| Author |
Message |
    
Paul Trakimas
Member
Username: paul_t
Post Number: 12
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 26, 2006 - 10:43 am: | 
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Just back from a trip where I ended up motoring for about 100 nm round trip, around 20 hrs at 5 knots (1500rpm). I worked out that I burned between 25 and 28 gal. That much in 20 hrs at that speed seemed like a lot to me, especially compared to the guy I went with who has an atomic 4 and only burned about half of that. The only thing I can attribute this to is a recent new fuel pump. It's rated at 3-5psi if I remember correctly. I went with a little bit higher one because the new fuel tank I installed sat a little lower. The engine runs perfectly (knock on wood). What do you think? Normal, mixture too rich, fuel pump too big? Thanks guys |
Eddie Ross
Senior Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 135
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 26, 2006 - 08:42 pm: |
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You didn't say what kind of boat. Does sound high. I had an Ericson 32. It burned about 8/10 gallon per hour at 6 knots. Another person on this board had a similiar figure. Got to be carefull about comparing fuel consumtion with someone, whether talking boats or automobiles. In my life I never heard so much BS as when someone is telling you about how many miles per gallon they got.
You might note that the same engine in a tractor is gravity fed and the recommendation for a P-60 is 2 psi. |
Paul Trakimas
Member
Username: paul_t
Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 11:12 pm: |
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Sorry about that it's a 30' 1973 Islander MK II |
Eddie Ross
Senior Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 137
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 10:17 am: |
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One thing that I found out the hard way is that as you approach hull speed the effiiency drops rapidly. Never open the throttle all the way for more than a few minutes. If you have a tach, find where your maximum knots per hour is. Run the boat full throttle until you reach top speed. Slowly back off the throttle bit by bit until you
see a a detectible drop in speed, perhaps a tenth of a knot. That sould give you a ball park maximum rpm to run at for cruising.
Keep your ignition up to snuff. Replace the ignition key switch if it is original or very old. Replace the distributor cap and rotor every year. Use top quality spark plug wires, idealy a custom set made from high performance street legal kit ( Accel, MSD or similiar ).
Where did you get your fuel pump? |
Paul Trakimas
Member
Username: paul_t
Post Number: 14
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 02:12 pm: |
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Thanks for the tips. I believe I got the pump from napa. It's a facet style pump (formerly known as bendix). They carry them in a lot of different pressure ranges. Mine is pretty much the same as the original, with a bit more a$#. |
Eddie Ross
Senior Member
Username: eddie
Post Number: 138
Registered: 04-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 04:46 pm: |
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Moyer Marine caries a fuel pump for the Atomic 4 that would match the requirements of the P-60. If at all possible you should stick to a U. S. Coast Guard approved fuel equipement. Also they have an aluminium bodied Zenith series 68 carbuerator which many find to be an improvement over the stock Palmer carbuerator. Keeping your oil changed often is a less glamorous but significant aid to smooth engine operation and longevity. |
Paul Trakimas
Member
Username: paul_t
Post Number: 15
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 09:36 am: |
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They're the same pumps, but thank you very much for pointing out the products that Moyer has to offer on their website. Their discussion boards are also valuable. |
Curt Larsen
New member
Username: curtlarsen
Post Number: 2
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - 11:07 am: |
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My experience is about the same as Eddie's. My Palmer is on a 1969 Luders 33. It is a full keel boat with 12,500 displacement. My calculated hull speed is 6.5 knots, but I generally have cruised at 5.5 knots at 1500-1600 rpm. I had figured about 1 gal/hour. The low psi Facet/Bendix fuel pumps are still available from a dealer in Ohio. I bougt my last one from him and also carry a spare. Sorry, can't recall his name but I found it on one of the Atomic 4 discusion sites on Google. |
