Downsides of 550 engine?

[greggmck]

I have to respectfully disagree here as I have seen the same engine in 2 different boats have quite a difference in fuel burn due to differences in hull, 1 must have created a lot more resistance than the other. I don't know exactly how different the hulls are on those boats, but obviously a smooth flat v that cuts thru water easily will give much less drag than a wide hull that is plowing more water. Don't get me wrong, I have no knowlege of the exact differences in those 2 hulls and have no dog in the fight and am not looking to create conflict here. Just noting that a hull can definately make a difference on how efficient an engine is.

My boat averages 4.5GPH over the entire day and did all last summer, I am sure its burning more than that when surfing with full ballast, but no one surfs entire day....even if you do there is the idle time back to rider, etc. That is how I get my average and is the only number that matters to me cause that is how I use my boat.

My family surfs exclusively. 200+ hours each year for the past 4 years. I keep a spreadsheet of each fueling and hours. In over 400 hrs on my H6 G23s I have averaged 6.2 Gal/hr exclusively surfing. That is the SAME fuel burn measured in this video attributed to the opti hull. It's BS if you use data and measurements to form your opinion. At surf speeds the hull is pushing massive amounts of water to produce the wave. It's the same fuel burn for both hulls when equipped with the H6 engine. Hull performance can significantly effect fuel burn at planing speeds. But this discussion was about fuel burn during surfing.

Sent from my SM-G950U using PLT Nautique mobile app

[gmoniey]

Thanks for all the info everyone! In regards to the engine, I now comfortable with moving forward. I still need to check out other aspects, but hopefully we've landed on a boat we plan on purchasing.

[Infinity]

That is a great GPH average and my comment above was specifically about surfing on the 2 boats, which both had the same engines. My point was that even if you exclusively surf (that is all I do too)....you still are not surfing "all day" since you are idling back to the rider, etc. (I even shut my boat down if I am not moving to keep hours down, I do not idle boat when sitting still to change riders or for any other reason). So your 6.2 is your daily average but actually plowing along surfing will be higher fuel burn, sure its less than the 13.5 they showed in that video since they were at 6000ft elevation, but still higher. If we pulled ECM data on our boats, wonder how many idle hours we would have even tho both of us do nothing but surf when on boat. Like I said, not starting a fight her, was just bringing that up and by no means do I claim to know everything, sounds like you have surfed longer and had more boats than me, not diminishing your experience

[blueroom]

We often have a several mile cruise to get where we want to go. The 550 gets us there at 38 MPH at max RPM on the standard prop, 2000’ ASL. At that RPM the boat will suck down some fuel. However, if you put it in wakeboard mode so it stays at around 23 MPH or so, it is MUCH more efficient. Fuel usage in the 550 is all about the R’s. But man is it fun to cruise a G23 at 38 every now and then.

I have not had an H6, but with full tanks, 6 people, 600 lbs of lead and a 200 lb + rider the 550 will straight up rip the rider out of the water. The flexibility and headroom it gives us is the real value it provides. Motors that are capable are really great. But motors that rock are awesome.

I know a lot of people that love the H6, and I would not be scared to have one, but I can’t ever remember seeing someone on here that regretted having the 550.

[greggmck]

That is a great GPH average and my comment above was specifically about surfing on the 2 boats, which both had the same engines. My point was that even if you exclusively surf (that is all I do too)....you still are not surfing "all day" since you are idling back to the rider, etc. (I even shut my boat down if I am not moving to keep hours down, I do not idle boat when sitting still to change riders or for any other reason). So your 6.2 is your daily average but actually plowing along surfing will be higher fuel burn, sure its less than the 13.5 they showed in that video since they were at 6000ft elevation, but still higher. If we pulled ECM data on our boats, wonder how many idle hours we would have even tho both of us do nothing but surf when on boat. Like I said, not starting a fight her, was just bringing that up and by no means do I claim to know everything, sounds like you have surfed longer and had more boats than me, not diminishing your experience

You have a good point. Idling clearly does use less fuel. But here is my thinking: We literally drive 500 yards from our dock, fill the ballast tanks and surf for 3-6 hours per day. Yes, when someone falls we spend time idling. But our profile is something like this: Throttle up, surf 4-6 minutes, fall, throttle back, reverse to keep bow wave flat before turning, turn, idle back, throttle up, surf...repeat. So while the idle portion is for 30-60 seconds the reverse, then the throttling up segments burn significant fuel as the injectors dump fuel when throttling (forward or reverse). Thus I would expect that with more time spent surfing, throttling to reverse, then throttle up, the average fuel burn we measure is +- 10% within the actual burn rate while surfing. Thanks for the discussion!

[Wayward]

Do you really go 4-6 minutes before a rider falls? I’m imagining that as being incredibly boring to watch.....

I’d be annoyed if someone was just out there riding along on the wave for 5+ minutes, rather than constantly pushing for new tricks. At best, we probably average 1 minute, 2 at most, before a failed trick takes us out. If you are going more than that, you are either a pro, or very boring.

On average most people out surfing are going to spend almost as much time idling back to a rider, as they are towing them.

[scottb7]

Agree. A former buddy of mine brought his kids once. And his daughter was a gymnast and picked up surfing super quick. After a few falls she got it down and surfed around the lake like 3 times...So boring...

[ironj32]

I love the 550hp. I started my G23 journey out with the original 450, and then switched to a 550 the next year, and have had one ever since. I have been in a few 2016 450s, and can confirm there is a pretty big gap between what the two engines can handle when it comes to pushing weight (even when talking about the 550 w/ the 1:1.48 tranny). The difference between GPH burned is not all that much, especially if you weight the two equally. Of course, when comparing a 450 with 2000 lbs of extra above stock to a 550 with 3500 lbs of ballast above stock, the 550 will burn more.

[greggmck]

Do you really go 4-6 minutes before a rider falls? I�m imagining that as being incredibly boring to watch.....

I�d be annoyed if someone was just out there riding along on the wave for 5+ minutes, rather than constantly pushing for new tricks. At best, we probably average 1 minute, 2 at most, before a failed trick takes us out. If you are going more than that, you are either a pro, or very boring.

On average most people out surfing are going to spend almost as much time idling back to a rider, as they are towing them.

We are in the Seattle area and surf 8 months per year. We are all competitive surfers. This time of year the water is 45-48 degrees. So we try new tricks sparingly or on the rope because, well the water is cold. We video every run. I looked over the past 7 days of surf sessions and the times were closer to 3 - 5 min. In the summer when preparing for comps the times between falls will be shorter. Because it's time to push it and the water is warm. I don't see any significant fuel burn change either. My spread sheet shows all months in the low - mid 6 gal/hr range. March fuel burn was 6.2 Gal/Hr average, August went up to 6.5Ga/hr.

Here is a typical video from this past week. Air was 52 water is 47 degrees.

Is this boring?

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AsZPlnTvMBxkhd8OuPNy6uASN4TwrQ

Sent from my SM-G950U using PLT Nautique mobile app

[greggmck]

We are in the Seattle area and surf 8 months per year. We are all competitive surfers. This time of year the water is 45-48 degrees. So we try new tricks sparingly or on the rope because, well the water is cold. We video every run. I looked over the past 7 days of surf sessions and the times were closer to 3 - 5 min. In the summer when preparing for comps the times between falls will be shorter. Because it's time to push it and the water is warm. I don't see any significant fuel burn change either. My spread sheet shows all months in the low - mid 6 gal/hr range. March fuel burn was 6.2 Gal/Hr average, August went up to 6.5Ga/hr.

Here is a typical video from this past week. Air was 52 water is 47 degrees.

Is this boring?

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AsZPlnTvMBxkhd8OuPNy6uASN4TwrQ

Sent from my SM-G950U using PLT Nautique mobile app

So I just noticed something interesting. Our fuel burn rate INCREASED in the summer when we surf at much shorter intervals between falls. And thinking about this it makes sense. Get in your car, mash the throttle until you get up to 3500 RPM, drive at 3500 RPM for 1 - 2 minutes, go back to idle for 30 - 40 seconds. Stop. Repeat. I'm gonna bet your mpg is going to be MUCH lower than if you were to drive at 3500 RPM consistently. Now throw in 4000lbs of ballast and a strong reverse to simulate slowing to reduce the bow wave and MPG will degrade further. The idle time has little to do with reducing GPH. The frequent throttle up and down of a 6000lb boat with 4,000 of load will greatly increase fuel burn over driving at a constant surf speed.

[Infinity]

Very nice riding skills