How much does it actually cost to fuel a boat ?

Patrick1964

Patrick1964

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I’m looking at buying my first motorboat in the next few months. Loads are for sale, some with twin inboard petrol V8’s, some with single inboard diesels and of course there‘s a choice of outboards too.
I can’t help thinking that running a boat with twin petrol inboards must be incredibly expensive, but what about an in board diesel, or (say) 100hp four stroke outboard ? What is the cost of fuel for an average day on the water ? I’d guess a bit of a cruise down the coast, a spot of fishing, tow a toy for an hour and then cruise home ?
cheers, Patrick
 
What sort of boat are you looking at ? eg size / type . Give us an example .
What speed did you have in mind
You could consume 20 litres or 200+ litres in a few hours .

Are there really loads for sale or are they old adverts ?
 
you probably need to be more precise in exactly what boat and engine combination you are looking at.

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The useage you are describing I would expect about 1.5 litre per nautical mile but with a 130 litre tank I'd expect that kind of usage (towing toys) would double that easily. As a day boat go by the tank size. Expected usage about 80 litre a trip (2/3rds a tank)
 
Also factor weather conditions, condition of the hull (anti foul is a must if kept in the water all the time)
if you are towing the boat to and from then outboard petrol would be fine - however if kept in a marina most only stock diesel so a bit of messing about with jerry cans each time you want to use it.
 
jon and michie said:
however if kept in a marina most only stock diesel so a bit of messing about with jerry cans each time you want to use it.
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That's a bit of a generalisation/assumption.

I think that's true in the UK, but in the civilised world (Balearic Islands and presumably a lot of other locations ) petrol in marinas is plentiful.

Never really understood why there aren't more petrol pumps in UK marinas, I guess the demand isn't there, but I find it surprising given the popularity of petrol outboards these days.
 
julians said:
That's a bit of a generalisation/assumption.

I think that's true in the UK, but in the civilised world (Balearic Islands and presumably a lot of other locations ) petrol in marinas is plentiful.

Never really understood why there aren't more petrol pumps in UK marinas, I guess the demand isn't there, but I find it surprising given the popularity of petrol outboards these days.
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Julians - Patrick1964 is in North Wales therefor without Assuming too much this area maybe where he may want to keep his new purchase so only generalising for the U.K.
Maybe because diesel vs petrol price / consumption vs type of boat
 
A slightly different explanation is that the more horses you want to work and the harder they pull, the more you need to feed them.

Talking about a planing boat like the Galeon 530 you'll be able to achieve a top speed depending on the actual load and the hp available. More weight takes (much) more power. The same goes for speed, so if you want to go fast with a lot of weight, you'll consume a lot more. OTOH, if you keep it modest you save.

The Galeon is rated for max 150 hp and a max GW of 1826 kg. It has a modified V hull.

A modified V-hull at 1826 kg can be pushed to 33 knots by 150 hp. According to Yamaha their 150 burns 60 liters (13.2 gallon) per hour at full power and approx. 24 liters (5.2 gallon) at 50%.

Yamaha Europe publish these facts for 120 boat/motor combos here. Swedish language but I'm certain you get the picture.

BTW fuel is not the only cost to consider. Depreciation, berth/trailer, insurance, maintenance, equipment/upgrades etc.
 
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julians said:
Never really understood why there aren't more petrol pumps in UK marinas, I guess the demand isn't there, but I find it surprising given the popularity of petrol outboards these days.
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There is a mix of petrol and diesel engined boats at the marina where I keep my boat . The marina installed a petrol pump a few years ago. Inland water ways - makes some sense to have a petrol engine in a smaller boat.
However its a long way to the next petrol refuelling opportunity and there is no petrol at marinas near or on the coast . So anyone with ambition for sea trips needs diesel engines.
 
pretty much what everyone else has said. We ran a Searay 240 last year with a 5.0v8 inboard. We usually had 6-8 people on board and travelled maybe 30nms. I guess that we used £100-150 petrol at a time. We are based in Swansea so often it was out and around the coast and back and other times it was Penarth (Cardiff) and across to ilfracombe etc and back over a few days. My man-maths decided that a 3day away trip with Mrs Milli and we didn’t need a hotel saved up £400. The smiles per mile thou (I hate that saying!) is definitely worth it.
 
mil1194 said:
My man-maths decided that a 3day away trip with Mrs Milli and we didn’t need a hotel saved up £400.
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Perfectly sensible maths there .

We recently had a 17 night holiday on our boat which cost about £1000 if we add together fuel and berthing costs. So averages under £60 per night.
Self catered mostly and did not spend extravagantly when we did eat out out so pretty much a normal daily spend on food. For a couple that is a cheap holiday .
For 8 nights of it we had the one of the best outlooks in town.
1628625202402.png
 
Patrick1964 said:
I’m looking at buying my first motorboat in the next few months. Loads are for sale, some with twin inboard petrol V8’s, some with single inboard diesels and of course there‘s a choice of outboards too.
I can’t help thinking that running a boat with twin petrol inboards must be incredibly expensive, but what about an in board diesel, or (say) 100hp four stroke outboard ? What is the cost of fuel for an average day on the water ? I’d guess a bit of a cruise down the coast, a spot of fishing, tow a toy for an hour and then cruise home ?
cheers, Patrick
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For what you describe in say a 24 foot boat for your day out might cost between £70 - £150 in fuel depending on how fast you go.

On my small rib with a 60 hp 2 Stroke for the sort of day out you describe fuel cost is about £40

I can have a day out on the Norfolk Broads in my Sealine S24 for about £30 in fuel but man are you going slowly
 
Patrick1964 said:
I’m looking at buying my first motorboat in the next few months. Loads are for sale, some with twin inboard petrol V8’s, some with single inboard diesels and of course there‘s a choice of outboards too.
I can’t help thinking that running a boat with twin petrol inboards must be incredibly expensive, but what about an in board diesel, or (say) 100hp four stroke outboard ? What is the cost of fuel for an average day on the water ? I’d guess a bit of a cruise down the coast, a spot of fishing, tow a toy for an hour and then cruise home ?
cheers, Patrick
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Shurty its a function of bunker size x cost per ltr
 
Patrick1964 said:
I’m looking at buying my first motorboat in the next few months. Loads are for sale, some with twin inboard petrol V8’s, some with single inboard diesels and of course there‘s a choice of outboards too.
I can’t help thinking that running a boat with twin petrol inboards must be incredibly expensive, but what about an in board diesel, or (say) 100hp four stroke outboard ? What is the cost of fuel for an average day on the water ? I’d guess a bit of a cruise down the coast, a spot of fishing, tow a toy for an hour and then cruise home ?
cheers, Patrick
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Ah so you want engine fuel consumption figures. Not how much to fill up?
 
MartynG said:
Perfectly sensible maths there .

We recently had a 17 night holiday on our boat which cost about £1000 if we add together fuel and berthing costs. So averages under £60 per night.
Self catered mostly and did not spend extravagantly when we did eat out out so pretty much a normal daily spend on food. For a couple that is a cheap holiday .
For 8 nights of it we had the one of the best outlooks in town.
View attachment 120454
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where abouts is that MartynG ? - Looks very similar to Wells
 
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