,,,that tank is how big?

[fatlazyless]

Noticed in today's newspaper that diesel fuel is selling for over four dollars/gallon over in Bangor, Maine.

Gasoline is now selling for about 3.15 at the Irving station in Meredith.

I used to have a 21'er with a 150hp, 2-stroke, outboard that had a 25 gallon tank, and I sold it off to Lake Ontario and now have an old, smaller runabout that is just big enough to be exiciting as it bounces around, all over the Big Lake. It thankfully runs on a portable, six gallon tank, which can last for half a day, easy.

Also, I carry a two gallon back-up, portable tank, just in case, or for the lawn mower.

Just out of curiosity, it would be interesting to compare, so's I'm ask'n the question, how many gallons does it take to fill up your boat's fuel tank?

Unless you is still a teenager, you know there no such thing as a free gallon of gas.

[winnidiver]

26 Gals.It's a 4 cly. so I can go a long way on it.

[Dave R]

Mine holds 74 gallons but it's good for 2-3 very full days of boating. Gas prices have affected my boating by about $20 to $40 per boating day since 2005. Fortunately, I didn't buy too much boat and can easily absorb the extra cost. We boat just as much as we ever did and have no plans to change anything.

Oddly, my NH property taxes DROPPED $800 last year, that covers the extra fuel cost of 20-40 days of boating. I might use the extra money to throttle up a bit and cruise at 45 rather than 30 if the speed limit passes.

[brk-lnt]

70 gallons for me. That buys me a fair bit of cruising time on the water.

[ITD]

70 gallons, 8.2 liter 425 hp Cobalt. Can burn that up in anywhere from 3 to 8 hours running time.

[hazelnut]

77 Gallons

[Kamper]

I carry 2 six gallon portables @ 5mpg, not too bad.

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

My tank is 96 gallons, feeding a Mercruiser 496 Mag HO. I'm not sure how much running time that gives me since so much depends on how fast I'm cruising and how much I get into the throttle, plus how much weight I'm carrying on any given day. I usually cruise at 45mph, sometimes 50, but with the price of gas now, only occasionally do I go wide open throttle. Since I trailer, I'm lucky that I can fill up on land instead of at a marina; that saves alot of $$$! I usually fill up when it gets down to about half a tank so that means I'm usually filling up every third weekend that I use it.

[codeman671]

We run 1 boat with a 120 gallon tank being sucked on by twin 300hp 350 Mags. Our other is a 38 gallon tank constantly being drained by a 225hp Optimax. I did not run the Monterey much last year but was constantly filling the toon as I drive it like I stole it...I am sure this summer will be the same, only more painful.

[Gatto Nero]

We have a runabout that holds 65 gallons and a small Whaler that holds two 6 gallon portables. I don't use the bigger boat much so I only fill it 3 or 4 times each summer, usually when it's still 1/2 full. I think we go through about a tank, sometimes two, per week in the Whaler, which isn't bad considering we use it to get just about everywhere that can be accessed via the lake (hardware & grocery etc) 7 days a week. The gas station is one of the few places we take the car during the summer and that is to fill up the portable boat tanks.

[fatlazyless]

This is all very interesting....70 gallons seems to be popular size.......hey WOODSY....where's Woodsy.....inquiring minds want to know....how big the tank on that classy DONZI of yours, Woodsy?

[Silver Duck]

FLL

Our boat has two 71 gallon tanks; how long they last depends on how hard I get on the throttles. Could be 3 days, could be 3 weekends.

But, at the age of 60, I like the comfort of a big, steady boat and of bringing the head and galley along with me when I go out.

At any rate, gas is one of my smallest boating expenses. The cost of fuel is an annoyance, but definitely not a stopper!

Silver Duck

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

I'm pushing 18,000 pounds of boat, average a little over 100 hours a season and consume 50 gallons of off road diesel fuel. Talk about bringing the kitchen and bathroom with you... We bring the whole dam house, the yaks and the SCUBA gear and the neighbors too. If the wind is right I can do all that for zip... We're always home or just out in the back yard messing around, sort-a-speak.

Ahhh life is good...

[Weekend Pundit]

My 20' cuddy runabout has a 29 gallon tank which feeds a 4.3L V6. It burns about 3 gallons an hour at cruise (3700rpm) but we don't spend all that much time at speed, so I'd guess our average gas consumption is probably half that. That means I'll fill the tank about once every two or three weeks. The only time that changes is when I'm on vacation in late July and then I'll fill the tank every three or four days. (Yes, we use our boat that much. Over the past couple of years we've exceeded 200 hours on the Hobbes meter during the boating season - early May through late October.)

As an aside, we've changed where we're docking our boat this year, which will save us $1000 on slip rental. That money will end up going in the boat's gas tank. Figuring gas will hit $4.50/gal this summer, that extra $1000 will let us to keep boating in the manner to which we've become accustomed.

[Cal]

130 gallon capacity. Most economical speed is a nice slow cruise of 3000 rpms. Any more or less , costs more.

[fatlazyless]

...wow...130gals...thats-a-lot a gallons.

With my two gal back-up tank, I think it's an annoyance, but not a hindrance, too.

Whatever happened to those dual powered sail-motor boats like the MacGregor 26' with large sails and a 50hp outboard?

[Airwaves]

24 Gals on an 18' Bowrider with 115 Merc outboard
55 gals or so in a 265 hp 22' Cobalt Bowrider

[Lakepilot]

73 Gallons with 375 HP. I'm happy to take the boat out whenever we can. I hate watching it just sit there at the dock. The cost of gas is an irritant and a good conversation issue, but it isn't going to influence our enjoyment of the boat or lake.

[pirkaus]

18 gallons, I can fish all day and still have gas left.
100 horse main, 6 horse kicker, on a 19" Grady White
Pirk

[Michael Venoit]

60 in the Crownline and 45 on the Ski boat, for both that can last me the month. Thats not the killer its the gas to get to our small lake each weekend at about 45 gallons per weekend for the SUV round trip.

[SIKSUKR]

18 gallons for a CLEAN burning 3 cylinder 4 stroke QUIET running PWC.Like FLL,just out of curiosity I wonder how much noise and pollution those old smaller runabouts give off compared to my quiet non polluting PWC as it bounces all over the big lake.Heck,I'll bet my boat is smaller.
Contrary to what one might think about this thread,FLL is trying to throw you under the bus with your big bad gas guzzlers.

[chipj29]

My 2-stroke water-contaminating air-pollutin' PWC has a 15 gallon tank. It has a separate oil tank that holds almost a gallon. Don't worry, I stay away from Squam.

[Grady223]

22' Grady White with a 250hp Yamaha and a 96 gallon tank - glad I filled it last year!

[VitaBene]

60 Gallons- I usually pull it out of the water and fill it at Skelley's with 91.

[Grady223]

Bad idea - you are probably getting gas with Ethanol - not a good thing for boats. Most marinas use gas without ethanol.

[VitaBene]

hmmmm I am going to have to look into that- is this an issue with my old boat?

It is an 86 with a 350 Chevy (repowered 3 years ago).

Joh

[fatlazyless]

For the record, I have a 4 stroke 70hp outboard, and my boat even has a steering wheel w/ a suicide knob. It's a 1974 aluminum 18 1/2" Starcraft Starchief cabin cruiser....ok...so actually using that tiny cabin could be a little cramped.

What it does have is a countertop in front of the steering wheel, big enough to hold two 12" pizzas, side by side, along with two quarts of Guinness. Sometimes, I get the beer confused with the gasoline, but the engine runs along good, either way! It works as a gasoline additive to smooth out the waves.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Grady223

Bad idea - you are probably getting gas with Ethanol - not a good thing for boats. Most marinas use gas without ethanol.

Been using ethanol laced gas for two+ years. It's fine if you keep it full or empty when stored and don't have a fiberglass tank.

[VitaBene]

Thanks for the info Dave- I feel much better now. We have 160 hours on the repower using mostly street pump gas with no problems.

[Grady223]

Another thing about land bought gas - they usually include MBTEs which are carcinogens you are dumping into the Lake.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Grady223

Another thing about land bought gas - they usually include MBTEs which are carcinogens you are dumping into the Lake.

Ethanol is put in gas to replace MTBE. By running ethanol blend, I am avoiding MTBE. I also don't dump my gas in the lake.

[Grady223]

Understood, thank you for the clarification. But, no gasoline engine is 100% efficient a small percentage of everyone's fuel ends up in the Lake.

[jrc]

There is no land gas and boat gas, it all comes form the same trucks. If you by your fuel from the marina or the same brand and grade down the street at the gas station it's identical. Now if you buy in another state or in a different part of the state you might get a different blend.

I don't think you will find MTBE in any NH fuel, it was phased out because of the water polution issues. This was mainly wells contanimated by leaky gas station tanks.

A modern gasoline boat engine with electronic fuel injection is not putting any measureable fuel in the lake. Most newer engines meet the California three star rating.

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by Grady223

... MBTEs which are carcinogens (are being dumped) into the Lake.

We dont need to feel guilty about our boats. MTBE has been found in water samples thoughout the cycle, including aquifers and mountain springs. It passes through all engines with the exhaust and combines with atmospheric moisture and settles down with the rain.

My safety instructor was with the NHMP. She said MTBE in spilled/wasted gas will evaporate with the gas and enters the cycle the same way as that from exhaust. Granted, she wasnt an atmospheric expert but I agree that boaters are not the pollution culprits we were being made out to be a few years ago.

Ethanol in fuel is fine as long as you dont have a tank or fuel lines that are degraded by it. It is advisable to install water seperating filters if you let this fuel sit for any length of time, especially if it is in a vented container.

And that's all I think I know about that.

[Seeker]

My Chris TSF had 1/200 gallon and 2/100 gallon tanks feeding twin 350 Marine Powers. Thank God I don't have that anymore. My 'toon holds 23 feeding a 4 stroke 50hp and the center console holds 52 feeding a 135 Optimax. Both are super fuel efficient.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

I get the beer confused with the gasoline, but the engine runs along good, either way! It works as a gasoline additive to smooth out the waves.

The question is,do you run good when you have a pint of gas?Hmm...Pizza and gasoline.I wouldn't want to be around when that finishes it's journey.

[Rinkerfam]

Our tank holds 75 gallons that will be consumed by a 5 liter Merc. MPI. I figure we burn about 5 gallons an hour. Fortunately most outings consist of a run from the marina to the sand bar and back. Not counting vacation, we probably fuel up 3 or 4 times per season. BTW, I try to remember to do so before dropping below a quarter tank

[KBoater]

NH boat is about 80 gal. FL boat is 100 gal. Previous FL boat 200 gal.
I try not to keep a full tank but I share NH boat with the family and they sometimes load it with gas. Pushing extra gas for a short day trip seems crazy.
The FL boat had a bad fuel gauge but I just corrected it so now I can start figuring the fuel consumption. It is much less than the previous boat. Both boats have fuel injected 2 stroke OB. Previous boat was a Grady 232 with hardtop. The cost of storage(cubic inch) and running 2 engines were the reasons for trading. The "new to me" boat is a 2101 Seaswirl DC with a Bimini top and 1 motor. Much cheaper to run and maintain.

[NHskier]

1998 Cobalt 232, 7.4L - 55 gallon tank. During our first full season we used 277 gallons.

I KNEW I should have checked the hour meter at the end of the season.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by NHskier

I KNEW I should have checked the hour meter at the end of the season.

Should be the same at the begining of this season

[kchace]

Fuel tank holds 52 gallons, but at 5+ mpg cruise, the MOST I have ever used during a very full day on the lake is 15 gallons and more often around 10.

Ken

[Formula260SS]

Originally Posted by Grady223

Another thing about land bought gas - they usually include MBTEs which are carcinogens you are dumping into the Lake.

If I'm not mistaken they stopped using MBTE didn't they??

[robmac]

yes they stopped several years ago when they found how harmful it was to the envirment.I believe NH was one of the first states to ban it.

[ITD]

Originally Posted by robmac

yes they stopped several years ago when they found how harmful it was to the envirment.I believe NH was one of the first states to ban it.

Yep, it was another environmentalist experiment gone awry. They were finding it in Paugus bay. From what I understood it wouldn't completely burn in engines, on top of leaks and little spills it began showing up in water supplies. I remember when Clinton signed congress' bill into law requiring oil companies to start using increased levels in gas. He told us how much cleaner it would make the environment. I recall the oil companies not being too happy about having to do it. Now they, the oil companies, are being sued by the same government that required them to use it in the first place. There's a lot of junk science being peer reviewed and shoved down our throats. Some of it is right, most of it isn't. Mistakes like this cause us billions, not counting the dangers to lives and property.

[B&D]

We have a 22'er with 76 gallon tanks - and yeah that's going to be pain this year. But to feel better about we bought a J14 Carolina Skiff down here in the Keys and are dragging it home. A 6 gallon tank at the gas station is going to be less painful.
About the 26X MacGregor's - had one, sold it. Sailed badly, powered worse. And the interior was for leprechauns.

[robmac]

If there is one good thing about the price of gas,less boats out on the water again this year and less rentals with people that don't really have the experience

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by robmac

If there is one good thing about the price of gas,less boats out on the water again this year and less rentals with people that don't really have the experience

I can't remember, do we think that is a good thing or a bad thing? I like both. Seeing the lake alive with lots of families having fun on 4th of July weekend. But I also really enjoy going to work on a Tuesday morning in September when you are the only boat for miles and miles. OK, how about skip work, head to town for Breakfast and back home for a game of cards and a camp project.

Melt baby melt.

[fatlazyless]

Gone are the days when hot car enthusiats had a gasoline brand preference, like Sunoco 93. Back in 1972 when gas cost 30.9-32.9-34.9 for the three grades of Mobil, drivers definately had brand preference for their SS-396 Chevy's & such.

Today, everybody is in gasoline grief and the only thing that counts is the price. No one gives a hoot or a holler about the brands: Irving, Exxon, Chevron, or BP, it's all about price. Yesterday's 3.069 price at the Meredith Irving....like wow....what a low price!

[robmac]

I think you mean Sunoco 260 which was 94 octane,then there was Ammoco white gas also 94 octane. Now adays you have to go to Haffners for 5.99 a gallon Cam2 110

[ApS]

Or pump your own Sunoco @ 112 Octane.

But the price ($7.50) has surely gone up since January.

[PC31]

90 gallons x2.

gallon of gas $4.00

tank of gas $720

Day on the boat with the wife and kids $priceless

[Paugus Bay Resident]

125 gallons a side

[Nauset]

The rate of consumption is much more telling than the size of your fuel tank. Most boats have large tanks (in comparison to autos) to provide a farther range which is even more important on the ocean. Our boat has an 85 gal tank which gives close to 300 mile range at cruse. We only filled it two times last year. We burn a lot more fuel driving up to the lakes region than we ever use on the water.

[fatlazyless]

Make that $453.22 to fill the tank of a big white Cobalt 34'er equipped with two outdrive engines.

While stopping for gas this morning at the Route 25, Meredith Irving, I walked over to take a peek at the pump as it was getting gassed up.

"Twenty is the new five," says the marina employee who was gass'n it up. It took me a couple seconds to figure out what he meant, meaning that a 20 dollar bill is now the new five......oh yeah.....

So, lets see...453.22/3.85=about 125gal.....my..my..my...and I asked the counter person if they gave any discounts for cash as I went and purchased a big five dollars gasoline for my car.

Lots to see at the gas station this morning.
Down at the last pump, a small pickup towing a trailer with two kayaks and what looked like two, gas powered, surfboards was gassing up. Never having seen these before, I says "I've never seen this before, what are they?"

Something new....a gas powered surfboard called an X-board, powered by a small engine, holds two gallons gasoline, and can go 45mph.

How about that... and, I thought the old stand-up, jet skis were a little extreme. I suppose an X-board can be used in either a prone or stand-up position just like a surfboard..so it's a new motorized type of a boat.

[Misty Blue]

Back in the 60's we used one of my pals boats to hone our waterskiing skills. And possibly our social skills.

We skied that old two stroke 55 from sunrise to sunset. (Keep'en an eye out for NHMP). Yup, just cutting a wake all day for the month of July. Low on fuel? No Prob.....Just pull up to Trexlers fill E'r up, a couple of pints of oil and head on out.

Yes Problem...On the first week of August the owner of said boat received an invoice from the marina. Yessireeebob. In 1969 we managed to work up a $100 gas bill!!!!

For the next week the three of us were, as usual, up at the crack of dawn but we passed up the Marvin Gardens combos, the Northland slalom and the wrap around the waste ski belt and picked up our paint pots and painted the cottage.

We did manage to slip in an evening ski (Keep'en an eye out for the NHMP, of course).

Misty Blue

[Chris Craft]

155 gallons for me....

The Donzi holds 30 so you can guess what boat gets used the most.