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Old 12-19-2007, 08:58 PM   #15
Nomad Willy
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City: Concrete Washington State
Vessel Name: Willy
Vessel Model: Willard Nomad 30'
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,743
RE: New trawler owner...Some questions.

Kevin,
Most of the guys on this forum dissagree with me but I think NO, your cruise rpm should be where your engine is loaded properly. Passage Maker Magazine says one should be at 75% load 75% of the time and I run my boat under that rule. As Marin pointed out older engines may not need that much loading to keep warm enough so the engine dosn't suffer. Marin burns 3 gph so he is very close to 50% loading and on these old low compression engines that may work fine.. I'll admit I'm not 100% sure about the 75/75 rule myself but if there is mutch truth in it at all 50% loading is probably the bottom of the acceptable safe operating range. This would require you to doubble your fuel burn to achive a 50% loading. Good thing fuel's cheap eh?

Eric Henning
30' Willard
Thorne Bay AK
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