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I'm a little surprised that not anyone has complained about the price of gas yet. As for us, it won't stop us from putting the same amount of hours on the lake, but it may cause us to be a little more conservative about our fuel usage. I regularly add fuel injector cleaner which seems to help with consumption. In addition, we make sure that we don't idle too much (helps with the hours also). If anyone else has any other suggestions, post them here. Happy skiing!
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Ski on dude! -
RE: Gasoline Prices
My biggest expense is just getting to the lake. It's 45 miles to Lake 'O the Pines in East Texas from our house. Running the boat is the least of my cost, although the price of super unleaded for the boat hurts some. -
kinda have to agree with you...
the boat isnt that bad on gas (mine takes regular) but the premium for the tow vehicle is $$$$Comment
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Fortunately we don't have to tow. While our tow vehicle is a guzzler (Suburban), we pull the boat out of the garage and back it down the ramp into the lake. Do you guys run super in you boats? I was always told to run no more than 89 octane since anything higher than that is wasting your money. I even read in Waterski Mag a few years ago that over 89 gives you less power in a V8. I'm not sure of the exact term, but there is something like "after combustion". You can tell if you have this by looking for black exhause residue on the back of your boat. I'm by no means an expert though.Ski on dude!Comment
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Agree that towing the boat to & from the lakes is a much higher expense than running the boat itself since I'm not fortunate enough to live near a decent ski lake. I try not to idle the boat too much, but I don't know if that's saving much money in the long run given the additional strain the repeated engine starting/stopping puts on the starter, battery, and other mechanical parts.
Last summer, the gas at the boat dock at New Melones reservoir in Northern California was $3.39/gal. I wouldn't be surprised if it surpasses $4/gal this summer. Just another expense of enjoying life...Comment
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You should be here in the Uk.
Current average price is 0.83p per litre or Just over £4.00 per gallon, working on the current exchange rate of 1.8 usd to 1 sterling gives us an approximate price of $7.20 per gallon.
Thats why so many people run the boat on LPG.Comment
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My experience
I spent 3 years working at ski shows in Europe where we converted the boats to propane. This was done entirely for a cost savings value. The price of gasoline was almost double the price of propane, so there was no question about switching even though there was about a 10% power loss.
Right now in Australia the price for premium unleaded is about $1.20 per litre, which is about $4.55 per gallon.
Still I would agree with the previous posts, the cost of putting fuel in the tow vehicle to get the boat to the water is far more expensive than the actual cost to fuel the boat. I live about a 25 minute drive to the boat ramp.
PeteComment
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RE: My experience
The April issue of Waterski Magazine has an article regarding the use of high octane, page 86. It suggests that if one uses higher octane than what the engine requires, one is going to burn 20 to 30 cents more per gallon than what they should. It also makes reference to being able to go low on octane on PCM engines.Comment
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RE: My experience
The GT40 in my boat may be able to run on 89 octane but I really wouldn't want to take a chance with it. All the engines in our boats are high horsepower and work a lot harder than engines in road vehicles. Lower octane gas should require the computer to retard the timing if it detects a knock. That should result in lower power, at least thats the way things used to work. :shock:Comment
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RE: My experience
I believe that PCM will also tell you that the higher octace is a waste!Ski on dude!Comment
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RE: My experience
PCM recommends 87 Octane for my 2003 Excalibur. I've read somewhere that the use of higher octane will cause a slight performance loss. Sounds good to me.Comment
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RE: My experience
The important thing to remember about fuel is: the higher octane, the slower the burn. This is not necessarily a good thing for all motors. I've put plus(89 oct) in the Sport(GT-40) a total of 3 times and never run into a problem. Unless your motor requires high octane you are pissing away cash, higher octane doesn't mean more power at all.How about \"Chales\"?
RIP Nikolai (\'05 SANTE) 5/23/05 - 4/30/06Comment
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Food for thought
Hmmmm, having just purchased my first Nautique (and first boat) I was under the assumption that higher octane fuel is 'better'. Having read some of these posts here I think I will take a closer look and see what the manual recommends.
If anyone knows off hand, my boat is a 97 Ski Nautique with EFI 5.8L PCM engine. I have been running 91 octane since I purchased with no problems.
PeteComment
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Re: My experience
That is interesting! Where did you locate the tank and what kind of tank design was used?Originally posted by peteSki
J\'01 Sporty Air NautiqueComment
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Propane Tanks
From what I recall, the factory gasoline tanks were removed from the back of the boat along with the rear seat. The propane tank was cylindrical and fit where the gasoline tank was. The engines were intentionally ordered without EFI so that a propane carbuerator could be fitted. I believe the entire setup was purchased as a conversion kit, and may have been standard automotive equipment. I didn't have anything to do with sourcing the parts, I only helped with the installation.
The ski show I worked at was in Germany and I am going to be in the area this July and plan to stop in for a visit. Assuming they are still using those tanks, might be good to bust out the digital camera and take a few photos. If you are interested I'm sure you can find some other resources online about fuel conversion kits.
PeteComment
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