The fuel Consumption of a recreational boat
How much fuel consumes a pleasure boat? that's the topic on today we'll talk about in our blog news Oceanautic as a sailing School in Malaga .
To do this we will take into account the different types of boat.
Our nature
In the world of nautical sports each new pattern and fan has their own nature.
They are passionate about the world of the sailing. Can be more or less competitive and will turn their hobby into the world of racing or simply to navigation quiet and relaxing without having to endure the noise and vibration of the engine. For these people, the choice is clear: either the purchase or charter your goal is always the sailboat.
There are those who have their primary objective in the sport fishing. The navigation is usually the means to enjoy your hobby. The aim is usually to get to the fishing area as soon as possible to be able to enjoy this hobby for as long as possible. Your choice will usually be far from the sailing vessels and premium to get more speed from increased engine power.
And the third large group of crew members are those people who do not have clear what is its nature in the world of the nautical sports. They tend to be people who, being passionate about the sea, does not have a predilection for specific and simply want to enjoy the sea and navigation. Or simply attracted to this world without a specific purpose beyond to browse.
Factors that influence the consumption of a recreational boat
The consumption of fuel in a recreational vessel depends on several key factors that can significantly influence the efficiency and the energy expenditure during use. By understanding these factors, the owners and captains can optimize the performance of your boat and reduce the economic and environmental impact. Below are the main aspects that affect the consumption of a recreational boat.
Size and type of boat
The size and design of the vessel are determinants in their consumption of fuel. Generally, the larger vessels require more powerful engines and, therefore, consume more fuel. The craft of displacement, for example, are designed to move at slower speeds and are more efficient in terms of consumption, while the planing boats, to reach higher speeds, they tend to consume more because of the extra effort that must be undertaken by the engines.
Speed of navigation
One of the most important factors in consumption is the speed at which you are browsing. At higher speeds, the engine needs more work, thus increasing considerably the fuel consumption. Maintain a cruise speed efficient, which varies according to the type of boat, you can reduce the power consumption. Each boat has a "cruising speed" optimal where the engine operates efficiently, and overcome it can cause a disproportionate increase in the consumption.
Weather conditions and the Sea
The sea state and weather conditions also influence the consumption. Navigate against strong wind or rough seas requires more effort on the part of the engine, which increases the use of fuel. The sea currents and waves can also affect the performance of the boat, doing that requires more power to maintain the speed.
Loading and Weight Distribution
The weight on board, including people, equipment, and fuel, it can affect the consumption. The higher the load, the more effort will require the engine to move the boat. In addition, the weight distribution plays an important role in the stability and efficiency of navigation. A poor weight distribution can increase the water resistance and, therefore, increase the fuel consumption.
Maintenance of engine
The condition of the engine is also a critical factor in the consumption of fuel. An engine that does not receive the proper maintenance it can lose efficiency, which results in a higher consumption. Perform periodic reviews, to change the oil, and keep the filters clean, among other maintenance actions, you can ensure that the engine continues to run efficiently and consume the least amount of fuel possible.
Choose a sailing or motor
While the first two groups is assumed that the type of boat you are going to prefer to enjoy, in many cases, excluding the other alternative, the third group tends to seek advice and assistance to opt for one option or another.
In this sense, from Oceanautic, not only I have the tendency to throughout the development of our courses but in addition, we offer the training widest possible with our practices to onboard our vessels.
Our boats are located in the Puerto Marina Benalmadena.
This choice can be influenced by the costs of the use of the boat and the fuel, especially at this time of year that has exploded in price, it is an important point to keep in mind
Consumption measurement
How much fuel consumes a pleasure boat?
The measurement of consumption in a sport boat is in liters/hour. This consumption is considered to be linear in the engines of low power and progression-exponential in the engines of increased power.
Although the motor manufacturer can provide us with information about consumption, our recommendation is to make us our own calculation.
In future publications, we will show you how we perform these calculations in our fleet.
Consumption on a sailing ship sailing
The consumption of fuel in a boat sailing is not a key point, at least in the negative sense. Sailing vessels are designed to navigate mainly sailing, being the null power consumption.
The engine is intended to be used for maneuvering in port and on those occasions in which the wind is not enough for sailing.
Even so, are the engines of small power, usually no more than 50 HP of power, whose consumption levels are very low. We could say that the diesel oil consumption of an engine of a 40 HP would be below the 2 litres/hour.
Consumption in boat motor
As we discussed above, the fuel consumption of a vessel of an engine increases exponentially as we give greater scheme of turns of the engine.
Usually, the manufacturer of the engine facilitates this table, but these values are very theoretical because the practice is going to depend on factors external to the engine, and it is convenient to go checking to adjust these values to the reality.
In any case, we must take into account these consumption at the time of putting a regime of navigation.
Below, I included our table of consumption of vessels according to engine and revolutions:
Estimated consumption in Outboards according to revolutions:
Revs –> 2000 3000 4000 5000
- 25CV 1L 2L 4L 6L
- 90HP 5L 10L 15L 20L
- 250CV 12L 20L 40L 60L
Estimated consumption in Diesel engines according to revolutions:
Revs –> 1000 2000 3000
- 30CV 0.7 L 2L 5L
- 75 1.1 L 5L 18L
- 260CV 2.5 L 13L 34L
We can see that up to 2000 RPM, the fuel consumption can be considered “reasonable”, but from 3000 RPM this consumption is triggered.
So if you do not want that the output goes to a cost maddening or that the nice pesquemos us out at the price of caviar, we will have to regulate and adjust the speed to a regime of turns “economic”.
And if we have the need and the whim to increase the speed we will always have that opportunity, but knowing that it will cost.
If you want to rent a boat in Málaga, do not hesitate to contact us.
