How far can a diesel powered Yacht or boat travel on a single tank of fuel?
Dutch asked:
Wondering if I can fuel one of these diesel powered, live aboard boats, from Seattle to Juneau, on a single tank of fuel.
Looking around and on Clist…. the average boat / yacht is about 30′ to 35′.
I suppose I was hoping someone who owns
a boat like that would know. So far just one answer is coming close…
I ask this because if I am going out in the ocean I am almost sure there are not a lot of
fuel stations floating around out there.
They must design these boats with some sort of range in mind.
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Wondering if I can fuel one of these diesel powered, live aboard boats, from Seattle to Juneau, on a single tank of fuel.
Looking around and on Clist…. the average boat / yacht is about 30′ to 35′.
I suppose I was hoping someone who owns
a boat like that would know. So far just one answer is coming close…
I ask this because if I am going out in the ocean I am almost sure there are not a lot of
fuel stations floating around out there.
They must design these boats with some sort of range in mind.
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You can do it!
It’s 797 miles up the inside, so if you had a boat that could travel at 1 mile per gallon, you would still have to carry a minimum of 1000 gallons of fuel. From the limited experience I have had with cruisers, I believe that most onshore type boats don’t carry that much fuel.
Kind of depends on your fuel consumption and the size of your tank!
On the limted information given, it’s hard to say
Don’t forget to include a generous margin of error, to allow for weather, etc. And to plan refuelling stops along the way, just in case.
It could be possible. If your vessel averaged 8 knots and burned 8 gallons per hour that 800 mile trip would take 100 hours of run time and 800 gallons. I am sure that some carry that much and more, we can carry 2000 gallons in a 65 ft vessel and our average speed is 8 knots.
Make sure you do the proper research before trying that trip.
Good Luck - Boat Safe!
Yes. If the tank is big and the fuel usage rate is low.
You question is a little lacking in the details.
I live aboard a 45ft sailboat that also has a 65hp diesel engine. We never talk about miles per gallon (or miles per litre) and neither do our many friends on motor yachts. This is because the distance you can travel is affected by throttle opening, currents, wind, waves and weather - as well as by how clean your prop is. Instead most (all) yachts and boats talk about hours per gallon or, in my case, litres per hour. My (moderate sized for a yacht) Yanmar 4-cylinder diesel uses about 2.5 litres of diesel per hour at it’s cruising speed of 2500 rpm. The tank hold 210 litres and I carry another 100 litres in cans on board.
When planning voyages we usually assume an average cruising speed of about 5kts, though if we’re expecting headwinds or big seas we use 4kts. Clearly we sail whenever possible and turn the (noisy) engine off. Obviously a motor yacht cruises at higher speeds. It all depends on the boat - and how brave your crew is!