fuel economy
 

A question for you all. I have worked boats , sold boats, and owned boats, but not for many years. Right now I am starting retirement and hope to find a nice classic center console to use. My question is: All things equal; 20 ft., center console, similar performance, Which would be the most economical on fuel: I/O, outboard, or straight inboard? Any recommendations? Another issue is that I cannot afford the cost of a new power plant, no matter what type. I am looking for a Classic Seacraft, Mako, or even a Shamrock. In other words a saltwater fishing boat with some offshore capability. From your experience, which would prove to be the most economical over the long haul? TIA.

Re: fuel economy
 

inboard deisel, or 4 banger OB. the difference would probably be the added life that you would get out of the deisel. they are a lot more exensive than an OB, but 1500 hrs on an outboard is a good bit for most people on an outboard, but your really just breaking in a deisel.

Re: fuel economy
 

20 seacraft with a suzuki 140 or 150 etec will get 5mpg at cruise.

I don't know if it'll fit in a 20 seacraft, but the cummins mercruiser has a nice little 130/150hp package

http://www.cmdmarine.com/qsd2.0sterndrive.html

Probably better economy . . . but that is just a guess.

Hey . . . Do you email me about a 20 Master Angler in Sacramento?

Re: fuel economy
 

Big. Could be. Did you have a 20' Seacraft with a CA commercial permit? Must have sold, it disappeared from Craigslist. It was pretty much what I want, and being on West coast instead of East would have been nice.

Re: fuel economy
 

I realize the diesel has real advantages, but initial cost is pretty high and right now the cost of diesel is hard to believe. I am going to have to find a boat that has an older power plant. An affordable hull with an existing diesel will be hard to find. Four bangers are just out of my price range. 5 mpg with a 140 or 150 sounds pretty good to me,compared to some numbers I have seen. I'm not after a lot of speed. In Puget Sound and probably most of the West coast, going over 40 mph is dangerous because of all of the drift in the waters. At 40 you just can't see a mostly submerged log in time to avoid it.

Re: fuel economy
 

I am assuming that by "four banger" you are really meaning "four stroke"?

Re: fuel economy
 

dbl511,

I've been down the exact same road you are going down. This is what I found, a Diesel would be nice but IF I had a repair it WOULD be expensive. Cost to aquire and economy wise, as well as ride, in my humble opinion, it's hard to beat a 20 ft seacraft Scepter or CC. Best economy that won't cost you an arm and a leg would be someting like a 130 yamaha or a 4 cyl I/O, all are capable of getting 3.5 mpg or so at cruise. I'm just getting my rig set up but know from test runs it's getting over 3.5 mpg. Not bad considering you can probably find one or put the rig together for under 5-7K. You can get 5mpg or so with a high $$$ 115, 150 4 stroke but even at 5$ a gallon it will take a lot of hours to recover the $$$ and repairs will cost a lot more.

I've spent dozens of hours looking into every boat out there (don't tell the wife) and this combo meet all my criteria.

I can't wait to get it all together. Good luck with your search.

By the way we have a 74 20 Scepter with a 1991 yamaha 130.

Re: fuel economy
 

Tiny.
I am leaning more towards an outboard. I think they are a lot easier to maintain for one thing. I am a little partial to the Yamaha's. I used to be a Suzuki dealer and back then we all figured Yamaha was our toughest competitor. In the early 1980's they were the most expensive outboard you could buy. I find more Mercs on the used boats I have found than anything else. I will probably settle for just about anything in the 130 to 150 hp range that is in good condition.

Re: fuel economy
 

Yes it will. I drive past the fuel docks and smile [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: fuel economy
 

Maybe Fr. Frank will chime in on here. He and I discussed motor choices at length. He was keen on the yammie 130 and the older 2.0L merc's...both are pretty good on gas, and not to expensive either. Parts are cheaper on the merc, but I found a good yammie and snatched it up!!!!

Re: fuel economy
 

Check out the Boating magazine test in the Literature section of the 20' Seafari with a 140 I/O. It got 5 mpg using 1969 technology level, and it'll cruise easily at 20-25 mph! If you can find a 20' hull with one of these in it, you'll meet your objective with a lot less $ than a new O/B! And yes, I'm averaging over 5 mpg with my E-Tec, but you can buy a lot of gas for what any of these new motors cost. Also, if you're not after a lot of speed, the 20' hull does fine with a 115 O/B, which should be a little cheaper to operate.

Re: fuel economy
 

DB - I still have it . . . I've been real busy. PM me and I'll send you some photos and description. It's rough around the edges, but could clean up nicely.

Re: fuel economy
 

Big. Sent you a PM. Thanks for all the info. guys. Appreciate the input.

Re: fuel economy
 

If you've got the time to put in regular maintenance, and you don't mind getty oil or grease under your fingernails, the 130/140 Merc I/O on the 20' Seacraft is pretty hard to beat. A friend of mine in Juno has had a 20' Seafari for about 30 years, and consistantly averages about 4.5-5.0 mpg. He repowered in about '86 or '87, and just bought a complete replacement package - same 151 ci 4 cyl. Mercruiser.

For new outboards, I don't have the figures for the 140 Zuke, but the new 130 eTec is incredibly frugal on fuel, as is the new 150 Yammie and Merc 135 Verado.

I have a 90hp Merc Optimax 1.5L 3 cyl.that is adequate for my Seafari. I get about 4.5 mpg average, cruising at 23-24 mph.

For older tech, I really like the 115/130 Yamaha, and any 2.0 litre V6 Merc. The old 2.0 150 Merc may be the most economical V6 2 stroke out there. It surpasses even the new 150 Optimax and the eTec. Cons are the unreliable oil injection, and the massive amounts of smoke it makes at low rpms.

I'm a poor preacher, and I have always preferred outboards, but if I found a 20' with an I/O, I'd probably go that way as a preference, just for economical reasons. Especially considering there is now a 140/150/170 hp bolt-in diesel replacement for the 151ci engine Mercruiser that weighs only 23 lbs more than the original 130/140. 150 hp model burns 5-7 gph at cruise, or about 5-6 mpg.

Re: fuel economy
 

Fr. Frank.

Thanks for the info. That gives me a lot more options to consider. I don't mind the greasy fingernails, mine are mostly that way anyhow. I don't have any problem with maintaining the engine it is the outdrive that always seemed to be daunting. Out here there is little to choose from. I have watched Craigslist and Boat Trader for a full year and have not seen one Seacraft closer than San Francisco, and we average over 250 boat listings per day on Craigslist in the Seattle area. I will probably have to head for Miami to find what I want unless I luck out on a California boat. I really want a CC for flyfishing. We have a pretty good supply of Searun Cutthroats in my neighborhood and they are fun on the fly. It is all catch and release, but that is all the fun anyway. My plan is to get a boat I can use here locally during the summer months and then tow to the Baja in the fall/winter to fish the Sea of Cortez. Simple and reliable is what I need.

Re: fuel economy
 

Regular maintenance of the sterndrive unit isn't too difficult. This is annual stuff should be done once a year OR every 100 hours of use, whichever comes first. For some people it's more often than once a year, for others 100 hrs takes years to reach. If that's you, use the annual service interval rather than the 100 hr interval.
This doesn't include the engine maintenance, this is just drive and drive operation maintenance.

• Lower unit oil change
• Replace water pump impeller
• shift/exhaust bellows check, no cracks and soft to the touch(Change every 5 yrs or 500 hrs.)
• Check all clamps on hoses and bellows
• Check sacrificial anodes. (always have 6 anodes)
• Check trim hoses and trim cylinder seals
• grease steering linkage
• Grease driveshaft coupler
• Grease u-joints
• Grease gimbal ring/transom mount
• Grease propeller shaft and re-torque prop to 55-60 lbs
• Spray steering rod and linkage with anti-corrosion coating (like Fluid Film)

When I managed marinas, I expected a mechanic to perform a complete standard annual sterndrive service, (that's engine, transom group and drive), in under 4 hours, and many performed the service in under 3. I wasn't/am not a mechanic, and I usually took about 4-5 hours to do the same service for friends and family. One of the biggest factors in service is accessibility, though. I'm now fat and older, and can't fit into some of those tiny spaces :rolleyes:

Re: fuel economy
 

There is a reason for that!!! Those pre-92 Yamaha's are all busted up with their shift shafts rotting out :) and frozen bolts snapping off.

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...0031_sized.jpg

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not looking forward to that day :-)

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DLB - I sent you some pics of the Master Angler . . . and it's now in the for sale section too with a 2.0L 150 Mercury. I don't have any fuel burn numbers yet . . . I'm guessing it'll be very close to 3.5mpg - 4mpg with flat calm seas. I'll let you know tomorrow :)