How many MPG's would I expect out of a 1996 Mercury 200HP EFI?

Question

I am looking at buying a boat that has a Merc 200HP EFI from 1996. The boat is a champion that is about 18 ft long. I can't find any mpg info for any older outboards really. I am not talking about wide open but at cruising speeds between 2500-4000 rpm's (Wherever the optimal fuel economy is).

Answer 1

You don't get M.P.G. with a boat, you get G.P.H., this means Gallons per hour, with that motor, you will use anywhere from 2 to 21/2 G.P.H. That year Merc was one of the better engines in that H.P. range.

Answer 2

Sorry for the bad news man... but think more along the lines of 4 - 5 gph @ 2500 and 10 - 12 gph @ 4,000

and be glad you don't have a larger boat with "twin screws" (two engines).... pun intended!  lol

Answer 3

This site will help

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

Answer 4

The old rule of thumb for GPH is to divide the motor horsepower by 10.  It works out really close for most engines.  So, 200/10 gives you an estimate of 20gph at wide open.  I agree with the other answer of 2 to 20.  Believe it or not, the newer EFI engines are not all that much better than the old ones, because due to EPA regs on NOX emissions, and cooling requirements, they still run outboards on the fat side.  Lean burn puts off too much NOX, which the EPA feels is worse than hydrocarbons.

Answer 5

I don't know who gave captai  john the thumbsdown , but he's right. I owned one and it used about 15gph full throttle and 5-6 at cruising speed. It was on a lightweight 19' boat so you could expect to use a bit more even.

Answer 6

I'm not really sure. I've never really thought about it before. It's a good question though. Thanks for bringing it up.