Top Speed Of Our Boat?

[Scott Danforth]

fuel is literally the cheapest part of boating. proper maintenance out-weighs fuel by a cost of 3:1 to 5:1

 

[LuvBoating]

fuel is literally the cheapest part of boating. proper maintenance out-weighs fuel by a cost of 3:1 to 5:1

Well, we still don't understand the "crappy gas" post, because the boat has been running fine on plane the three different times we've been on local lake this summer. If we had "crappy gas" in it, would it run on plane at 28 mph and cruise nicely??? All we do know is, we want to use up the 3 year old gas in the tank, but have been only able to use up half of that. So, being that it is highly suggested that the tank be full when winterized, we'd have to fill the rest of the tank with new gas.

 

[LuvBoating]

Seeing you don't use much fuel maybe don't fill the tank at the end of the year?

It is very highly recommended that a boat gas tank be full when it is winterized, so condensation doesn't happen. I've read this on multiple websites and told this by our marine mechanic when we lived in Florida.

 

[sphelps]

How hard could it be to drain the tank ? I’ve never had to do that myself but it shouldn’t be that hard .. I would think ...

 

[LuvBoating]

How hard could it be to drain the tank ? I’ve never had to do that myself but it shouldn’t be that hard .. I would think ...

First, our boat is in a Boat-RV Storage place and they darn sure wouldn't allow us to do that there. We couldn't do it ourselves anyway...........and, wouldn't want to try. Some things are just better done by a marine service, if they will even do it.

 

[LuvBoating]

Just talked to the marine service where we take our boat and was told that they could drain the gas tank, BUT, the customer has to provide something to put the gas into. We have nothing like that! They have no storage tank for used gas, like our Florida marine service did. So, guess the so-called "old" 1/2 tank of gas will stay in and add enough new to full the tank for winterization.

The marine service told me that they probably couldn't re-jet our carb, but will adjust it. Apparently, very few-to-no boats come up here from the southern states, like Florida. We have seen some southern out-of-state license plates here, but they all look like rentals from local Enterprise Car Rental. Actually, our last car rental from them, had a California plate on it.

 

[LuvBoating]

When I called our local marine service, where we have our boat done, I asked about using the BG44K Fuel System Cleaner in our boat. Due to not being a marine product, they DON'T recommend us putting this fuel treatment into our boat gas at all. They, however, do highly recommend a Quicksilver or other marine fuel system cleaner they have.

Even though a local BG Distributor told me the BG44K would be fine, it is still an automotive product, not a marine one. So, not to make anything worse than already is, we will buy a bottle of marine fuel system cleaner and put in next Spring.

 

[Scott Danforth]

It is very highly recommended that a boat gas tank be full when it is winterized, so condensation doesn't happen. I've read this on multiple websites and told this by our marine mechanic when we lived in Florida.

thats actually bunk, and I will explain below

no way to keep the tank full sitting in storage unless you cap off the vent, not in Florida, not in Colorado, not even Alaska...... your tank level will drop due to evaporation. you will always get condensation with an open fuel system regardless if the tank is empty or full.

on a full tank, expect fuel to be expelled from the fuel vents if the temp becomes warmer than when filled for the first few days. then after than, based on ambient temperature, daily temperature cycles and if wind can blow by the vents, expect to loose about 6-8 ounces of fuel per week due to evaporation.

condensation happens when you have a large thermal mass (in this case, fuel) and changing temperatures while you have humidity in the air. you actually get more condensation on the outside of a fuel tank than you do on the inside as the fuel vapor from the evaporating fuel usually prevents ambient air from getting into the tank, unless your temperature swings are rapid, and you have high-moisture in the air. a rapidly dropping temperature while high humidity (such as fog) will cause the tank to basically inhale ambient air thru the vent.

on a bone dry tank, there is no condensation

 

[JimS123]

As usual, it it impossible to follow the recommendations of boaters with many years of experience. I personally have access to 2 marine dealers / mechanics that have more experience than I. I trust them implicitly, after having doing business with them for 50+ years. The others in town are neophytes. I guess your locals are not up to snuff either.

Three year old gas, 5 year old gas...OMG that's beyond belief. Adding automotive snake oil is even further out there. Why not just add STP treatment to it. Andy Granitelly made millions with that stuff. (sorry for the sarcasm)

If you still think your old crap gas is good, go to WalMart and buy a few 5 gallon cans and have your expert marine mechanic drain the gas into them. Then put it into your car. Your car should run just fine. Problem solved.

If you can't use a single tank of gas in a year, just sell the boat and rent one when you want.

I anxiously await next year's tribulations. In the interim, I'm going fishing...

 

[LuvBoating]

This afternoon, I talked to a friend of ours, who has been boating for many, many years more than we have. He's even worked on his own boats. He told me that he'd have absolutely no problem running 3-year old gas in his vehicle and filling the rest of the tank with fresh unleaded gas would be fine. I've known this dude for 20 years!

Now, what I'm asking AGAIN is..........if our boat gas is so, so cruddy/crappy, WHY does the boat get up on plane and run at 28 mph fine???? Nobody is answering that question!! If our gas is really that crappy, would the engine start and run at all??
Come on guys, answers...........PLEASE!

The problem we are having is getting more speed out of it, being that it's a 5.7L-V8-350 engine. Prop pitch? Carb adjustment? Fresher gas? But, basically what we do know is, 28 mph is definitely fast enough for us. So, if we can't getting higher speed out of it, so be it.

I keep hearing about the old gas (3-year old), but we were running 5-year old gas in for a couple of years and the engine is still running. Are you thinking, "how can that be??" We were though.

Anyway, we will fill the other 1/2 of the tank with fresh Unleaded Gas, put a bottle of ethanol gas treatment in it and have the marine service put Storage Treatment in the gas when it's winterized. Next Spring, when it's summerized, we will add a can of marine fuel system treatment to the tank. That's the best we can do.

 

[LuvBoating]

As usual, it it impossible to follow the recommendations of boaters with many years of experience. I personally have access to 2 marine dealers / mechanics that have more experience than I. I trust them implicitly, after having doing business with them for 50+ years. The others in town are neophytes. I guess your locals are not up to snuff either.

Three year old gas, 5 year old gas...OMG that's beyond belief. Adding automotive snake oil is even further out there. Why not just add STP treatment to it. Andy Granitelly made millions with that stuff. (sorry for the sarcasm)

If you still think your old crap gas is good, go to WalMart and buy a few 5 gallon cans and have your expert marine mechanic drain the gas into them. Then put it into your car. Your car should run just fine. Problem solved.

If you can't use a single tank of gas in a year, just sell the boat and rent one when you want.

I anxiously await next year's tribulations. In the interim, I'm going fishing...

Good Luck fishing! Just thank God we have the problem, not you. Right?

 

[mr 88]

Good Luck fishing! Just thank God we have the problem, not you. Right?

People have given you good info and suggestions. All you seem to do is have a answer, that is usually wrong, for what is suggested you try or do. It's very exasperating to give advice to someone that wants to basically argue about your reply or every suggestion for that matter Responding it's wrong or his mechanic told me something else. My final.suggedtion is to take it to a marina ,spend the money, since you dont seem to mind doing that.Case in point , what you dropped to have your boat moved. Let the experts figure out why you boat only goes 28 mph and lay off the whining about people that tried to help you out ,then had to read your usual argumentative reply.,then threw up the white flag. I am.going fishing as well !!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Just talked to the marine service where we take our boat and was told that they could drain the gas tank, BUT, the customer has to provide something to put the gas into. We have nothing like that! They have no storage tank for used gas, like our Florida marine service did. So, guess the so-called "old" 1/2 tank of gas will stay in and add enough new to full the tank for winterization.

The marine service told me that they probably couldn't re-jet our carb, but will adjust it. Apparently, very few-to-no boats come up here from the southern states, like Florida. We have seen some southern out-of-state license plates here, but they all look like rentals from local Enterprise Car Rental. Actually, our last car rental from them, had a California plate on it.

you're comparing rental cars with EFI to your motor your boat with a carburetor? seriously? EFI automatically adjusts the fuel air ratio. if you dont understand this simple principle, you wont get what we told you about your carb jetting. There hasnt been a rental car for the past 30 years that has a carburetor

if your marine service place you took the boat to wont re-jet your carb, they are not doing you a service. find a real mechanic that understands motors. your carb should drop down a few jet sizes just like the factory manual says you should do based on your elevation. the manual also says to drop down in pitch too. the only thing you can "adjust" on a carburetor is idle mixture and idle speed. everything else requires replacing one jet or metering rod for a different jet or metering rod

Im not going fishing, however I am going boating this weekend. And I will be burning about 100 worth of fuel

 

[Chris51280]

Agree with Scott.
You are spending all that money with a marine service that won't do any service. What are they good for. I for example had a stuck float on my carb. First it was closed and no gas got to the carb and then after taking it to a mechanic, it flooded constantly. The replaced some carb parts and all spark plugs with an upcharge. Told me my carb had a crack and I need a new one. This was the "carb specialist". Turns out, after cleaning and re adjusting the float which was completely off, it now runs just fine. That was $500 for nothing and I fixed it myself.

Truth is, your mechanic probably doesn't want to touch your carb and figure out what jets need to go in the carb. Since this is fine tuning of a boat, not many are around to be able to do this anymore. Most want the newer injection motors to work on. Any issues, just take your reader to it and replace parts. Don't need much brains for this anymore and it goes quick.

Now, with your fuel issue. You probably lost a few octane there over time and the fuel does not have the proper oomph anymore. It may run but not when you need power. You get to 28mph. How fast? your planning speed is maybe 20-25mph. Planning does not have anything to do with your boat running good or not. Thats like saying my car runs. I get up to 60mph. Don't need full rpm range..Don't drive that fast. Doesn't mean it runs right and there are underlying issues down the line.
On top with the wrong jets in your carb for that elevation. After you gone through that you can start with the prop selection.

I remember taking a carbed motorcycle on a trip over a mountain range up a from 3000ft to 9000ft elevation and I lost a few ponies up there. Hardly got to the upper rpm range and the throttle was constantly sluggish. Constant gear shifting to get some power out of the bike. This was a 1993 Honda CBR with 98hp rating. After getting back down it felt like I had a rocket under me. lol.

If you are interested in getting your boat in good shape, get rid of the old gas to remove one potential issue out of the equation. Then find a good mechanic that will re-jet your car to spec. Then check your prop size if needed.

All these people here trying to help and in my opinion are very knowledgeable because we all have seen a thing or two out of experience.

 

[Chris51280]

To quote Sherlock Holmes:
If you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

 

[LuvBoating]

People have given you good info and suggestions. All you seem to do is have a answer, that is usually wrong, for what is suggested you try or do. It's very exasperating to give advice to someone that wants to basically argue about your reply or every suggestion for that matter Responding it's wrong or his mechanic told me something else. My final.suggedtion is to take it to a marina ,spend the money, since you dont seem to mind doing that.Case in point , what you dropped to have your boat moved. Let the experts figure out why you boat only goes 28 mph and lay off the whining about people that tried to help you out ,then had to read your usual argumentative reply.,then threw up the white flag. I am.going fishing as well !!

Forums are where people ask for recommendations, but don't necessarily have to take them. I get argumentative because the boat runs fine at 28 mph, on plane, with the 3 year old gas in it. I only wanted to know if more speed could be reached on the engine, not receiving "demands" like replies that we follow the recommendations. Forums are for helping folks, not demanding they do what forum members think they should. I don't like it when a "recommendation" sounds like it turns into a "demand" and when the "demand" isn't done, look out OP!

What we spent on having our boat transported up here was up to us. If you wouldn't have spent that much money, that's entirely up to you, but don't "trash" us for spending it.

 

[JimS123]

Good Luck fishing! Just thank God we have the problem, not you. Right?

I would never wish bad luck on anyone. In fact, when I hear about bad luck I sympathize.

However, in my case, it would be impossible for this problem to ever happen to me. I know enough to never even use 1 year old fuel, and, like everyone reading this thread, I know enough to rejet if I ever had to move to the mountains.

(BTW, it was an awesome trip. Caught the largest Redfin I ever saw, and witnessed a 40' COE workboat hit a rock reef and tear up the bottom half of both of his Yami outboards. Talk about bad luck....)

 

[LuvBoating]

you're comparing rental cars with EFI to your motor your boat with a carburetor? seriously? EFI automatically adjusts the fuel air ratio. if you dont understand this simple principle, you wont get what we told you about your carb jetting. There hasnt been a rental car for the past 30 years that has a carburetor

if your marine service place you took the boat to wont re-jet your carb, they are not doing you a service. find a real mechanic that understands motors. your carb should drop down a few jet sizes just like the factory manual says you should do based on your elevation. the manual also says to drop down in pitch too. the only thing you can "adjust" on a carburetor is idle mixture and idle speed. everything else requires replacing one jet or metering rod for a different jet or metering rod

Im not going fishing, however I am going boating this weekend. And I will be burning about 100 worth of fuel

The local marine service center here services/repairs many, many boats. We seen how many boats that were winterized last October..........incredible! I thought there were a lot of boats in Florida, but there sure is a LOT here in northern Colorado.

The marine service here won't do certain things to a boat that they think will not be safe for the owner. I have to agree with them. And, this marine service is the only one within a lot of miles that will work on a 1992 boat. So, we haven't got a choice but to let them work on it. The other marine service here will not work on old boats and they told me so.

In fact, the owner of the marine service we used in Florida, told us that our boat was the oldest one he had his mechanics work on. He said "I don't have boats as old as yours, but I know you and have worked on your boat before".

As far as your "burning 100 worth of fuel", we only stay on local lake for a couple of hours. It's a smaller lake, but water sports are done. On top of that, we are in our early 70's and just don't stay on water that long.

 

[LuvBoating]

I would never wish bad luck on anyone. In fact, when I hear about bad luck I sympathize.

However, in my case, it would be impossible for this problem to ever happen to me. I know enough to never even use 1 year old fuel, and, like everyone reading this thread, I know enough to rejet if I ever had to move to the mountains.

(BTW, it was an awesome trip. Caught the largest Redfin I ever saw, and witnessed a 40' COE workboat hit a rock reef and tear up the bottom half of both of his Yami outboards. Talk about bad luck....)

First, we are not "in" the mountains. We live close to the foothills and the foothills can be seen from the state park/lake, but that's it.

And, you are telling me that nobody on this forum has ever used gas that was older than 1 year..........come on! Everyone here uses all of the gas in their boat each and every season? That can be hard to believe, especially if the boat owners are Seniors. As far as rejet goes, I couldn't/wouldn't do it and if marine service won't, and that's the only marine service here that will work on old/older boats, we have to accept that. I mean, the boat currently does get up on plane at 28 mph and cruises at that speed quite well. We wouldn't want any high speed than that. I was just curious at what the top speed of our boat engine should be.

And, in telling about the gas, prop, rejet, whatever, I seem to be getting quite a bit of static over all of it.

 

[LuvBoating]

We do appreciate all of the replies, but I'm really thinking now that I shouldn't have done this thread. Gee, I wonder why I'm thinking that??? LOL

Now, nobody has still replied to me WHY our engine even starts/runs on 3-year old gas. And, WHY, we can cruise on local lake, on plane, at 28 mph, on 3-year old gas??

We have used up 1/2 tank of this 3-year old gas, but there isn't any way to remove the 1/2 tank left of old gas. So, just like our old Florida mechanic told us "make sure your gas tank is full before winterizing", will have to put new in over old.

Or, let's put it this way, we don't know how old the gas was in the tank when we bought the boat, but did add new to that gas that was in it when we bought it. That gas could've been 3-years or more old, we wouldn't have had any idea. After buying the boat, we finished filling the tank.