There are a few things we can do about fuel expense in addition to
complaining.

Here's a list of basics. Most of us already know most of these things,
but sometimes we forget about the simple steps.........


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Easing the Pain at the Fuel Dock


As we begin the 2007 boating year, there is probably no completely
accurate way to predict what fuel prices will be in those late spring
and summer months when most of us do the majority of our boating.
Political tensions seem not have eased in some of the major oil-
exporting areas of the world, emerging industrial nations are
demanding increasing quantities of crude oil, and our North American
refinery capacity continues to contract rather than expand. Crude oil
futures could be an indicator, but we have recently observed that
there does not appear to be a direct correlation between percentage
increase in a barrel of crude oil and the percentage increase in the
price of a gallon of fuel. If the past couple of years can be
considered indicative, the oil companies are likely to go for the
jugular vein during the "vacation driving season" (which is also the
primary boating season) and back down to a more modest level of profit
during the "winter heating season". Bless their hearts for the
charity.

Fortunately, most boaters have some very effective choices available
that will not only reduce the amount of fuel we're required to
purchase but can contribute to greater enjoyment of our boats in
general. Some of these choices are becoming increasing practical, as
even the steps that will result in only modest savings in the quantity
of fuel consumed might pay off long before the end of the season when
gas or diesel is being taken aboard at figures exceeding 50-cents a
pint.


Start with a simple tune-up:

A properly tuned and serviced engine is essential for maximizing fuel
efficiency. Dirty injectors, valves out of adjustment, or worn out
sparkplugs and other gasoline engine ignition components overdue for
replacement are increasingly likely to cost a boater more to ignore
than to address and correct. Assuring the engine(s) is in optimum
condition will dramatically improve the likelihood of trouble-free
summer cruises. If fuel savings weren't incentive enough, a cleaner
environment and the potential savings of any costs associated with
being towed back to port should additionally inspire us all to be
certain we are mechanically prepared for the months of summer fun
ahead.

It would be unwise to overlook the transmission when prepping for the
season and attempting to be proactive about fuel costs. Transmissions
that are just beginning to slip might or might not "make it" to the
end of the season, but a slipping transmission will reduce the
efficiency of the entire propulsion system and exert a notable and
negative influence on a boater's annual fuel costs. What may be a
moderate repair and expense now could easily become a major expense
before fall or even prove to be the straw that breaks the back of a
summer vacation cruise.

The better repair shops get booked up pretty rapidly following the
winter boat shows, so there is no time like the present to schedule
mechanical maintenance services to save fuel and ensure more reliable
operation.


Bald is beautiful:

Hair may look great on a movie actor or a runway model, but the "hair"
that consists of marine organisms clinging to or trailing from the
bottom of a boat is expensive as well as unsightly. Hitchhiking plants
and animals increase frictional forces that impede a hull's progress
through water. According to an exhaustive study performed by
International Marine Coatings, a typically fouled bottom can decrease
fuel efficiency by as much as 8%. The higher the cost of fuel climbs,
the more frequently it becomes cost effective to haul out and clean
the bottom. (Be sure to have the bottom cleaned by a permitted
boatyard with facilities to filter and recycle the wash water).



Reduce excess weight:

Health clubs and gymnasiums are at their busiest each year during the
month of January. Dietary indiscretions associated with the holidays
and renewed dedication to fitness consistent with New Years'
resolutions have greater numbers of us more conscious of our personal
body weights. January is also a great time to check for unnecessary
weight aboard our boats. On a small runabout, even an extra 200 pounds
consisting of unused fishing tackle, too many redundant tools, etc can
result in a notable decrease in fuel efficiency. Large cruisers would
be less effected by the same 200-pounds, but have the capacity to stow
perhaps a ton of stuff aboard that goes unused year after year.

While it is a recommended practice to keep fuel tanks filled and
thereby discourage internal condensation, during the busy summer
season some boaters might be better advised to run with a bit less
fuel and water. Vessels that might have, (for instance), 110-gallon
fuel capacity but are routinely used in a manner that burns no more
than 10-15 gallons per abbreviated outing would be more fuel efficient
if filled only to about half capacity. The remaining 55 gallons of
fuel would weigh it at well over 300-pounds, adding a significant
percentage to the displacement of a smaller runabout. Condensation is
less of an issue with water tanks, so there is little incentive for
most short trip boaters to carry excess water. Every gallon of water
not hauled around needlessly will save 8-pounds.

A boater can use excess fuel capacity as a "hedge" against fuel
prices. The past couple of summers, fuel prices have risen rapidly in
the early portion of the season and then decreased very slowly in late
summer and fall. A boater confident that prices will increase
dramatically in the near future might be well advised to fill up, even
at the risk of having excess weight aboard. Fuel purchased in a
declining price environment can be brought aboard in smaller
quantities- there's no point paying $4.25 per gallon this weekend for
fuel that will be unburned next weekend when the price may have
dropped to $3.95

As always, we must think of safety first when reducing weight.
Tools and spares are important to have aboard, and each cruise should
begin with a supply of fuel sufficient to provide prudent reserve
while en route to the next refueling point.


Check for a prop-er fit:

A vessel's propeller(s) are critical factors when maximizing fuel
efficiency. Propellers too large in diameter or too aggressively
pitched will overload an engine and reduce the effective horsepower
achieved. Props that are undersized can allow an engine to turn beyond
its maximum rated RPM, (with almost certain catastrophic results), and
will not efficiently propel the boat. A propeller is placing the
proper load on the engine if the RPM can be brought to the maximum
rating of the engine, but no more, at wide open throttle.

If a vessel is fit with a propeller of proper diameter and pitch, it
is then very advisable to check the prop at each haulout. Hitting a
chunk of drift, going aground, tickling an "uncharted" rock, and other
common boating experiences can take a toll on a prop. Deviations too
small for most boaters to notice with a casual glance can make a
propeller several percent less efficient than if it were corrected.

Propellers are surprisingly serviceable, but must be serviced
properly. One of the more accurate means of measuring how well a prop
conforms to its manufactured standards is with the use of a computer
designed to convert the shape of a prop to digital information. (In
the Seattle area, this service is available at Seattle Propeller on
Westlake Avenue). Propellers are serviced to conform to a variety of
classes of accuracy, and with a computerized scan system a prop can be
brought up to the elusive "S" class, or effectively perfect.


Operate efficiently:

Even boaters unwilling to spend a dime on tuning up, hauling out,
hauling off, or proper propping can begin saving on fuel costs almost
immediately. Certain operating decisions, many of them specific to
various types of hulls, can improve fuel efficiency and range.

Vessels with planing hulls will normally realize best fuel economy at
either dead slow (where few people selecting a planing hull will want
to spend much time) or at the speed where the boat rises above the bow
wake to get up onto a plane. The least fuel efficient speeds are
typically those near WOT, as well as that awkward point in the curve
where the boat is attempting to get up onto plane and is "pushing a
wall of water" ahead of it.
Some owners of planing hulls have reported that switching from a 3-
bladed prop to a 4-bladed prop will get the boat up onto a plane at a
lower engine RPM, but the switch can result in slightly less boat
speed near WOT.

Vessels with displacement or semi-displacement hulls will operate most
efficiently if not pressed beyond theoretical hull speed. The formula
for calculating theoretical hull speed for boats in general multiplies
the square root of the waterline expressed in feet by a factor of
1.34. For example, a boat with a 36-foot waterline would have a square
root of 6, and when multiplied by 1.34 the theoretical hull speed
would be 8.04 knots. It is certainly possible to exceed theoretical
hull speed, particularly with a semi-displacement hull, but extracting
that extra knot or two involves pushing that same wall of water along
the surface that makes runabouts inefficient at slower speeds.
Dropping back to hull speed might make very little difference in
elapsed time, but show up as a nice savings at the fuel dock.


High tech assistance:

Fuel meters can be very cost effective. With real-time reports of the
number of gallons per hour being consumed, a boater can experiment
with minor changes in speed or trim and instantly evaluate the
results. Some active boaters with high horsepower engines would
probably recover the cost of fuel flow meters in a surprisingly short
period of time.

Another component worthy of consideration is an autopilot,
particularly for boaters making long course runs in open water. The
best helmspeople will fall off a compass course by several degrees in
either direction, and the rest of us will deviate by even greater
amounts. All of that wandering around adds additional distance to a
course, and with a powerboat that additional distance means fuel
consumed unnecessarily. A decent autopilot will help save on fuel
costs, (a line of reasoning I intend to pursue in upcoming discussions
with my wife).

Be ready to redefine:

When fuel prices shot skyward in the summer of 2006, there were some
who thought that pleasure boating would fall off substantially. For
the most part, that hasn't been the case.
Chatting with boating friends and acquaintances revealed that more of
us took shorter cruises, stayed an extra day on the hook here or there
without necessarily pressing on to a new destination each afternoon,
and made other minor adjustments. One Seattle-area boater observed,
"We have decided that instead of feeling that we just must race to
Desolation Sound and back every summer, we're going to take it a
little slower and spend some years in the San Juan and Gulf Islands
instead. It's easy to forget how much there is to see and do closer to
home. We'll be darned if the price of fuel will take us off the water,
and if going a little slower and staying a little bit closer to home
some years is the adjustment we need to make then we are happy to do
so."