Re: Average Cruise Speed
if you are going for best MPG, it is almost always higher than you think. Just above plane is usually pretty bad actually, you need to get a little more hull out of the water and into the power band of the engine. (2 stroke engines in particular have very specific rpm's where they develop the best power and efficiency, and it isn't near the low end)
Interesting observation and one my step-father and I discovered much to our surprise after he'd owned his Hinterhoeller Limestone 24 (below) for a good 15 years.
Turns out on this girl, 3500 rpm is actually more efficient than 3000 - although it seems well up on plane at the lower number... Gawd I love that boat. She's heavy and deep and just a great big water boat - perfect for those days when there's a blow in from across Lake Huron and Georgian Bay is fixing to get nasty.
Ahem...sorry, I digress..
As for the Scout, I drive more by tach than speedo. 2 people and a kid at 3800 get us about 28 mph. Add a couple more people and I need 4100 to get the same speed.
Once every other weekend or so I'll go out alone, trim her up and wring her out for a mile or so to keep her limber. Best I can recall from my landlocked chair at the moment is that it's a blistering (
) 44 miles an hour or so at about 6000 rpm. Mechanical music that Yammy makes...
I'd really love to fit a fuel flow metering system so I can really understand where my most efficient throttle settings are for any given load or condition. Caniving to get the business case approved by the Domestic Finance Officer...
