Volvo petrol engine fuel usage

[Guest]

Does anyone know how much petrol per hour twin volvo 231 (230hp - V8) engines with DP/290 outdrives on a sealine 328 (34ft) boat will use.

I have been told I had better get some shares in BP fuels as the amount of petrol I will use will support their recent excess profits for this year !!!!

Also what should be the top speed and cruising speed ?

please help calm down my nerves.

 

[Guest]

No idea about Volvos, but I have a 37ft boat with twin V8,7.4l, 310hp each Mercs inboard and I get about 30gph at 3500rpm/25kt, ~50gph at 4400rpm/30kt. I used to have a 29ft with single Merc I/O, V8,7.4l and got about 18gph at 3200rpm/25kt. Yes, they are thirsty! But I live in the US where I pay only about 1.6GBpounds/Imp gal. To get best fuel economy, just make sure your props and hull are always clean. Don't despair!

 

[Guest]

If you are worried about the fuel costs that much, can you really afford this boat?

I couldn't which is why my power unit is a 10hp outboard burning 1.5 litres an hour!

 

[Guest]

I can do nothing to calm your nerves. It is going to be very expensive to run your boat. You should expect that each engine will burn about 10-15 gallons an hour depending on hull condition. If you get to heavy on the throttle then double that figure. I would estimate that your fuel bill will be in the region of £80-£100 an hour. Suggest you read the article on LPG conversion in the March issue of MBM. Also remember that petrol on the water is considerably more expensive than at road garages. Expect to pay in the region of 90p a litre, in some cases its over a quid. As far as top speed is concenerd, unless you have bottomless pockets you don't want to know. I would suspect that cruising will in the region of 25 knots, but this again will depend on hull condition etc.

 

[Guest]

Hi james I run a Fairline Targa 30/33 with twin Volvo 275hp v8's. On a good day at 26knts it will use 20-25gph. As mentioned elsewhere, start playing with the throttles on a changing sea and your credit card will melt! However we also ran LPG last year although the system installed has been unreliable. This year we are fitting a new system from marine gas services, which should make our excursions far easier on the pocket at only 30pplitre, with minimal performance defecit. Petrol is very expensive at Marina pumps so whatever your calculations err on the side of extreme caution!. Otherwise hope it all works out. good luck. steve

 

[Guest]

Steve, just had my boat converted to LPG by MGS. Great bunch of guys who know what they are doing.

 

[Guest]

A good rule of thumb has always been approx a gallon a mile for a planing boat. Keep that in mind regardless of the speed.

 

[Guest]

If go and buy March 2001 edition of MotorBoats Monthly(out now), they do a 5page review on the 328 and some ideas of costing, well worth a read.

RM.