Engines & Drives
Fuel is the running cost owners feel most. These are realistic figures rather than brochure numbers, based on typical cruising rather than best-case flat-water testing.
Realistic fuel burn figures for bowriders by size and engine type, plus how to cut consumption without slowing down.
The bowriders that come up most often when readers ask us where to start.
The world's best-selling bowrider size, in its most accessible form: light, simple and easy to tow.
US$38,000 - US$52,000 new
The refined mainstream benchmark: quiet, dry, and beautifully finished for the money.
US$72,000 - US$95,000 new
The previous-generation classic. Millions of families learned to boat in one of these.
US$8,000 - US$22,000 used
An 18 ft (5.49 m) bowrider with a 115 hp four-stroke burns roughly 4-6 US gal (15-23 L) per hour at a 22 knot cruise. A 21 ft (6.40 m) boat with 250 hp stern drive burns 8-11 US gal (30-42 L) per hour at 26 knots. A 25 ft (7.62 m) boat with twin outboards can reach 18-22 US gal (68-83 L) per hour at speed.
A relaxed day of cruising, swimming and towing typically uses far less than owners expect, because the engine spends much of the day at idle or off.
Weight, trim and propeller choice matter more than engine size. An over-loaded boat with the wrong prop, running bow-high, can burn 30 percent more than the same rig set up properly.
Jet drives burn more than comparable four-stroke outboards at cruise. Older two-stroke outboards burn dramatically more than modern four-strokes.
Find the hull's efficient cruise, usually just above minimum planing speed, and stay there. Trim the bow down until the boat settles, then trim out slightly. Keep the hull clean, service the prop, and do not carry a full fuel tank you do not need.
