Bluewater cruiser
New member
I am looking to purchase a 3 foot Bluewater Yacht. There are (2) 350 Crusader engines 270 hp. Can anyone tell me what the fuel burn rate is for these engines at 1500, 1800, 2000, 2200 rpms. Thanks for any help.
MarineEngine.com does not offer troubleshooting assistance or repair advice by email or by telephone.
You are invited to join our public Boat Repair Forum to seek assistance from other members.
You may also visit the Boat Motor Manuals section of our site to obtain a service manual.
Short answer is A LOT!!!
big variables: gear ratio, prop size, and bottom condition...and how much mass is in the hull....
43' of hull gives you a huge wetted surface area and that can't be changed.
Evening Bluewater cruiser
Not being a smart ass....but... two decades ago when I was contemplating buying a "bigger" boat I asked a broker how many "miles to the gallon"?
He replied '" If you are worried about the gas consumption, you shouldn't be thinking about getting a bigger boat."
I went to a 42 footer, twin Crusaders 350's, boat weight is 19,000lbs, 3 feet of draft, I cruise at 1500 RPM, (digital tachs with manual sync),speed in zero wind is about 6.8kts-7.2 kts.
If I step above that, I can literally see the fuel gauges dropping. Above 1500 RPM all I am doing is pushing water...the hull is a "non-planer".
In my opinion, fuel consumption in any boat, no matter what engines, boat config, propellers, etc , depends on just how fast you want to get "there". Being retired, I really don't care about 'time' and am very happy going at the speed that, to me, is most economical (1500 RPM) and easy on the engines.
I have droned on..... and sorry...I have no idea what my actual fuel consumption is at 1500 RPM
. ..............................But my intent with a boat like the one I was looking to get was to cruise and maybe the great loop one day. The wife and I both decided earlier this evening that the boat I was talking about is probably too much boat for us so we have already started looking
I truly appreciate any advice I I also heard the saying, if your asking how much fuel it's going to use then you probably shouldn't be buying the boat. So thanks for the advice