Anyone else boating faster this year?

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Guy

Dave R,
I bought a MPG readout a couple of years back but it never seems to get onto my honey do list for some reason. My dream was to generate a curve of mph vs mpg. Your comment has re sparked my interest. I had always assumed that the optimum mpg was very slow and then just on plane. Do you have any mpg numbers for minimum speed. Maximum wake. almost on plane. On plane. faster? Thanks for your comments.

Having read a lot of Boating magazines while on the ... hmmm ... while sitting and contemplating the nature of mankind, I've generally seen that a small block V8 is most efficient at no wake speed and, more usefully, between 3000 and 3500 RPM. For me that works out to be 30 - 35 MPH (optimally) depending on load and trim due to "sea state". At those speeds enough of the boat is out of the water to minimize the drag. Dave's curve seems about right though I think he has a big block.