Say you had a 25 foot speedboat with a Mercruiser 454. That is a pretty big gas pig. The most efficient cruising for these setups is usually around 20-30 knots. If you wanted to get better mileage and didn't need to get there fast could you just use a smaller outboard, say a 4 stroke 20 hp or something, and putter along with that, making your way along much like a sailboat under power? And would this save you a lot on fuel? I know speedboats have planing rather than displacement hulls, but at these low speeds could they just function like a displacement hull? It would be with a boat like a Searay 25 Sundancer or similar.
I am asking because I am looking to buy a boat large enough to live on for extended trips up BC's Inside Passage, but I want it trailerable. So that eliminates most sailboats. Catamarans are too expensive. It would also be nice to have some high speed capabilities if needed. But I don't want to be sucking back huge gas bills all the time, and if I can power the boat with a smaller outboard and just go say 5 knots or something as I poke my way along the waterways, that would be a decent compromise.
Is there something to this, or am I out to lunch?
I am asking because I am looking to buy a boat large enough to live on for extended trips up BC's Inside Passage, but I want it trailerable. So that eliminates most sailboats. Catamarans are too expensive. It would also be nice to have some high speed capabilities if needed. But I don't want to be sucking back huge gas bills all the time, and if I can power the boat with a smaller outboard and just go say 5 knots or something as I poke my way along the waterways, that would be a decent compromise.
Is there something to this, or am I out to lunch?