Top Speed Of Our Boat?

[JimS123]

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.

That's not what I said. I said that I don't use old gas. Then, I said that everybody here knows about re-jetting. (or, if they didn't before, they surely know it now)

I'm a senior and I own 4 boats. They all get multiple fillups every year. I find it hard to believe that someone would only use half a tank.!!!

I have 2 kickers that see limited use, and an antique boat that is used even less. All 3 have carbs and all 3 gas tanks are drained at the end of the season.

 

[JimS123]

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??

The answer was in post 54.

The fact that an engine will run OK slow, but is not able to reach full HP IS the definition of crap fuel...LOL.

Its obvious your mind is made up and you are merely looking for validation. Nobody has. I will.

Your plan is the only viable alternative. Good luck next year.

 

[LuvBoating]

That's not what I said. I said that I don't use old gas. Then, I said that everybody here knows about re-jetting. (or, if they didn't before, they surely know it now)

I'm a senior and I own 4 boats. They all get multiple fillups every year. I find it hard to believe that someone would only use half a tank.!!!

I have 2 kickers that see limited use, and an antique boat that is used even less. All 3 have carbs and all 3 gas tanks are drained at the end of the season.

We only took it out three times this summer, in part due to wildfire smoke smell and higher winds. We don't own a sailboat. LOL We actually made a mistake not taking it out more, but that just happened.

In Florida, we were called "fair-weather" boaters, because we'd only take our boat out in certain weather conditions. We also had to watch the Tide Table. Our draft is only 3 1/2 feet.

Not everyone who owns/runs a boat takes it out as much as you would.

When we lived in Colorado before, and had a house and stored our old bowrider in the garage, we took it out almost every Saturday/Sunday. But, we were 15 years younger and didn't have some arthritis pains that we get now. The boat we have now sits at a Boat/RV Storage, so we can't keep it hooked up to our Durango, like we did when we had the house here before.

We love boating/fishing, but we also love doing other things.

 

[Chris51280]

The answer was in post 54.

The fact that an engine will run OK slow, but is not able to reach full HP IS the definition of crap fuel...LOL.

Its obvious your mind is made up and you are merely looking for validation. Nobody has. I will.

Your plan is the only viable alternative. Good luck next year.

Yup, It will run. just not with full power on old gas.
It's not only the opinion on this forum.
https://www.bellperformance.com/blog...s-of-stale-gas

 

[LuvBoating]

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.

The four marine services we've taken our boat to, three in Jacksonville, FL and one here, have done an excellent job on our boat. Winterized it completely here last Oct and summerized it in May. The service here has been excellent, to us. We just need to know what the RPM's are at 28 mph.

Just talked to the marine service manager and he told me "if you had your boat up to 23 mph on the river in Jacksonville, FL, with the 19 pitch prop you still have on, and now you can get it to 28 mph on Boyd, you are doing good, but should still make sure you have the right prop pitch on the boat." So, next time we take the boat out, within a week, will have to check the RPM's, not just the speedometer. That will tell us what we need to know.

 

[Chris51280]

agree. WOT is 4400-4800. If you cannot reach this, something needs to change or you will run into costly issues later. This is even stated in the mercruiser manual. So not just an opinion

 

[LuvBoating]

Just out of wondering, how many repliers on this thread keep their boat/boats where they live or at a Boat/RV Storage?

We have found out, both in Florida and here, that it's much easier to have a boat stored where the owner lives. We had our old 1989 Invader Bowrider in our garage at the house we use to have when we lived here in Colorado before. It was so nice to back up our Durango to the Bowrider in the garage, hook it up, pull it out and park on the street by our house. After spending the morning on Chatfield Reservoir/Lake fishing, we return home and leave the boat connected so we could take it back out on Sunday morning after church. Of course we were 15 years younger back then. Age can definitely play a part anything done.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have done both over the past 35 years. and never once did I ever have fuel older than 6 months in the tank and that was because the boat was stored from November to April.

drive to the storage, back up, hook up and go boating. wash the boat at the local car-wash and return it

or pull out of the back yard, go boating, wash the boat in the driveway or street, put it away.

however what does that have to do with the old gas in your tank?

 

[LuvBoating]

I have done both over the past 35 years. and never once did I ever have fuel older than 6 months in the tank and that was because the boat was stored from November to April.

drive to the storage, back up, hook up and go boating. wash the boat at the local car-wash and return it

or pull out of the back yard, go boating, wash the boat in the driveway or street, put it away.

however what does that have to do with the old gas in your tank?

Absolutely nothing, but I was just curious. As far as your gas goes, guess you use your boat more than we do. I did say we are "fair-weather" boaters, didn't I. If there is.........rain in the forecast, 10+mph wind, temps in the 90's or we are too tired from whatever we did the day before, the boat doesn't go out. We simply don't have the physical strength to take our boat out a whole lot (every weekend) like we did 15 years ago. But, do love it when we do get it out on the water.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a close friend of mine said it best "sitting ships become sh!T" basically, the less you use it, the more things go awry.

for example, the rubber impeller in your drive or the drive bellows do not care if you use the boat or you do not use the boat. they have a finite life based on calendar time starting from the date of manufacture and terminating about 5 years..... and these items should be replaced every few years as part of routine maintenance..... let those maintenance things go and you have issues. just like the oil in your boat motor needs to be changed every 50 hours, or annually, which ever occurs first.

based simply on the maintenance requirements, etc, and that I normally put 60-100 miles each outing, I have to burn fuel to use the boat, and have to use the boat to be worth owning a boat. with insurance, maintenance, etc. the fuel is the least expensive part of boat ownership

 

[JimS123]

Absolutely nothing, but I was just curious. As far as your gas goes, guess you use your boat more than we do. I did say we are "fair-weather" boaters, didn't I. If there is.........rain in the forecast, 10+mph wind, temps in the 90's or we are too tired from whatever we did the day before, the boat doesn't go out. We simply don't have the physical strength to take our boat out a whole lot (every weekend) like we did 15 years ago. But, do love it when we do get it out on the water.

All good valid reasons. I have boats that go out weekly in the Summer, and one that goes out only once a year to the boat show. My gas tanks are treated differently, as the situations warrant.

We have a mountain cabin and I use a weed wacker there sporadically. Only a 1 gallon tank and it takes 3 years to use it all up. When I learned that it won't run fast enough to cut the weeds with 3 year old gas, I learned my lesson. Old crap gas sure does make a big bonfire though....LOL.

(By law I am required to inform that this practice is not approved or encouraged and it really did not happen)

 

[LuvBoating]

Yes, Scott, we did let our boat sit way to much in Florida, but that was due to heat/humidity, some wildfire smoke smell, wrong daytime tides and, above all, repairs.

Neither of us really even want to know how much money we have invested into this boat since buying it in March 2009. New risers/manifolds, dual battery install, new block, new alternator-belts-spark plugs/wires, new distributor cap, new cuddy cabin floor, new inside of outdrive, new trim motor, new carb, new fish finder, cd player install, new tires on trailer, new electric winch and battery for it (on trailer). I think I've covered most of it. And, of course the cost for transporting it up here. Then again, it's basically the only form of outside recreation we have.

Oh, I forgot, we had part of the stern replaced (fiberglass) due to leaking. The Y Pipe was also replaced.

Because we have only put 20 hours on the engine this summer, we won't need the oil/filter and drive fluid changed. Last time out, I checked oil and it looked new.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Because we have only put 20 hours on the engine this summer, we won't need the oil/filter and drive fluid changed. Last time out, I checked oil and it looked new.

that is incorrect. do your own research on acid in oil. basically part of the byproduct of the combustion process is sulfur and water, which becomes sulfuric acid in the oil. this is a major reason that oil is changed prior to winter layup. the acid, even in its low amount dissolves the soft metal of the engines bearings.

you change the gear oil every year to check for water intrusion from a bad seal.

 

[tpenfield]

Sorry to be late to the party . . . My IT job has taken over my life for the past few days. . . . don't ever be in charge of cyber security . . . I'm just saying

Is this what we are talking about? A boat like this?
.

.
Big question . . . how fast did this boat go previously? (sorry if that has been previously discussed)

You were in FL and now you are in the mountains (5,000 ish feet) and the boat is running on some old fuel and not going very fast.

I would do the following, and it is what I tell my friends . . . if you've got bad gas, you are just going to have to pass it

So, run the boat down on fuel at your 28 mph.

After that . . . and just for fun . . . I would also run a concentrated mixture of gas / fuel system cleaner (of your choice) through the engine. I often run my engines with such a mixture from an auxiliary tank . . . but if you are 'non-mechanical' then you could add a bunch of fuel system cleaner to a nearly empty tank and run the boat for a while to get a concentrated mix of fuel cleaner through the engine.

If your mechanic guy does not recommend doing such a thing, then just don't tell him. I won't tell either

Fill up the tank with new gas (avec stabilizer) and have at it to see if you are running more than 28-29 mph. That way you will know if it was the gas or if there is another issue (like altitude).

Not sure what the remedy would be if there is still an issue . . . carb adjustment, reduce prop pitch . . . :noidea:

One nice thing about boating in the ocean is that you are always boating at sea level :thumb:

 

[LuvBoating]

that is incorrect. do your own research on acid in oil. basically part of the byproduct of the combustion process is sulfur and water, which becomes sulfuric acid in the oil. this is a major reason that oil is changed prior to winter layup. the acid, even in its low amount dissolves the soft metal of the engines bearings.

you change the gear oil every year to check for water intrusion from a bad seal.

No matter how little the boat was used during the season?? Are you talking about the engine oil or drive oil?

 

[LuvBoating]

Sorry to be late to the party . . . My IT job has taken over my life for the past few days. . . . don't ever be in charge of cyber security . . . I'm just saying

Is this what we are talking about? A boat like this?
.

.
Big question . . . how fast did this boat go previously? (sorry if that has been previously discussed)

You were in FL and now you are in the mountains (5,000 ish feet) and the boat is running on some old fuel and not going very fast.

I would do the following, and it is what I tell my friends . . . if you've got bad gas, you are just going to have to pass it

So, run the boat down on fuel at your 28 mph.

After that . . . and just for fun . . . I would also run a concentrated mixture of gas / fuel system cleaner (of your choice) through the engine. I often run my engines with such a mixture from an auxiliary tank . . . but if you are 'non-mechanical' then you could add a bunch of fuel system cleaner to a nearly empty tank and run the boat for a while to get a concentrated mix of fuel cleaner through the engine.

If your mechanic guy does not recommend doing such a thing, then just don't tell him. I won't tell either

Fill up the tank with new gas (avec stabilizer) and have at it to see if you are running more than 28-29 mph. That way you will know if it was the gas or if there is another issue (like altitude).

Not sure what the remedy would be if there is still an issue . . . carb adjustment, reduce prop pitch . . . :noidea:

One nice thing about boating in the ocean is that you are always boating at sea level :thumb:

Ours is a 1992 Celebrity 200 Cuddy w/Mercruiser 5.7L V8 I/O 350 Chevy engine.

Previously, on the St John's River, we had the boat going at 23 mph. On Boyd Lake here, we've been using up the old 3-year old fuel going 28 to 29 mph around the lake. Unfortunately, we don't have enough boating time to run much more gas out of it. One more time on the water and that's it until our daytime high temp only hits 60 degrees or so.

Our plans are, after this next, and last, time on the water, is to fill the rest of the tank with Sinclair Unleaded Gas and add a bottle of ethanol treatment to it. There is still 1/2 tank of old gas in it, but there is no way we can get that gas out. We are going to wait until next Spring to put a marine fuel system treatment into the tank. When we take it in, in a couple of weeks, for winterization, we will have them check the prop for the proper pitch. The next time we are on the water, we will go 28 mph and check the tachometer for RPM at that speed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

No matter how little the boat was used during the season?? Are you talking about the engine oil or drive oil?

no mater if you used it for only 30 minutes or 50 hours. your oil should be changed every year.

below is what happens to bearings from acid (source - Clevite photograph from engine builder magazine)

 

[ahicks]

Ours is a 1992 Celebrity 200 Cuddy w/Mercruiser 5.7L V8 I/O 350 Chevy engine.

Previously, on the St John's River, we had the boat going at 23 mph. On Boyd Lake here, we've been using up the old 3-year old fuel going 28 to 29 mph around the lake. Unfortunately, we don't have enough boating time to run much more gas out of it. One more time on the water and that's it until our daytime high temp only hits 60 degrees or so.

Our plans are, after this next, and last, time on the water, is to fill the rest of the tank with Sinclair Unleaded Gas and add a bottle of ethanol treatment to it. There is still 1/2 tank of old gas in it, but there is no way we can get that gas out. We are going to wait until next Spring to put a marine fuel system treatment into the tank. When we take it in, in a couple of weeks, for winterization, we will have them check the prop for the proper pitch. The next time we are on the water, we will go 28 mph and check the tachometer for RPM at that speed.

Just to be sure there is no misunderstanding, the tach reading you want/need is with a typical load aboard, and the boat running as fast as it will go - presumably at wide pen throttle. That's the number that can be used to see if you have the "right" prop installed. The mph/speed that the boat is going while at wide open throttle might be handy, but not necessary for our purposes.

 

[LuvBoating]

Just to be sure there is no misunderstanding, the tach reading you want/need is with a typical load aboard, and the boat running as fast as it will go - presumably at wide pen throttle. That's the number that can be used to see if you have the "right" prop installed. The mph/speed that the boat is going while at wide open throttle might be handy, but not necessary for our purposes.

Ok, currently, the highest mph we can get is 28. The throttle isn't completely down (wide open). It is down, but it could go down a little more. I have tried putting the throttle completely down (wide open), but that was when we started losing speed/power. So, I'd have to check the RPM's going at 28 mph.

 

[ahicks]

RPM's at 28mph only if the that's the highest tach reading achievable. This is about the tach reading, not the speedo or speed.

The fact the throttle will go further at this point is a pretty good hint there's either a big issue with the current prop size (way off), the motor isn't running as well as it should (possibly a carb issue, or an issue with the elevation your running at), or there's an issue with the throttle cable being improperly adjusted.......