Guestimating Fuel expenses??

[jefndeb]

Burn around 4 gallons an hour
At 8 kts/2000 RPM

Typical 5 hour trip = 20+ gallons

Move maybe 4 or 5 times a month?

5x20 = 100 gallons a month

$3 per gallon x 100 is $300+

Is this a reasonable guess?

Jeff
Mainship 400
Single Yanmar 6LY2AN-STP 440hp

 

[O C Diver]

That's sounds realistic, although life can prevent you from using the boat as much as you want. I would also plan on $4 per gallon based on current uncertainties.

Ted

 

[jefndeb]

$4 per gallon...uuuhhggggg...oh welll

 

[CaptTom]

Here's a tip: Do your calculations in MPG. Or better still, Gallons per 100 (or whatever) miles.


It never fails to amaze me that everyone still works in GPH. That's a hold-over from the days before reliable GPS and other instruments. You'd set your engine to a given RPM, which resulted in a known speed. In the end you'd still have to calculate down to MPG or Gallons per given distance. Nowadays we can skip the GPH step, but traditions are hard to shake.

 

[mvweebles]

A relatively active recreational boat may see 100 hours usage per year. Adjust accordingly (fast boats see fewer hours, etc).

I prefer using hours as the yardstick. A lot of maintenannce on a boat is calibrated in engine hours, not miles. Oil changes being a prime example.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

Your guesstimate is based on what you are trying to do.

Are you planning a cruising lifestyle? Weekend warrior?

Remember fuel is a SMALL part of cruising costs. Unless you anchor out as a cruiser (if you are considering that lifestyle) your transient slip fees will far and away be your biggest expense.

Since I am departing in the spring on a cruising lifestyle here is how I'm figuring it, and this is a guesstimate.

Move the boat to a new port once a week or so at a distance of lets say 100 miles. (a bit high but here on the west coast harbors can be a fair distance.)

My boat gets about 1.75 NMPG so roughly 60 gallons per week or 250 per month thereabouts. At $4.00 that's a grand a month in fuel.

Now lets see just how expensive transient moorage will be.

Here on the west coast you will pay most of ther time between a buck and two bucks per foot per night.

My boat is 51 feet, but lets round down to 50 to make the math funner. So that's between fifty and a hundred a night, and more in many places.

How many nights a month??? That's up to you but for me, I like harbors. I like the people I meet, and I like that it's easy peasy to explore the area. So for me... I am expecting to be in a harbor most nights, unless I'm just catching a few hours of sleep. I'm guessing here but I would not be a bit surprised if I spend $3K a month on transient slip fees.

 

[wkearney99]

Only upside to +$4/gallon fuel?

Less traffic out on the water.

 

[Giggitoni]

$4 per gallon...uuuhhggggg...oh welll

Obviously you don’t live in California!

 

[DennisB1]

Last summer Roche Harbor was $2.35 a foot as I recall

 

[markpierce]

Only upside to +$4/gallon fuel?

Less traffic out on the water.

Already seems more likely to see a tug with or without a tow or a ship than a recreational trawler now.

 

[Lepke]

My 1st big boat, 1961, diesel was 15¢ a gallon. Less if I bought more than 100 gallons. Around that time, an old, long retired fisherman told me he paid 1¢ for 2 gallons in the really old days before WWI.

 

[jgwinks]

Here's a tip: Do your calculations in MPG. Or better still, Gallons per 100 (or whatever) miles.


It never fails to amaze me that everyone still works in GPH. That's a hold-over from the days before reliable GPS and other instruments. You'd set your engine to a given RPM, which resulted in a known speed. In the end you'd still have to calculate down to MPG or Gallons per given distance. Nowadays we can skip the GPH step, but traditions are hard to shake.

I find it makes more sense the other way around at least on the rivers. We're going to be coming down the Mississippi with around 3 knots following current. That really screws up the MPG calculations compared to no current as we're going 3 knots faster at the same RPM. When we turn the corner to the Ohio we'll be going 3 knots slower. GPH makes more sense to me here because I know how fast I'm going over ground and ETA at that speed, I can easily figure the gallons I'll burn or have burned. That's a lot easier than trying to figure the actual distance covered through the water by adding or subtracting the current. Way too much math for me. Your MPG will vary with what current (and to a lesser extent wind) you were seeing on that particular day so it doesn't really compare to RPM. RPM does reliably compare to time run which gives you GPH.

 

[jgwinks]

My 1st big boat, 1961, diesel was 15¢ a gallon. Less if I bought more than 100 gallons. Around that time, an old, long retired fisherman told me he paid 1¢ for 2 gallons in the really old days before WWI.

Back in the mid to late 1960's my father ran a gas and fuel oil delivery business. Gas was 29.9c a gallon and diesel/fuel oil was 17.9c. Every day, it never changed. You never know what you're going to pay now days.

 

[Seevee]

I'd agree with the MPG approach, then you know is the mission is xxx miles it will cost YYY dollars.


For one that anchors as much as they use marinas, the fuel costs will likely be your biggest expense.... assuming you use the boat. Fuel is far from the cheapest thing you put in the boat, unless the boat just sits and doesn't get used. The exception might be the weekender that just doesn't take long trips at all.

 

[jleonard]

Oh I still think fuel was the cheapest for me. The Albin was very frugal on fuel.
I know that the 2 summers that we cruised in Canada, the fuel plus everything else was cheaper than summer slip rental.
And the rest of the 15 years we owned that boat I never even thought about fuel costs. And we went out every weekend unless weather kept us in the slip.
Actually it was the same for the 14 years prior when we had the old Mainship.

 

[ktdtx]

Also, part of the reality is that during the hours of cruising that you burn $300 worth of fuel something will break that will cost more than $300 to fix.

 

[Jeff F]

I agree with those who point out that fuel cost is typically a small portion of total ownership cost. I'm in the yard now for a minor refit, and the bill will be 2-3 times my annual fuel bill for full time cruising.

Your estimate seems reasonable, and I agree that a sensible budget should accomodate higher fuel cost in the future.

The nice thing about the Mainship is that you can economize on fuel pretty effectively by slowing down, if that becomes a priority.

 

[Arc]

If you are calculating fuel costs , sell the boat. It’s the cheapest part of boating. You are not ready for what is to come.

 

[Slowmo]

While your estimate seems reasonable, other than fuel price, I agree with others that my experience is that fuel isn't the major factor on boat ownership. This could be different if you ran a lot, but at least in my boating area we don't run hundreds of miles (other than those going to and from Alaska every year). But for budgeting purposes I would recommend using $5/gal since oil is headed back towards $100/bbl.

To put into perspective I typically add maybe 100G at a time, so I may be spending $350-500. The cost to have a routine maintenance done on my mains is $1500 - each. Waxing the hull is a similar amount. Monthly storage can be up to $600, just to park it - I'm on the hard so I'm only paying about $300 but if I lived closer I'd have it in a slip at $600. In a big year we may run 50hours, even at $5 that's only $1250. There's not much I can buy for the boat that doesn't cost more than that!

Long way of saying that I just don't find the fuel cost to be a really big part of ownership.

 

[backinblue]

By next summer $4/gal will be an unheard of bargain. It's almost there already in New England and no signs of stopping.

 

[Jeff F]

If you are calculating fuel costs , sell the boat. It’s the cheapest part of boating. You are not ready for what is to come.

I don't quite buy that. Some of us boat on a budget, and any reasonable budget should include a fuel cost estimate.

I do agree that it may not be a major line item, but that wasn't the OP's question.

 

[backinblue]

If you are calculating fuel costs , sell the boat. It’s the cheapest part of boating. You are not ready for what is to come.

That was my first thought as well. Fuel is the least of my expense worries.

 

[ksanders]

If you are calculating fuel costs , sell the boat. It’s the cheapest part of boating. You are not ready for what is to come.

While your post might come across as insensitive, what you posted rings of truth.

 

[Arc]

I don't quite buy that. Some of us boat on a budget, and any reasonable budget should include a fuel cost estimate.

I do agree that it may not be a major line item, but that wasn't the OP's question.

So you set up this budget. Spread sheet with a bunch of numbers and dates. Then you start the season. Put the boat in gear . You hear a strange noise which turns out to be something in the drive line. That budget just went up in smoke.
The point is, any day of boating could cost you $10k. Is that in you budget. How about dropping a valve and a cylinder letting go . That might be $50k.
1 unexpected haul could be double your seasons fuel budget. Did you include that? I stand by my above post .

 

[wkearney99]

Also, part of the reality is that during the hours of cruising that you burn $300 worth of fuel something will break that will cost more than $300 to fix.

Or the $300 thing is already broken, you just won't discover that until you've got everything onboard and you're either embarking on the trip, or just beyond an easy 'continue or go back' point of the journey.

Of course now that I've cracked wise about it, something else will undoubtedly break just to punish me.

 

[mvweebles]

OP has a 40-foot mainship with a single. He's gonna burn around 5 gph on average, maybe do 100 hours a season. So $2000-$2500/yr tops. He didn't ask about oil changes, didn't ask about breakdowns, didn't ask about marina fees. If he did, I'd be the first to chime-in about TCO for boat ownership - chances are fuel will be under 10%-20% of his annual costs.

Peter

 

[Seevee]

If you are calculating fuel costs , sell the boat. It’s the cheapest part of boating. You are not ready for what is to come.

A prudent boater will look at ALL the costs. Yes, we look at fuel, too.

 

[Seevee]

OP has a 40-foot mainship with a single. He's gonna burn around 5 gph on average, maybe do 100 hours a season. So $2000-$2500/yr tops. He didn't ask about oil changes, didn't ask about breakdowns, didn't ask about marina fees. If he did, I'd be the first to chime-in about TCO for boat ownership - chances are fuel will be under 10%-20% of his annual costs.

Peter

Peter,


100 hours a year is hardly getting to boat out of the slip and for the OP that's only ~700 miles.... about one reasonable trips worth. And in that case, yes fuel would be a small part of the total costs. Oil changes for his engine are every 200 hours at ~$200.



But, if he gets out and travels, the fuel costs become a much larger part of the total costs. For some of us that travel, fuel IS the biggest costs... sure is for me, even with rather small trips. However, I have no slip fees, have very little unscheduled maintenance, and that is nickle and dime stuff. There's a looooog time between major maintenance items ... years and centuries. (never for me). Wonder how many folks have had a major ($10k plus) expense over the past 10 years, other than wanted improvements.

 

[jefndeb]

Hello all, thanks for the comments, I plan to retire this coming March and we are planning to go up the East coast this coming April and I have been running some number as to better understand what our costs will be and yes fuel was just one of many varying expenses.

 

[Simi 60]

Only upside to +$4/gallon fuel?

Less traffic out on the water.

$6 plus a gallon in Oz hasn't reduced numbers here, quite the opposite,