Gas Pains

IF THE PRICE AT THE PUMP has you thinking twice about making long runs to the hot fishing grounds, use these tips and tricks to keep your fuel bill in check.

Although we Texans might enjoy fuel prices a bit more palatable than those in the rest of the nation, you can be forgiven for flinching at the bill. However, do higher prices have to mean you trim back your fishing plans?

Heck no!

Truth be told, most boats are rather inefficient transportation as compared to other ways of getting around. Generally speaking, we boaters make it worse over time. With some effort, you should be able to boost your mileage by 10 percent, 15 percent, or possibly even more.

Go on a diet to get the ball rolling.

It’s not necessarily you who needs to shed a few pounds, but your boat probably does. We tend to load our boats up over time without even noticing. We stow everything from excessive fishing tackle to dishware aboard.

Although some gear is of course necessary, some other gear is not. Take fishing weights, for example. For several seasons I kept a selection of three-pound, deep-drop weights in a drawer, alongside a handful of 20- to 28-ounce trolling weights. On top of those, I had a pair of six-pound sash weights for daytime swordfishing.

Want to guess how often I used any of them? Three or four times a year, max. By putting them in my shed where they belong, I yanked 20 pounds out of my boat in an instant. I can always grab them in a heartbeat if I think I might need ‘em for an upcoming trip.

Open the faucet and drain down your freshwater tank.

My boat carries five gallons of freshwater, which weighs 40 pounds when full. Truth be told, the water that comes out always smells a bit funny, and nine trips out of 10 the system never even gets turned on.

So, why haul around all that extra weight? Note that five gallons is a tiny tank. Many people reading this right now are hauling around 10 or 20 gallons. This adds 80 to 160 pounds to your load. If you use your freshwater regularly, you’ll want to leave some in the tank, for sure, but consider whether a half- or quarter-tank is enough to get the job done.

Upgrade aluminum to stainless steel.

When it comes to your propeller. Aluminum propeller blades flex more than stainless, and you can generally pick up a couple mph at cruise without burning a single drop of additional fuel by simply upgrading an aluminum prop to a stainless model. That’s a significant efficiency boost, but…

Consider the condition of your propeller.

Maybe your prop is just fine, but maybe not. Most boat owners tend to ignore the state of their prop unless and until there’s a major problem with it.

Those little nicks, dings, and burrs reduce a propeller’s efficiency and cut into your boat’s mileage. You can file some minor propeller blade damage smooth, but having a prop reconditioned is a much better bet.

Added bonus: you’ll likely feel fewer vibrations, and the boat will run smoother, too.

Slow down.

Yeah, we know, this is an awful option — all of us want to get to the fishing grounds ASAP. So, you forget about this tip first thing I the morning as you run from one hotspot to the next.

However, at the end of the day when you cruise home, why not pull the throttle back a bit? Most boats post their best efficiency right after coming onto plane, usually in the 3000 to 3500 rpm range.

This may mean running home at 25 mph rather than 30 or 35, but you’ll likely see fuel economy jump by leaps and bounds.

Note: most modern outboards over 150 horsepower will display fuel economy right at the helm, though you may have to cycle through some options to bring it up on-screen

 Take the time to put it on the monitor’s LCD, and you’ll likely be shocked at just how many more miles you can travel on a single gallon by cruising home in a more mellow fashion.

Start scrubbing.

If your boat lives in a wet slip. Bottom paint may keep barnacles and long tendrils of weeds at bay, but you’ll probably still develop a layer of slime over the course of a month. Transducers can be problematic growth-centers, too.

In either case, a good scrub can work wonders at reducing hydrodynamic drag, thus increasing efficiency.

Use your tech.

If you have a fishing boat you almost certainly have a GPS/chartplotter. That little box of navigational magic can help you save fuel by helping you steer in a more direct line. We all think we steer our boats straight, but in reality, most captains make a long series of slow “S” turns while going from Point A to Point B.

You don’t believe it? Glance over your shoulder a few times as you’re cruising, and take in the trajectory of your own wake.

If, however, you take the time to plot a course and bring up a steering screen on your chartplotter, then use it as you run, you can commonly reduce the margin of error from seven to 10 degrees to a much lower two to four degrees.

If you apply all these tips and techniques, it’s reasonable to look for a significant boost in your fuel efficiency. That means you spend less cash on gas. If you’re anything like us, you can take those savings right to the bank tackle shop.

Email Lenny Rudow at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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