I have a 14 ft High Tide with a 2003 50 hp johnson two stroke.
I put in at elliots cut and drove to folly. It took about 30 minutes at 25 mph give or take. It drank about 3 gallons of gas for that ride out and a total of 6 gallons round trip. Thats six gallons for a hr and half of driving. Was cruising fast on the trip between 22-28 mph but I feel like this motor eats gas… Does it?
The miles say 11.6 miles each way so I probably drove around 25 miles total for a hour and half.
I dont care about the getting out the hole. I care about MPG and maybe top speed over get out of the hole. Any suggestions on what I could do to get better MPG? or Gallons per hour… Any suggestions tips or advice is welcome. Was wondering if I can get a different pitch for my propeller to help lower the RPM and thus give me better MPG or if I can tune the carb to make it drink a little slower…
Higher pitch prop will lower your RPM and increase your speed up to a point. As far as I know there is no carb adjustment that can be made to enhance MPG. Do you leave your throttle wide open or pull it back to cruising speed (just enough to stay on plane)? That will save you some fuel on long runs.
25 miles/6 gallons = 4.17 Miles to the gallon. In my mind that’s not bad. Save your money rather then trying to buy another prop. The savings are not there. 6 gallons of gas for a days fishing is not bad. That’s only $19 total to split with a friend. Save the $ for maintenance items like spark plugs, water pumps, gear oil, motor tune, etc…
I would agree with Looper. Especially if that is a carbureted 2 stroke. My old boat had a 97 Johnson 150, 6 cylinders and 6 carbs. It had tremendous power and torque but it really sucked the fuel.
Tell me about it Flyvet. I had a 150ox66 on my Sea Hunt. It would cost around $80 just to mess around at the Chs 60 for the afternoon. Then add the cost of Ring Free and Yamalube we were at around $100.
You didn’t mention what RPMs you’re turning. You want to size your prop to get the maximum recommended RPMs at wide open throttle so you aren’t lugging your motor. I wouldn’t be changing the prop for gas usage reasons. What you described doesn’t sound too bad.
It runs 32mph at full throttle. I pulled it back to run 22-25mph.
It can stay on plan at 18-20 mph.
If I am on the boat for a pleasure cruise and want to eat as little gas as possible. Y’all say I need to get on plane and run what ever speed I can to stay on plane, but no faster and that will be my “cruising speed” and best MPG?
I dont have a gauge to tell my RPM’s but I assume like a car. You dont want to be all out for any extended period of time. Its like red lining a car correct…?
My prop has a one inche square chip in one of the propellers so that was another reason I was going to look into getting a new prop and CF conversations I had just read lol…
Last question any place to look on a prop to find out what Pitch it is?
My suggestion would be to get a higher pitch stainless prop. Get one that will let you run about 30-32 at 3/4 throttle and you will save gas.
That boat with a 50 should be able to run about 43 with a 17-19 pitch prop. You really need to buy a tach first though to make sure you are propping the boat right.
OMC makes a tach that also covers all the warning lights as well.
I have a 14Ft Fastcraft, which is very simular to a HighTide… I have a 60hp Tiller handle on mine. Runs around 47 top speed according to GPS, although I cruise around 24mph, seems to run all day on 6gallons… Another thing to look at is weight distrobution in your boat. Too much weight in the back or the front can negitively affect the fuel consumption… maybe not by much, but when dealining with 6 gallons, every little bit helps…
Key West 19’6" CC 115hp Merc
14’ Fast Craft w/ 60hp Merc
There is no way to find the Appropriate prop pitch with out a tach? Would it be fine to get a 50 dollar tach as the OMC is like 200 dollars.
Also all weight is in the back. I need to run the batteries or the gas up to the front. I think that would help alot. It would also make it nice where I could prob stay on plane at 15 mph
You don’t “have” to have it. Your engine still has a buzzer when it overheats. The system check lights are just another reminder that something is wrong. Like overheat, low oil, or no oil. If you are not running the oil injection I probably wouldn’t get one. You would just be paying for a light to come on when the overheat alarm sounds.
Get a cheep tach on ebay or boats.net. You should be able to find one for under $50. Call some local shops and ask if they have any old ones. Some people upgrade there gauges to digital and take the analog ones out. Find out what pitch you want and give me a call. I may have a used prop in good condition I would sell you.