Modern 4 stroke PWC fuel economy?

[acarter92]

Hi,

I currently own a 20ft Center console that I use for diving, however I have to itch to buy a PWC again to satisfy my need for speed and ease of use when I don't feel like dealing with the boat. What I'm wondering is how the fuel economy of the newer 4 strokes compares to that of the older 2 smokers? I used to own a 1996 Sea Doo (SPX I think), was a 2 seater with a little 3 cylinder 2 stroke... Picked it up cheap and it really never gave me any crap, but one of the main reason I sold it was the amount of fuel it sucked. I remember it had something like a 12 gallon tank and we couldn't go very far on it. I think the one time I calculated less than 2 mpg. Considering my boat can get well over 5, that's pretty lousy....

I don't really have any brands or models in mind yet, but I'm probably looking at something around 5 years old to play around with, so what can I expect from a newer model?

Thanks,
Austin

 

[JimS123]

Our typical Summer vacation day at our boating destination involves eating brunch and then going out late morning, returning late afternoon just in time for dinner. We usually cover about 60 miles, and stop at several quiet coves for a drink and some swimming or fishing. Average speed in the shipping channel is 30 mph (that's the speed limit), but when we go in the back waters we crank her up to maybe 45 (the wife doesn't like it any faster). Riding 2 up all the time.

With that as a basis, our old GTI 2-stroke 717 engine would consume a good 10 gallons a day. I don't remember how big the tank was but I filled her up with two 5 gallon cans every day. In contrast, our 155 HP GTX 4-tec uses about 6 gallons for the same ride, and some times I go 2 days between fillups of the 15 gallon tank.