Hello all, looking for a bit of advice

[SCGD]

Firstly just want to say hello to you all and what a great forum this is.

Ok so obviously im thinking of buying a boat and the one i have seen is the sea ray 240 sundancer which has the 1 x MerCruiser 5.0L V8 220hp petrol engine

now i have a couple questions.

if i was cruising to say lymington or the IOW ( i live in southampton ) what would the fuel cost be.
I have asked at a boat yard and was told if you need to ask you cant afford it, well ok that maybe but im just looking for a rough guide.
Ihave looked into the price of moorings etc and i can afford that, maybe i will trailor it as i live near a slipway

also what other running costs am i going to incur, and am i better going for a diesel engine, speed isnt my thing i just like to plod along

mat

 

[Andy Bav]

Hi Mat,

Welcome to the forum. Just "bumping" this thread, as new joiners posts take some time for Admin to review before the post goes live.

I am sure that someone will come along with some advice shortly

 

[julians]

For that engine/boat youre probably looking at around 30-35 litres per hour, somewhere around that sort of fuel consumption. At a speed of around 20-25 knots, so something like 2.5 -3.5 nautical miles per gallon

I had the same engine in a 21 foot sea ray and it averaged about 30 litres per hour.

Other costs are mooring charges, which vary greatly depending on where you are in the world.

Engine servicing, say £500 per year

Drive servicing, say another £500 per year

And antifoul etc , say another £500 per year.

Plus insurance,may £350 per year.

 

[BruceK]

That boatyard sounds like it's full of the proverbial.

You may find this site useful. I have the link on litres as gallons are in US measurements and not imperial

http://www.boat-fuel-economy.com/mercury-mercruiser-3.0-181-fuel-consumption-liters

 

[About Time]

Hi,

About consumption - How many hours do you run the engine in a year ? - Most people I know of do 50-80 hours on the engine(s) in a season. A boat like yours consume 15-50 liter per hour. I had a Four Winns 268 with a 5.7 GSI Volvo Penta wih a DPS duoprop (slightly bigger than yours) and we averaged about 25 liter per hour or same as 1,200-1,500 liter of petrol in a season. The funny thing with a boat is that it is not that much more costly to go quick ..... Either go easy .... 6-7 knots or go fast (above 20 knots in a 24'-27' motorboat) ... and you will see that your fuel consumption is about the same per nautic mile.

 

[dpb]

Your description sounds like a pre 1999 boat with carb engine?
We have a 2000 model with the 5.0 efi.
If you work on 2.5mpg for your trips you wont be far out.
Servicing depends on if you do it your self or not.
Prices above would be for others to do the work.
If you can do it yourself:
Engine service (oil, oil and fuel filter and plugs,) should be covered by £100. Cooling impellor about £35 but not necessarily every year. Exhaust components about £750, every 3 to 10 years. Prices higher for genuine Mercruiser maybe.
Leg is oil and anodes annually. about £100. Bellows every two or three years would add £200.
Antifoul was £80 this year.
You'll find plenty on petrol / diesel discussed recently here.....including my own views.
They are good boats and seem to sell easy enough if looked after.

 

[mlines]

We burn about £80 of fuel on a day trip like that with our 22ft 5.7litre Mercruiser V8

 

[SCGD]

Guys, thanks for the replies, its been a great help
Still looking and considering
from what ive read the cost wont be a problem, its just the wife really wants a mobile home so at the moment were weighing it all up.

i do usually get my own way though, especially as my son wants the boats to go fishing

mat