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Old 03-30-2016, 11:21 AM   #67
Paul Swanson
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City: Ventura CA
Vessel Name: Proud Mary
Vessel Model: Pacific Trawler
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 92
Whether you use gph or mpg may depend on why you are on the water. If you are there to enjoy the journey instead of the destination you may be more interested in gph but if you just want to get somewhere mpg may be a better measure. For instance if you are just enjoying a sunny day on the water with friends and family, six knots is just as enjoyable as ten knots and the gph ($ph) is much less. However, if you need to get to the next harbor 100 miles away before sundown you will pick the highest speed that gets you there before dark with sufficient fuel. That requires you to know mpg versus speed.

On this last point I may be a little weak but I think a planeing hull gets almost the same mpg regardless of speed once it is on a plane, even though gph is much higher as speed increases. In this case mpg is a better criterion for planning a trip than gph.

Paul
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