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

[Night Sailor]

Welcome aboard. Gene,
Don't get discouraged right off the bat. madmike of this forum cruised thousands of miles through Alaska, the US inland rivers, the Carribean and S.America with his X and a low hp motor. I'm sure he has mentioned something about it's adequacy, faults or praise somewhere in his posts about Zeno's Arrow and his voyages. Search these archives for him by name or his boat.

It does help to ask one very specific question at a time, so all the great experience on this board can be tapped.

[genebesch]

I was able to find these earlier but like you said, or meant, most of the people opt for the 50's. I am sure it is mostly because most use the boat near home and have families. I just have my dog PJ and not much money. So I want to spend it without wasting. It might prove to be less waste buying the 50 and praying for wind on a nightly basis.

I love to sail and have always been alone, except when I sold my 30 Coronado and delivered it with the New owner from Ft. Meyers Fl to Lake St. Charles in LA. I would rather sail along at 4 knots than bounce through the waves at 20 MPH.

Again tks and sorry for our little conflict but I am glad you have some support out there, which an Admiral should have.

[Catigale]

Welcome aboard Genebesch

James V posted mph figures on the Merc 50 taken with the smartcraft system which are as accurate as any could be, frankly.

If you search James' thread with 'smartcraft' verbiage it should be easy to find.

cheers

[Tom Walsh]

I just took a 25 hp honda off my 26x and put a 50 hp merc 4s bigfoot.
wanted the boat to be all that it could be, POWERSAILOR. I am sorry I didn't check very close on fuel economy, pretty tough to look at a fuel gauge on a portable tank and determine how much fuel was burned on a 10 mile run. I burned so little fuel it was not an issue, I was in the keys with my 26x early feb this year, and I burned a about 2 gallons to go about 30 miles that week, speed around 6mph. In 2-4' seas. Earlier post showing a merc 4s big foot at 5 mph using .3-.4 gph is about as good as what I got. 25 hp honda wt is 153 lbs,it is carborated with 3 carbs. If 1 goes down it will still get you home. Top speed was 12.5 mph,and with full
ballast tank 9.5 mph. No problem draining ballast under way. you don't want to get to small an outboard, a one of the 26x boats that made the trip to bimini with a 9.9 hp could only get 2 mph into a headwind coming back across the stream(this is per a post here some months ago).
My honda is for sale on ebay as I type , somebody is going to be very happy with that motor. A dealer told me yesterday a new 25 hp honda installed with remote is $4900.00. Mad Mike has the most experiance with long distance cruising , and I think he wrote that he now has an 18 hp
nissan 4s.
Tom 26x Son of a Sailor

[genebesch]

That is what I am looking for. It is easier to check fuel on the 50 as they say it takes 5 gal per hour and at 20 miles that would mean a full tank for sure and that would be easy to measure. It would also be a waste of gas on a long trip.

Your information on the 25 is encouraging as My goal is to top out near 10 MPH but could live with even 8 or 9. Most stops are within 100 miles on the ICW and during the summer that would mean a 12 hour trip. The 25 would still have fuel, while the 50 would be long empty.

Thanks again.
Gene

ps I am working email with James V and learning some new things and hopefully sharing some

[craiglaforce]

Hi Gene,
I have a 50 hp 2 stroke on my X. Mileage is very poor of course. (3-4 gph)
Normally sailboats this size would be happy with a 10 hp motor. But the macs tend to have a lot more windage, so if you want to make hull speed into a hard breeze, a bit more hp would be good to have and also make docking easier. Mad Mike probably has the hp pegged about right for long distance cruising at around 18 hp.

Also worth considering, is the size of alternator on the motor. Some are being offered with much higher amp outputs, which would be highly desirable for a long distance cruiser.

The shop manual for my engine has a graph that shows fuel consumption rates at the full range of HP outputs. Maybe you can get similar curves from the motors you are considering, even if you have to email the manufacturer. Seems like they would be more than happy to provide this data to a prospective customer.

Course if you really want more fuel economy, Diesel is much more efficient per hp. But heavier, higher first cost, and more routine maintence. But if you run it a lot, it might be worth it in the long run.

If you are really going to make long trips in the ocean, I would also look at how well the prop will stay in the water in big waves.
Also would make sure I had several reef points for the mainsail, a storm jib and an emergency rudder setup at a minimum.

You would also need a pump to empty ballast if you go with a smaller motor. There are several methods to do this that have been posted in the past. One easy one is a bilge pump mounted in a plastic pipe Tee. The center leg of the tee is then fitted over the ballast valve and the pump is in the downward leg of the Tee.

[NautiMoments]

Hi Gene,
Since I have a Honda 50 I am not much help on the fuel consumption. But a couple of things to consider. I believe MadMike had 2 engines for safety; the backup system. Also, on the in blue water cruising I would look at the 25" long leg instead of the std 20". With full ballast, which is what I believe you would usually have, the stern is very high. The std 20" long leg causes the the prop to ventelate quite a bit in rougher water. Just a thought from my experience.

We are possibly looking at the same trip in the future.

[Catigale]

as when one goes down the Erie Canal, there is one spot of one hundred miles where fuel is impossible to obtain.

I dont think this is right btw. Certainly even if there isnt marine gas at a fuel dock 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.[/quote]

[aya16]

Your right about not checking gas mileage not being watched much as you pointed out most people that buy this boat use it local and as long as we have enough gas to do what we want with some to spare were ok.
My case I travel 35 miles one way to a fav. destination. I carry two 12 gallon tanks full when I start. I will use between 10- to 14 gallons depending how much I sail or the seas. so I get about 70 miles on 24 gallons. I have a 50 suzuki fuel injected.

Now I know that this doesnt answer your question because what your really asking is an opinion.

My opinion would be two 15 hp engines one to run most of the time and if you needed to get out of bad seas you can run them at the same time for some added speed.

These engines would have a high charge rate for the batteries, and would
be elec. started. (The dog cant pull start the motor if you hurt yourself.)
they would also have to be a four stroke because the two stroke carb will be as bad on gas as a 50 fuel injected. and have at least a 20 inch shaft

These engines would have to be the same brand so parts could be used back in forth if need be.

Mad mike who comes to this board often can give you a way better idea of what your looking for then most of us. Most of us are in shore trailer sailors and all though we will try very hard to answer you the best we can
we just dont have that knowledge you want. We fill our tanks and go we know we will make it because we did it before.

Mad Mike also said something about having oars you might want to check that out.

Another thing you have to know. With my sails on day sailing days I get 30mpg because I only use the engine to get out of the harbor and come in. If your in no hurry and the wind gods favor you it wont matter what engine you put on the boat.

Good luck

[genebesch]

Just as I decided to buy a 25 Aya16 puts in a possiblily of two engines. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always had at least two engines. On my Coronado 30 I had an inboard which often failed, a 9.9 Mercury big foot and a 5 hp Mercury. At one time or another I used them all. When the inboard failed, I lost part of my thumb as the boat floated away from the lock wall at the wrong time. I went out and bought the 5. When the motor mount for the 5 broke, I saved it but when I got to the store, I bought the Bigfoot.

When I went aground on a few occasions I was able to get off by using the outboards and spinning the boat. After that I said I would never travel with fewer than 3 motors and now I am looking at 1.

Well, I do have a 4 stroke Honda 2 hp which could go on my dinghy and help pull the boat.

I suppose I would lose a lot of exit room with two engines but it really sounds like a good idea and consistant with my experiences.

I wonder if two 9.8's would be adequate as they would be a little cheaper and probably thinner.

I really appreciate all of your advice and even though it did not tell me total fuel consumption, it confirmed my original premise that a sailor really only needs something small.

With regard to alternators, I agree that the better one I get the better things will be but, I always carry a Honda 1000 and maybe a 2000 this time.

I need the electric starts on all motors as I have learned that going into locks and beneath bridges requires instant starting to stop you from crashing or just from looking like a rookie. No more hanging over the back for me

Before reading aya16's reply, I was going to leave a final message as follows:

Since it is all subjective and since a subjective question requires a single answer, I have flipped a coin and it landed on the 25. I forgot to mention two other things and that is ease of getting in and out and it appears a 25 will assist with that. The main reason for getting the Mac M was the draft. I need to be close enough to make getting PJ to shore when I can. Also, in the Bahamas and beyond, there is much more room for shoal draft boats that are really shoal draft. I hated looking at boats called shoal draft only to discover that they considered 4'6" as shoal draft. Since my 3' Westerly touched over 40 times on the ICW, I am a firm believer in the shallower the better. On the ICW being able to have the roller furling Jenny will make it possible to take advantage of winds when the river turns left and then the motor when it turns right and is against the wind.

Thank you all for your opinions and advice

The problem now will be to decide on two engines. or simply a 25 and hanging a backup engine someplace else off of the back on a motor mount. I didn't think this was possible until I saw an X with a 9.9 kicker on the right side.

Again thanks very much for your opinions and advice and I hold nothing against those who decide to be local boaters but I hope you all get a chance to go on a long voyage, or maybe just a couple of weeks as this is one of the best experinces God's country has to offer.

[Jim Bunnell]

Keep in mind that the stern of the M is significantly different than the X. I haven't tried it, but I don't think I could put an outboard mount and motor on the narrow area outboard of the rudders. If I did, I think the rudders would hit it for sure when I had the small motor and the rudders raised and was steering the main motor. I'd be happy to be wrong. If anyone has done so, I'd like to see pictures. Thanks.

[genebesch]

I also noticed that the space for the regular motor is also smaller. If this is the case, It might not take a second motor. This is something I will have to research as my boat is delivered in Wisconsin.
Well, if that is the case I will go with the single motor and it will probably be the 25, 15 at minimum.

[Tom Walsh]

I like that part about god's country, we are truly blessed , this is a nation of thousands and thousands miles of beautiful coastline and harbors and places to see that will keep this sailor exploring right here in sailor friendly good ol usa.
sounds like you need a super reliable 25 hp 4 stroke that can be worked on at any port and with parts available, you should be able to figure out some way to mount that light wt 2hp in an emergency. Overall wt. should be a magor concern as it affects sail performance, and the boats ability to float if you get a big rip or hole in the bottom.
I would advise you to teach that doggy pj to find the lee side of the boat ,lift a rear leg and pi$$ overboard.
Tom Son of a Sailor

[Night Sailor]

Our best trips have always been leisurely cruises of 2 to 3 weeks because it takes a week to really get into the new rythm of life on the boat, and that gives you two more weeks to escape from the worries of shorelife. No matter what happens on the adventure, the hardest part is always adjusting to life on shore after you get back. It's a bummer. No wonder those who sail for months at a time sometimes just give up and keep going and going and going. Sailing in a well prepared boat can be addictive, regardless of the waters, weather, size or type of boat.

Now that we are both retired, the next cruises will indeed be months in length. Tempting fate as it were, but I think beautiful grandchildren will probably always bring us back once in a while.

[aya16]

On the two motor issue for the M... You can easly install two motors side by side in the 15hp class useing the aux outboard mounts I would also have a quick disconect so each could be used independent. But would want them connected when running so the wheel is still usable. Some creative thinking would be needed in this area but I think it could be done.

two 15's would make 30hp this might be enough to empty the water tank.

useing a generator would be fine, but just to charge the batteries you will use that precious gas and not have any benifit as to pushing the boat.
plus the 10 amp charger on the generator isnt good enough to charge two batteries in a timely fashion. With two 15's running at 1/4 throttle pushing the boat and charging the batteries you get more bang for your buck gas wise.

You got me thinking about what I would do in your case, so one thing I wouldnt want is a sailboat sailing with a generator humming away.
The peace of sailing would be fractured, and as long as I was determined to sail most of the trip to save gas I would want to make the best of it.


The best part of what you want to do Is live a dream, In your dream it all works but when you decide to make the plunge you will find you have to compromise. Like 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.

I too sail with my dog and found that a small dink is better to take her to shore then the Mac. even be able to beach the mac its real high out of the water West Marine sells a small dink for 200.00 dollars that fits the bill. It weighs next to nothing.

Even though you plan to solo you should also plan for two. You never know if you would meet that special person that just might want to share your dreams along the way............Mike