Fuel Burn and Range (How far can you go)

[siestakey]

Originally Posted by k9medic

Don’t forget to factor in the generator burn.

It’s easy to miss but if you run long distances it can really impact your range.

True I need to add that to my graph I have a fuel meter to add to it just have not done it yet

[MYTraveler]

Enough to get to Hawaii at 8 knots +.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by k9medic

Don’t forget to factor in the generator burn.

It’s easy to miss but if you run long distances it can really impact your range.

On my boat, I wouldn’t need to run a genny while under way for long distances. The alternator and inverter handle my AC loads. Of course, I have propane cooking and diesel heat. No AirCon.

[Delfin]

2450 gallons. At 7 knots, around 2.7 gph and 6,300 miles. At 6.5 knots, over 7,000 miles.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by High Wire

320 gal, 6.8 knots, and 1.8 GPH give me me a theoretical range of well over 1000 miles. ...

Same here except my speed is 6.3.

[AusCan]

My tanks are small; only 2 X 120 litres @ 2nm/litre = about 480 nm. I have space for 4x 25 litre jerry carry to stretch that a bit.

Enough to cruise the east coast of Australia, but if I headed west past Ceduna I'd need over double the tankage to get across the Great Australian Bight. It is the longest unbroken coastal cliff face in the world, so its a long way between stops.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Delfin

2450 gallons. At 7 knots, around 2.7 gph and 6,300 miles. At 6.5 knots, over 7,000 miles.

Nice

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by Delfin

2450 gallons. At 7 knots, around 2.7 gph and 6,300 miles. At 6.5 knots, over 7,000 miles.

Ok, you win.

Ted

[Gabe n Em]

350 gals at 2 mpg including generator use. Easy math says 700 mile range, no reserve.

As measured during our trip from MD to GA

7000 mile range! That's awesome

[Retriever]

Just got to Ketchikan. Last fuel was in Oak Harbor about three weeks ago.

I travelled 731.7nm in 97.94 engine hours and burned 194.3 gallons of diesel. That's an average speed of 7.47 knots at 1.98 gph, or 3.77 nmpg.

This includes furnace burn (not much, nice weather) and I never needed to turn on the generator (or plug into shore power...thanks solar!).

Theoretically I could do almost 1400nm on my 370 gallon capacity. Practically, I start looking for fuel after about 1000nm, or whenever I get out of Canada, whichever is first.

[Sailor of Fortune]

Originally Posted by ak-guy

Here is the range estimate from the builder of my Allweather. 112 gallon tank.


5 knots ~1 qt./hr. NMPG=~20 ~2000NM+
6 knots ~2 qts./hr. NMPG=~10 ~1000NM+
7 knots ~3-4 qts./hr. NMPG=~5 ~500NM+

Love those boats!!

[BobMc]

Sanderling holds 525 gallons of diesel. In over 30K miles cruising in this boat and anchoring out or at a mooring about 80% of the days underway, we burn 1.8 gallons per hour at 6.5 knots, or 7.3 MPH. That includes running the genset whenever necessary to recharge batteries or provide heat/cooling. We have a propane stove/oven and a 1100 A battery bank with a Magnum inverter/charger for any cooking/coffee/hair drying/etc needs. Theoretically all of this combined gives us a range of 1900 statute miles with a 10% fuel reserve (50 gallons). We typically take on around 250 gallons every 1,000 statute miles.

[BandB]

Wifey B: On the boat we're on today, 270 nm at 35-36 knots with 10% reserve on tank of 845 gallons.

Same range at 15 knots. At 11 knots or so we increase range, but never run that speed.

[garycasey]

The discussion on speed vs. range was very interesting. I went a step further and calculated the cost of time. The calculation gives the answer to the question, "What would it cost me to save an hour on this trip?" For example, we usually cruise at 1300 rpm, which give about 7.4 knots. If I increase the rpm, I'll get there quicker, but will burn more fuel. Turns out at $3/gal. it will cost me (approximately, of course) $8.42 for every hour I save. I'm not spending that much per hour, but that's the incremental cost for every incremental hour I save. Is my time worth $8.42? That's the question to answer. As the speed goes up the cost also goes up. At 1400 rpm it's about $10 an hour. At 2500 rpm it's about $30 an hour. Just to put it in perspective, the sailboat I sail sometimes gives about $5 an hour at 7 knots. My airplane figured out to $200 an hour at 165 knots. A car at 70mph calculates out at something like $20 an hour, depending on the mpg. Make sense?

[menzies]

I have never really bothered to measure it exactly, but my guesstimate on my twins is:

If I nursed it (1200 rpm) I burn 3gph and run ~ 5-6knots. around 1800-1900km, say 1800 with buffer.

At a comfortable cruise (1800 rpm) I burn 7gph giving me 9.5 knots. so 1300, say 1200 with buffer.

We left Jax with ~875 gallons in March, topped up with 150 gallons in Vero before crossing from Fort Pierce, and returned from six weeks moving around the Abacos without needing another fuel stop and with 184 gallons left in the tanks.

I have twins. And all this assumes current for and against is a wash.