Raptor 400 fuel economy

[boatwakes]

Just wanted to say I've been very impressed with the fuel economy of the 400 in our Z3. Ballasted with an additional 1100lbs and surfing all day then the usual hot lap for 15+ minutes at or above 3700rpm to heat up the O2 sensors at the end of the day she burns about 5gph. Pretty damn close to my 2100i Merc 350. Also way better than the 6.0 PCM. However, if you can't afford the fuel then why do you have a boat?!!!

Also, got the 7 year old up on her own this weekend and into the wave all by herself, good times were had by all.

[UNSTUCK]

However, if you can't afford the fuel then why do you have a boat?!!!

Also, got the 7 year old up on her own this weekend and into the wave all by herself, good times were had by all.

At least once a season this pops in various forums. And it bugs me a little bit every time. I wonder how many Axis/Malibu owners purchased their boats with no idea they used so much fuel. And because of that they boat half as much as they would have like to. I can just afford the fuel we use based on how we budgeted for it. If were were using 2 or even 3 times the amount for the same outing then we couldn't afford it without making changes.
Everyone's income is finite.


Awesome to hear about your daughter. My 6 year old is so close. I can't wait.

[Dwayne E]

I picked up a 2018 23 LSV with the Raptor 450 and it runs just under 6 gph with the extra bags and surfing all day. Also found no real difference in fuel consumption with High Alt. vs. Standard prop, running just under 1000 ft elevation. Have gone through about 425 gallons of pure fun this summer, no complaints here.

[KoolAid]

However, if you can't afford the fuel then why do you have a boat?!!!.

A year ago I was telling a customer about fuel economy on the Raptor compared to his old boat. He stopped me and said "I just paid $130k for this boat, I really don't care if it costs me an extra $100 a day in fuel".

[hcooperrn]

I was actually about to revive an old thread on the topic, might as well chime in here. 2017 Z3, Raptor 400, Acme 2419, SurfXL plus 500lb of extra weight.

We just moved to the Dallas area, so haven't been out much this summer. Noticeably more power on takeoff, and at least feels smoother when surfing.

I've tracked every hour and ounce of gas going into it -- our lifetime average so far is 6gph, almost all at 5400'. Our first day out in TX, got the same, spot on 6gph.

Last Saturday, I had the chance to load up a couple of gas cans and run the thing dry. In the past, I've always called it quits when the gauge read empty, which was about 4-5 hours in, and it always took somewhere in the neighborhood of 24-27 gallons of gas to be back to full, so I wanted to know how far we could push past empty, I thought I have a 50 gallon tank.

We started the day at 78.8 hours. At about 83 hours, it was a solid 0%. At 84.8 hours, while surfing, it coughed once and died cold, not even a sputter. Let it settle down, tried to restart, got the low pressure engine code, and nothing doing, she was done, my rider had to swim back while we poured the cans in.

So now I know, 6 hours, or about 36 gallons, is all my fuel pickup can pick up. I think I'll still play it a bit safe and probably not push past 5 hours of playtime, especially now that we're on a bit bigger water down here.

[BCRider]

Jeez, I can do roughly 10 hours a tank and I've never ran it dry. If the 17 tank is the same size as a 15 than you have a 1 gallon larger tank than I.

[MikeB313]

However, if you can't afford the fuel then why do you have a boat?!!!

Not always about being able to afford it. When the Axis/Malibu owners are heading to the marina or launch to either pack it up for the weekend or refuel, I'm still on the water getting the calm water

[talltigeguy]

Assume the following: numbers rounded to make the math easy...

100 hours per year, gas is $4 per gallon.

5 GPH means you use 500 gallons, or $2000
10 GPH means you use 1000 gallons or $4000
15 GPH means you use 1500 gallons or $6000

Most people don't go 100 hours per year, and most people don't get an overall GPH of greater than 10 GPH, even in my G23 (Surfing is higher, but tubing, idling and foiling are lower).

If I bought a 100K + boat and I am worried about $2000 difference over a boating season between the 5 GPH and 10 GPH boat, then I am certainly bringing myself too close to the margin of not being able to afford it, IMHO. A nice moment of stupidity at the dock can cost 2K in gelcoat pretty quickly, let alone the dozens of other things you can do to a boat to rack up a similar bill. A 17 inch prop now sells for $800+

I think that MikeB makes the best point, not having to return to the fuel dock is a significant bonus.

It is terrific that Tige boats seem to be very efficient, but it would only be about 2% of my decision making in the purchase. This boating business is about making memories, not money, that is for sure.

[hcooperrn]

Interesting points and thoughts on affordability vs expense. I guess we approached it definitely when we decided to buy new, maybe it wasn't the most financially sound decision we've made?

I didn't look at it as buying a $100k boat -- I looked at the monthly cost, since I knew I would be financing for a long time. We had plenty of room on our back-end ratio and DTI ratios, so we set a cap for increasing those, and then determined how much down payment we needed vs cost of the boat to fit the monthly payment. At that point, the consumables are less of a fixed expense. So, basically, we end up with $1k a month that we spend on the boat. Spending $80 a weekend for fuel now calculates a bit differently -- it can get to be closer 40% of our monthly boat expense, instead of 2% of the decision.

Not disagreeing at all with anyone, just offering up a different perspective. We make a good living I think, just not good enough to pay cash for this level of boat. Do we have extra cost associated in the financial leverage of a 20yr loan? Absolutely, and in our calculus, that's the cost of the lifestyle, memories, and peace of mind added together, so we sleep well at night.

[UNSTUCK]

Assume the following: numbers rounded to make the math easy...

100 hours per year, gas is $4 per gallon.

5 GPH means you use 500 gallons, or $2000
10 GPH means you use 1000 gallons or $4000
15 GPH means you use 1500 gallons or $6000

Most people don't go 100 hours per year, and most people don't get an overall GPH of greater than 10 GPH, even in my G23 (Surfing is higher, but tubing, idling and foiling are lower).

If I bought a 100K + boat and I am worried about $2000 difference over a boating season between the 5 GPH and 10 GPH boat, then I am certainly bringing myself too close to the margin of not being able to afford it, IMHO. A nice moment of stupidity at the dock can cost 2K in gelcoat pretty quickly, let alone the dozens of other things you can do to a boat to rack up a similar bill. A 17 inch prop now sells for $800+

I think that MikeB makes the best point, not having to return to the fuel dock is a significant bonus.

It is terrific that Tige boats seem to be very efficient, but it would only be about 2% of my decision making in the purchase. This boating business is about making memories, not money, that is for sure.

I agree with what you're saying, but I can't get past the perception that I have with boat owners where there seems to be no budget. Taking all things into consideration, I purchased the best boat I could while staying inside my monthly "boat budget". I had the opportunity to purchase a different 3 for just a few thousand more than what I paid for the 3 I have. That first one was probably a MUCH better deal, money-wise, but in the end was over my budget. $1 over or $100k over...doesn't matter. On top of that, I would be purchasing premium fuel for that boat vs the regular fuel I buy now. $.30 per gallon adds up. All for what? In the end it's the same boat, same wave, same fun. And none of that goes on a CC where I hope to be able to pay for it later.....not that I'm saying you do. But no doubt, some guys are racking up a CC to use their boats.

e

[boatwakes]

You do you. I owned a fuel dock for 10 years in Newport Harbor and saw all kinds, fueled thousands of boats and worked on every type of engine. The bottom line was always the same; boats are inefficient and money pits so understand that when you want to buy one, the reward comes from the smiles on your passengers faces.

[hcooperrn]

...the reward comes from the smiles on your passengers faces.

Well said sir!