Per Hour Fuel Usage of 50HP 25HP 15HP and Lower

[Frank C]

... the Canal has lots of villages within walking distances where you can fuel. There is a roughly 50 mile stretch on the Niagara section where there arent services - I think this is the longest stretch without fuel.

... buy a small wheeled carry cart to haul your gas tanks to town so you pay a lot less for gas then at the marina. a 15 dollar cart could save you hundreds on gas.

Good advise there.
It's one of the reasons that I chose 4-six gal tanks rather than 2-twelves. The other reason was that holding fuel in 4 compartments doubles the redundancy, for such cases as corrupted fuel, or leaking, condensation, etc.

[Frank C]

One last observation ... it's clear that all answers on fuel consumption must be subject to individual priorities, conditions and guesstimates - definitely more subjective than objective. But I now realize what had me a bit tweaked ... fuel efficiency is probably the wrong question when fitting-out a Macgregor.

I have never gone charging across wavetops at 20 mph, nor am I on a deadline that dictates speed ... (God's country is wherever we're closer to nature than government). There are so many more facets and functions to the outboard. Members above have mentioned charging capacity, windage, emergency power, emergency safety. Every one of those is valid, even compelling. Fuel economy is just one small element of the outboard's performance package.

Simple economy and runtime isn't ignored here, it's just a significantly lower prioity - and not solely because we are "local." The Mac 26 is unique because it has two full-power modes. Not only is this fully-capable redundancy inate, it obviates intense focus purely on economy. Engine choices from 70 to 140 horsepower do not infer that Mac owners are unthinkingly boorish throttle junkies. Au contraire, the vast preponderance are mature, deliberate and considerate parttime sailors who appreciate the broad capabilities in a versatile package - and simply strive to enhance that versatility.

Other presumptions are largely erroneous. Fair winds (the cheapest fuel) !!

[genebesch]

I will not be looking any more but if you wish to contact me with information you can email at gene@genesadventures.com any time. I have been working with a couple people i have met on this disscusion board and have learned much.

I disagree that fuel consumption is not a reason. I have thousands of miles traveling in sail boats but never have thousands of dollars.

I am hoping that I make the right choice. It is also true that a dinghy is a good thing but the closer you get to the shore, the less work there is when using it. I don't believe I will ever actually beach the boat.

I alreay have a very nice dinghy a seaeagle 14 foot Catamarin which is only 30 inches wide and takes very little water. I just want to be as close as I can so I can paddle, instead of putting the 2 horse on. I have had bad experiences towing a dink and only do that on occassion.

I have had 6 heart attacks and 2 open heart triple by passes and some days I don't have the strenght to pull the dink back on deck. It fits well on one side.

I hope to regain strenght during my trips.

Regarding the Erie Canal, I have taken the journey twice and both times was unable to get fuel during a strecth of almost 100 miles. This might have changed but this is only an example and not the only issue.

Going up the Delware river to the Chesapeke has twice left me without fuel as the marina on by the town where we anchor was closed.

I only want to carry very limited fuel and that is why I asked this seemingly distrubing question.

I will never ask a question of this site again but will offer my advise on general sailing issues. I don't usually have that many questions and if I wanted a deep draft vessel would not have had it this time.

Once I go read my book, which will be dedicated to ICW - Great Circle Travelers - and Bahamas and beyond people with two foot drafts or less.

One last comment, many people simply can't afford 50's and wind up buying used boats that really don't permit them to make a good gunk hole trip.

Again Thanks
Gene Ernest Besch

[Night Sailor]

Gene, I hope you will stay in touch with us. Your question was a good one because it is not one often discussed, as recent research shows.

While doing your prevoyage prep and during your trip I'm sure I'm not the only one that would appreciate your recommendation of cruising guides that work for shoal draft sailors and those that don't. Many are geared for deep draft power boats or sail and make many longer than necessary routes to marinas or anchoring grounds.

[Catigale]

Anyone cruising the Erie should get the Cruising guide from NY State, which shows all the fuel stops. Every lockmaster can also tell you where fuel is in town - in addition, many of the Yacht Clubs in upstate will help you out if you have a boat problem on the canal - plan your trip in advance so you have all the phone numbers etc in case of an emergency.

I think the 4x6 gallon fuel tank approach does win big here if you have to lug fuel.

[genebesch]

Catigale provides very good advice about getting a guide but the point is that I have no desire to have to purchase gas at every station. I want to be able to travel without spending a lot of money.

I fail to understand why some of the people don't understand that. I have twice sailed the Erie and found stations out of business and other situations but on those journeys the issue was having enough fuel to make it to a station.

The issue here is to travel as cheaply as possible.

Again thank you for all of your information because even if it did not address the issue of fuel consumption it did pose some very interesting stuff that I used to decide to buy something bigger than a 9 horse, whcih was what I was going to do originally.

Thank you again for your input

[Richard O'Brien]

Gene , You might want to take a look at the etec 40http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engines/2 ... 55+DLX.htm
34 mpg isn't bad although these props aren't at all what a Mac would be using: however, the reliability combined with small size and room for your dog to be pulled back on board might be worth a look?

[Robert]

genebesch, I understand your desire to travel at lowest cost.
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I agree with Richard O'Brien that the etec or similar (Suzuki DF50) 40 to 60hp outboard would be a great choice. The etec with 3 years before shop maintenance would probably be your most economical choice, more economical overall than a 25hp motor.
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If you consider having the correct outboard on a Mac26 would probably help a lot to get the max resale value.
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Hybrid cars offer an analogy: There is a study posted about the total cost inculding environmental cost etc.. of various typed of vehicles, and the hybrids scored poorly (The Hummer H3 scored better than the hybrids) becuse of high initial cost and high environmental cost of replacing / disposing of those batteries. The hybrid buyers are really only getting a small tax break and the luxery of driving a popular model, they are not really saving money or the environment. I predict there will be a glut of used hybrids on the market in a few years when people decide to sell instead of replace the battery. I also think the government will have a tax on battery disposal to offset the environmental issues - so much for the tax break.

[Captain Steve]

I have an H3 and my office mate has a hybrid...I got to see that study on rating the impact of the vehicles.

At least we do not argue over which can tow a Mac!

[KaiSchuler]

I'd like to provide another reason, why genebesch might be better off with a smaller engine. First of all, I believe most owners buy a 50hp or even more because of resale value, and because gas is cheap (relatively speaking). I also know that the difference in gas mileage between a 40hp, 50hp or 60hp is next to zero.


The following I can not back up with scientific data, but maybe someone find it helpful:
I talked to a dealer of inflatable boats (rigid bottom, used for fishing, skiing, etc.). He told me that a 25 hp (or lower) engine can consume about 20 to 30% less than a 50 hp, BUT only at hull-speed or below. Everyone told me that a 25hp might actually use more fuel to keep an inflatable at a plane, compared to a 50 hp. The reason is that the 25hp runs at 90%+ of output, whereas the 50hp runs at 60% (at same speed).
All numbers are only valid if same technology is compared (electronic injection, etc.), and properly sized props are used.

Because genebesch is a cruiser (more or less), there might be another reason to go with a 10 or 12 hp engine. I believe it is pretty much impossible to hand start a 50hp engine. My Suzuki came with a crank-line, but everybody told me to forget about it. A 12hp or lower can very well be pull-started (done it myself). When you are cruising for extended durations, this kind of reliability is worth something.


This is my two cents (or maybe a bit less).

Kai

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

if hand starting is important then, by all means, go with something smaller than the new 4-stroke 40/50hp.
in fact, if you want to be able to work on the motor yourself (being that you will be 100+ miles between ports), go with a 2-stroke that can only be purchased in mexico/south america. cheaper that way too!
those are basic high polluting carburator models. not much can go wrong that you cannot fix yourself.
all you need is extra plugs, fuel filter, impeller, a few small tools, 2 cycle oil, and you're ready to go!
my vote for genebesch is a Tohatsu 18hp that weighs a mere 90# but has more torque than most 25's, manual or electric start that can charge the battery as needed, and can be easily repaired by most when you arrive in a non-english speaking port.

[Catigale]

I can testify that the Merc 50 HP EFI Bigfoot is what I would classify as easy to start by hand (with rope)

THe only mod I would offer on this is to replace the starting line that Mercury supplies with something less stretchy.

I think Chip H also wrote about hand starting his 50 2 stroke (Tohatsu I think) and pulling so hard he ended up sprawled in the cockpit.

If you want the ultimate in simple, reliable, parts anywhere in the world, can be fixed with a toothpick...go fly a British Seagull

THey get about 20-25 mpg at hull speed on Abigails Island 17 foot, called the Cheetah

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Why be so symmetrical...if I were you, I would get a 5 HP kicker (could install on a bracket) and a 25HP for the middle of the transom. That way you would have the best of both worlds. As you say, most people (myself included) have 50HP outboards. These things burn a lot of gas as I well know when I switched from a 10HP inboard diesel on a keelboat. If you want the absolute best gas mileage for most of the time, get a 5 HP and cruise around under hull speed. A real sailor will probably burn 1-2 gallons a month with this set up. I can burn that much in 10 mins with my 50.

The mac is lightweight with a lot of windage so it won't behave as well with low HP like a traditional sail boat...plus, the outboard is too far off the stern to work properly in large seas like an inboard does. That is why it would be good to have the bigger engine also..for additional safety (both in power and redundancy).

[Greg]

I believe Madmike is using 2- 6hp and 1- 18hp Nissan (or Tohatsu) 4-strokes. The sixes are mounted outboard so that appropriate one can be used when the boat is heeled, the eighteen is mounted center of the sixes. He also has something like 100 gallon capacity using an inboard mounted tank. He mentioned in one of the threads about getting excellent economy with one 6hp on a long run- IIRC off S. America. Read though the Zeno's Arrow threads and you will find a lot of useful information for your trip.
I'm not speaking for him, I was thinking he would respond in this thread, but he posted in another thread that he is traveling, so I'm just trying to help.

For myself, (50hp Yamaha Bigfoot) I don't have a flow meter and am not organized enough to record all fuel consumption, time and distance. She probably gets 4-6mpg at higher speeds depending on conditions, but does surprisingly well at hull speed, but I don't have exact numbers.
On the tank discussion, I converted to 4- 6 gallon tanks last spring and am very happy with the change from 2-12 gallon tanks. Last summer on our Erie canal trip, I did hike into town to get a few gallons to maintain a comfortable reserve. It's nice to have that option. I find the 4-6gal much easier in knowing how much fuel I still have available. I usually switch the fuel hose before a tank is empty, so in a pinch I would still have some fuel available in each tank. With the 12's, I ran the first one dry then was nervous until I refilled. Also when I'm done with the trip and ready to go home, I dump the remaining fuel from all 4 boat tanks into the Suburban for the trip home. No sense pulling the extra weight.

Sorry this won't directly answer your question on exact fuel consumption numbers.

Greg

[Robert]

I think the Mac26 with just a 10hp outboard does add some complexity to the extended cruising plan. With so little hp, you will need to consider the water and wind currents carefully, because there will be some conditions where you might not be able to make any headway. So the trip must be planned around things like tidal schedules etc...
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Also I would much rather go hull speed with a larger outboard just above idle and extreemly quiet than a small outboard roaring away.
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If all you truly plan to need is a sailboat kicker motor, and therefore use the Mac26 as strictly a sailboat, then great, go with a little outboard.
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If you can allow 25hp into your plan, there are Tohatsu / Mercury 25hp outboards with fuel injection that might maximize your fuel economy. The Mercury shops are among the most wide spread around the world, and since the 25hp fuel injected version is a Tohatsu, you might get parts from Tohatsu and or Nissan as well. There is a new 3-STAR emissions rated light weight carburated 4 stroke Suzuki V-Twin 25hp that has only one carburator, so less parts to fail, easier to tune. The Honda 20hp at just over 100 lb. or Tohatsu 9.8hp at 81lb. would be ideal for a twin outboard setup perhaps even shared as dingy power.

Mercury (EFI BigFoot) / Tohatsu (lightest 18hp and 9.8hp 81 lb.)
http://www.mercurymarine.com/25_efi
http://www.tohatsu.com/outboards/25_4st_spec.html
http://www.tohatsu.com/outboards/9_8_4st_spec.html
http://www.mercurymarine.com/9.9_pro_kicker2
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Suzuki
http://www.suzukimarine.com/sr06/df25vt ... _specs.php
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Yamaha High Thrust
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/pr ... specs.aspx
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Honda 20 hp comes in a sailboat specific model with 4 blade prop.
http://www.honda-marine.com/modelDetail ... Group=BF20
http://www.honda-marine.com/modelDetail ... Group=BF25
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