowzer52]

Ready123, in another thread you asked about my props. This is such a popular topic lets do another thread. As Tuck would say, anyhoos, My twin 351, 233hp with 15x15 props light cup, 16knts @ 3200rpm, 15 gph, fully loaded, full water, full fuel, dingy w/outboard, full food, full cooler, full fridge, tools, two people on overnight trip with trim tabs slightly down at best speed, on a plane, 4 1/2 hours, 73 gallons. I don't know the miles I went but I filled up before I left and filled up again when I got there. Every time I fill my tanks I check and record my fuel useage and performance and it always comes out the same. However, my starboard motor is starting to use a little more fuel than the port but it still comes to 15 gph. What kind of performance do you guys get?

[Rodman]

Ready123, in another thread you asked about my props. This is such a popular topic lets do another thread. As Tuck would say, anyhoos, My twin 351, 233hp with 15x15 props light cup, 16knts @ 3200rpm, 15 gph, fully loaded, full water, full fuel, dingy w/outboard, full food, full cooler, full fridge, tools, two people on overnight trip with trim tabs slightly down at best speed, on a plane, 4 1/2 hours, 73 gallons. I don't know the miles I went but I filled up before I left and filled up again when I got there. Every time I fill my tanks I check and record my fuel useage and performance and it always comes out the same. However, my starboard motor is starting to use a little more fuel than the port but it still comes to 15 gph. What kind of performance do you guys get?

How are you guys measuring your fuel?

[ready123]

How are you guys measuring your fuel?

fill to fill as I don't have flow gauges. So the slow to and from dock speed legs will make the consumption figures better.... but since that is a small % of the time I consider the effect minimal. My ships log has run time, distance for each trip with fill quantities logged. I tend to travel at cruise speed (3100 rpm) all the time once underway.

[ready123]

My fully loaded F32 with dinghy on davits and two people seems to be at the 20-21 gph range running at 3200 rpm... twin chrysler 318s (original 1978) swinging 4 blade 17x14 props. Last year I think they were running a little rich and the exhaust manifolds needed cleaning.

Will repeat this year after carb tuneup, distribs are both new within 1 1/2 yrs and the exhaust manifolds have been removed and cleaned, repainted and replaced.
My consumption equates to about 0.61 mpg and the trojan spec was 0.8 mpg... so I hope I can get closer this year.

[Tuck]

are flow meters hard to install? expensive?

i would like to know how much i'm burning as well. never mucked with it last year, but after having my props done in the next few days and some other things before spring, i'd like to see how it compares to others out there in trojanland.

[ready123]

are flow meters hard to install? expensive?

Not hard to install other than the obvious care when breaking into the fuel lines.
Expensive?? well they run $300-$650 depending on features.
I can't justify the expenditure when I have other things I want.

http://www.floscan.com/html/blue/index.php

[Stripermann2]

I installed Floscans on my boat, late this summer. I got them dialed in and report an approximate 11-13 gph, each engine at around 3100 rpms at cruise, calm seas, clean bottom. Definetly one of the best additions to the boat.

[ready123]

I installed Floscans on my boat, late this summer. I got them dialed in and report an approximate 11-13 gph, each engine at around 3100 rpms at cruise, calm seas, clean bottom. Definetly one of the best additions to the boat.

What model? I like the 9000 that can be linked with GPS.
Why do you say best addition? Are you seeing fuel savings with that information?
I have not jumped because I feel that with gps I can trim her for best speed at certain rpm. with scans I can see if 50/100 rpm drop/increase makes a difference in fuel economy. Is that what you have found?

Without them I try to run just before the 4 barrels really click in... it is a guess of course but my results suggest I am pretty close to optimal speed.
I'm interested in your opinion if I really can see substantial fuel savings...

[alexander38]

that got booked marked. they're not as much as i thought if you buy from there.

[Stripermann2]

Ready,

With the FS you can find that sweet spot of speed and fuel economy. If you, let's say, run at 3100 rpm with a good cruise speed, you may find that you can actually run at a faster cruise, with an adjustment of throttle and trim and burn less fuel. I found that running a bit faster brought my consumption down, even if half a gallon per hour.
The other benefit is that you fill up your tanks, reset the totalizer and run your boat. Regardless of how much fuel burned, top off the tanks again, compare to what the totalizer said and you will see that it's very, very close. From this point on, it's easy to always know how much fuel you've actually burned, 'cause as we all know, the gauges are worthless. You'll know exactly how much you have left in the tanks...

I have the Twin Scan. Also important is that I can monitor each engine's efficiency, if there is a lag or more consumption on one engine over the other, it'll help concentrate on that engine's issues.
I can compare GPS with fuel consumption at a glance, although the two are not interfaced. Yes, it does help you to run with greater savings.

http://www.floscan.com/html/blue/series ... 14&catid=2

[alexander38]

i was looking at the twin scan and tach set up looks like sweet set up

[prowlersfish]

I like to get a set of Floscans but they run $1135 per engine on mine

[foofer b]

I checked with my wife and she says my performance is adequate at best.

[alexander38]

well keep watching the adds there's help for here to.

[larglo]

There's a pill for that.....

Larry