Hey There! Captain Chris Here!
This past weekend my dock mate asked me about how he could get better fuel economy in his boat. He started talking about all these expensive ideas and I realized that he never considered a few basic things that can make a huge difference when it comes to fuel savings.
I recommended him a couple of simple ideas that may be helpful to you too. Check them out.
Clean the bottom of your boat: Algae, Zebra Mussels and other things that grow on your boat’s bottom or outdrive can add drag and create small performance issues that you may not notice, but will cost you fuel economy over time.
Fuel Filter: If you have a dirty or clogged fuel filter, then it's doing its job, but you need to change it to allow proper fuel flow to the engine. The engine could end up working twice as hard to get the fuel that it needs to run properly. I recommend that you change your fuel filter every 100 hours or once a year.
Water Separator: Some of you may not even know you have this filter in your fuel line or on your engine. This filter cleans out the water condensation that may have built up in your fuel tank. This filter not only can save your engine, but a clean filter will allow the engine to run more efficient by providing the proper amount of fuel to the engine. I recommend that you change your filter every 100 hours or once a year.
Prop Condition: Even the smallest ding or bend can cause your prop to cavitate or form air pockets around the prop. When this happens, the prop has to spin more times to catch the water, rather than catch the air. Make sure you check and inspect your prop regularly to insure there is no major damage. Even if you think you did not hit anything, you may have caused some sort of damage from something that was in the water.
These are just a couple of suggestions that I tell people all the time that are relatively inexpensive. What are you doing to save on fuel economy? What suggestions can you make to assist other fellow boaters?