Houseboat Fuel Consumption - gas prices and simple fuel economy tips

by Arthur
(USA)

Soon will be buying a houseboat, but fuel consumption and gas prices are scaring me a little. What kind of fuel economy or MPG (miles per gallon) can I expect to get with a 40 foot houseboat with a flat bottom and a 4 cylinder engine?

I get the feeling that because of the world economy and turmoil, that the price of a barrel is likely to sky rocket. The price of fuel at the marinas is often higher, and I don't see them dropping this summer.

I wonder if there are any tips or tricks that I can use to save some money at the gas dock?

Thanks for any help, Arthur.

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Reply - Answer
Well Arthur, you have asked a very good question that will surely get plenty of comments. I will try and give you a quick overview.

To look at boats in a general perspective, the bigger the boat, the more in fuel costs. Yet lets look at it's intend use. If you're planning to do long distance travel, I would suggest a diesel engine setup.

If you plan to use the houseboat around your general area, than a gas engine setup is likely your best bet. Your 4 cylinder 4 stroke inboard setup is very common, so parts and maintenance should be easy.


Now to look at fuel economy "guess-timates" you should likely burn @ 2- 3 gph at hull speed, and running say 2,500-3,000 RPM. The hull speed being @ 5-7 knots and depends on many factors like on waves, current, wind, hull design, weight and bottom cleanliness etc...

Now you do realize that there are many things that affect fuel economy, and some of the basics are a properly running/maintained engine, the right propellor to achieve WOT (wide open throttle), gross boat weight (boat, passengers, contents etc...) and the cleanliness of the boat bottom.

There's plenty of other information on houseboat fuel consumption figures and also houseboat mileage tips and economy charts.



Lastly, surely some of our readers and visitors will share and post comments about their houseboat gas consumption figures and fuel economy tips and experiences.

Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.

Thanks again for sharing, IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

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