First Offshore trip.

[Adam]

Hi guys, I have a 94 Explorer with new two stroke carb 150s that has been completely overhauled from thru hulls to electronics and I'm ready to make the first off shore trip out of NY 50 or so miles out 70mile trip each way+ trolling time. I tested everything on an 80 mile run up the LI sound which went great and my fuel burn appears to be around 1.5 mpg cruising at 30mph 4100rpm.
My quesion to more experienced guys is if sea conditions worsen from relatively calm to varying degrees of chop or swell does the fuel consumption change dramatically. I have 2 tanks=148 gallons so i should be fine but I dont want any unexpected suprises.

Thanks

 

[CWOT]

When you throttle back you use less fuel but it takes longer.
Also you may have to choose a different inlet coming back.

Always assume the worse, plan your trip around "what if".
When we fly we always have enough fuel for alternatives, it's a good habit to develop.

 

[Gman25]

Hi guys, I have a 94 Explorer with new two stroke carb 150s that has been completely overhauled from thru hulls to electronics and I'm ready to make the first off shore trip out of NY 50 or so miles out 70mile trip each way+ trolling time. I tested everything on an 80 mile run up the LI sound which went great and my fuel burn appears to be around 1.5 mpg cruising at 30mph 4100rpm.
My quesion to more experienced guys is if sea conditions worsen from relatively calm to varying degrees of chop or swell does the fuel consumption change dramatically. I have 2 tanks=148 gallons so i should be fine but I dont want any unexpected suprises.

Thanks

Dont count on 1.5 mpg when you run into unexpected slop. Also remember you dont have 148 "usable gallons"..Figure anywhere from 10-15 gal per tank I would consider "unusable"..Personally I would not feel comfortable going that far with 148 gal.When I run to the Hudson its about 73 miles to the tip and about 100 miles to the Hundred Square and I get about 1.1-1.2 mpg usually burning 180-240 gal. round trip. You also have to account for gear-ice and crew weight.

'05 300 Marlin F250's

 

[Pez Vela]

If 1.5 nmpg is your optimum fuel milage running on plane in smooth seas, I would "roughly" expect that your mileage will fall off to 1.2 nmpg as you fall off plane and plow through the slop. With experience you will gain this knowledge. Without knowing for sure, running as far offshore as you contemplate adds a degree of risk, but I believe your tankage is sufficient for a 150 mile trip. The smart thing to do is to not push it if conditions cause you to second guess your decision. There will always be another day.

 

[Grog]

I get about close to 1.5 on a good day in the ocean. If things get snotty, I'm under 1 maybe even 0.75 but that's with a little bigger boat. You also have a 2 stroke so when you troll you're still eating a couple gallons per hour so don't forget to add that in the equasion. My reserve tank (55g) starts sucking air when it's down to 12 gallons and bumpy but trolling it'll go much lower (haven't pushed the main one that low to find out). I'd say run out on the aux tank and troll on it then run home on the 90. When you've run the 50 dry you're done, that should give you enough should you run into snotty seas. Where were you planning on going? Most every day for me in NJ then afternoon kicks things up then they settle down in the evening. 50 may be a little far for the first offshore, are there places to go that are 25-30 off?

 

[Adam]

Yes i think im pushing it too far. I think a trip to the Mud hole area maybe a better place to start testing how things go. 70g for the 30/40 mile trip from where i'll start 10-20g for fishing and moving around, leaves 40g of useable incase my consumtion, distance or conditions estimates are wrong in any way. Plus ill take two 5g cans because ill feel better about it. Thanks for the input, got me thinking in the right way now.

 

[Adam]

Yes i think im pushing it too far. I think a trip to the Mud hole area maybe a better place to start testing how things go. 70g for the 30/40 mile trip from where i'll start 10-20g for fishing and moving around, leaves 40g of useable incase my consumtion, distance or conditions estimates are wrong in any way. Plus ill take two 5g cans because ill feel better about it. Thanks for the input, got me thinking in the right way now.

 

[ocnslr]

OP used 1.5mpg, not 1.5nmpg.

Big difference.

I've been looking at nautical charts for over 50 years, and I have never seen a "miles" scale on a proper chart. All nm, kts, and nmpg....

 

[Adam]

Good point- Ive measured both my captain seagull chart and on the GPS to get my distances then divided it by approx 50 gallons i refilled to top off after my 80 nmile trip to get the nmpg or maybe it shouls be called kpg, what i am curious about is does the Yamaha Guage read Nautical miles per hour or Miles per hour to determine how fast i will get there or should i use the Raymarine read out for my speed calculations in kts. This is my second year on nautical charts and it a steep learning curve. My friend told me to write down my co-ordinates every 15 minutes when offshore from the GPS incase i need to get back if it fails is this overkill or normal practice.

 

[ocnslr]

Good point- Ive measured both my captain seagull chart and on the GPS to get my distances then divided it by approx 50 gallons i refilled to top off after my 80 nmile trip to get the nmpg or maybe it shouls be called kpg, what i am curious about is does the Yamaha Guage read Nautical miles per hour or Miles per hour to determine how fast i will get there or should i use the Raymarine read out for my speed calculations in kts. This is my second year on nautical charts and it a steep learning curve. My friend told me to write down my co-ordinates every 15 minutes when offshore from the GPS incase i need to get back if it fails is this overkill or normal practice.

Well, if you measured 80nm on the chart, and had the same by GPS (Trip calculator), then divided it by 50gals, you definitely had nm/gal. NOT called kpg, as knots is a speed, not a distance.

Not a bad habit to keep a DR plot, or even to note your position at regular intervals. If you are using the Capt. Seagull charts then you can use a marker that can be cleaned off later. Same with any other plastic-covered chart.

Back to your original post, the usual "Rule of Thumb" is 1/3 of your fuel to go out, 1/3 to come back, and 1/3 in reserve. And that is thirds of the burnable fuel in the tanks, not the full capacity, as noted and discussed above.

We carry 150 gals, and regularly run - heavily loaded - to the Norfolk Canyon. That's about 75nm each way, plus trolling, so usually 180-190nm. Fuel burn is 106-115 gallons, depending on weather and speed run.

Be careful. Take small steps. Have TowBoatUS or SeaTow membership, with Unlimited coverage.

Brian

 

[gradytom]

Have TowBoatUS or SeaTow membership, with Unlimited coverage.
Brian

Excellent investment and a must for any boater

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

On my 228 in the area lakes and on smooth coastal waters with a crew of 5, full tank gas, water and so forth we get 3.0 mpg. Take her offshore in 2to 3s with a 10 knot wind and the fuel economy drops to 2.5 to 2.6 mpg. I would encourage you to run her in some 2-3 or 3-4s for a short time and get your fuel economy off that. This way you will have the best case scenario and the average scenario for fuel economy and then base your trip planning on the average.

 

[Adam]

I'll check which seatow the coverage i have. Marking the chart wit a marker seems smart. I have an epirb, survival suits(great deals on ebay for used), flares, back up handheld vhf, life jackets, first aid kit, is there anything else you would suggest? Thanks for the great info.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Seems to me you forgot the tackle. Lol...I would suggest shimano tld 30 2 speed reels on some Star rods for starters.....

 

[Adam]

I got tackle alright been sneaking it into the house since January :roll: ....but I think the $$$$ spent means on a per lbs basis I could have had a fish cast out of gold for less. Probably go all that way and end up with a couple of bluefish. :lol:

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Adam,
I read on the forum the Hull Truth or was it Charleston Offshore Fishing, either way a fellow there is giving up fishing offshore due to high fuel costs, snapper limits and so forth. He was predominantly a bottom bumper and the 2 snapper limit means his catch was costing around $39 a pound based on his fuel burn. Cheaper buying it at the market. I tend to caught in that rut when I am fishing and when I catch a fish I think hey it is so much per pound ...bad habit as I should fish to enjoy it and not measure its costs.

I was thinking on the entire nautical mile thing above. The newer Yamaha gauges can read either statute miles per hour or knots and your Gramin plotter should be able to set either of these scales too. My fuel managment system is linked to my garmin so my boat speed is based on the GPS not the pitot tube off the motor. In calculating fuel burn the fuel meter knows how many gallons are going through it and the system will tell me either how many gallons per statute or nautical mile based on my settings. A good sea captain will have it set to knots, but the darn coastal and inland speed regulations we have down here in southern waters, especially for Florida waters where manatees roam are all in statute miles per hour. There are rivers and the intercoastal in Florida and south Georgia where there are speed zones of 25 mph in the ICW channel. So in order to not get a ticket for excess speed from the LEO, my stuff is set to statute miles.

When I head offshore I know about how many miles it is to the water I want to be in to troll. You can easily scroll out east on your plotter and if you know the target fish likes 150 foot deep water and the certain temp break which you can get an idea from NOAA bouy reports and other fishing sites, you can easily calc how far out to go and so forth.

I will tell you this on the tackle I will be replacing all my single speed gear over time with 2 speed stuff. It may not matter if you are chasing blues, but any tuna or other northern fish bigger than a blue 2 speeds make a real difference, especially if you have a lady first mate or kids on board wanting to real big fish in. Good luck. I only wish I could I fish more...

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Adam,
I read on the forum the Hull Truth or was it Charleston Offshore Fishing, either way a fellow there is giving up fishing offshore due to high fuel costs, snapper limits and so forth. He was predominantly a bottom bumper and the 2 snapper limit means his catch was costing around $39 a pound based on his fuel burn. Cheaper buying it at the market. I tend to caught in that rut when I am fishing and when I catch a fish I think hey it is so much per pound ...bad habit as I should fish to enjoy it and not measure its costs.

I was thinking on the entire nautical mile thing above. The newer Yamaha gauges can read either statute miles per hour or knots and your Gramin plotter should be able to set either of these scales too. My fuel managment system is linked to my garmin so my boat speed is based on the GPS not the pitot tube off the motor. In calculating fuel burn the fuel meter knows how many gallons are going through it and the system will tell me either how many gallons per statute or nautical mile based on my settings. A good sea captain will have it set to knots, but the darn coastal and inland speed regulations we have down here in southern waters, especially for Florida waters where manatees roam are all in statute miles per hour. There are rivers and the intercoastal in Florida and south Georgia where there are speed zones of 25 mph in the ICW channel. So in order to not get a ticket for excess speed from the LEO, my stuff is set to statute miles.

When I head offshore I know about how many miles it is to the water I want to be in to troll. You can easily scroll out east on your plotter and if you know the target fish likes 150 foot deep water and the certain temp break which you can get an idea from NOAA bouy reports and other fishing sites, you can easily calc how far out to go and so forth.

I will tell you this on the tackle I will be replacing all my single speed gear over time with 2 speed stuff. It may not matter if you are chasing blues, but any tuna or other northern fish bigger than a blue 2 speeds make a real difference, especially if you have a lady first mate or kids on board wanting to real big fish in. Good luck. I only wish I could I fish more...