Sailboat Fuel?

Question

I am planning on spending July 4 week at beautiful Bear Lake Idaho. We are going to rent a sailboat for the week. I was wondering how much sail boat fuel I will need per day.?This will help me budget expense for the week,

Answer 1

Depends on boat size> engine size> Have generator> Or main engine to charge battery> what type of fridge is in the boat>?? battery> Or engine driven> Are you going to sail or motor>Fuel can go from 1 gal per hour cruising> to running 3 hours to charge the battery's> At $5.00 per gal usage is from 5 gals to 10 gals per day> Less with out fridge> And big battery banks> Sailing with out motor>

Have fun it's up to the weather and your demand on the engine>Always double what they tell you>And you won't be short>

Cruise the Caribbean for 10yrs>

Answer 2

Well... obviously we have no live aboards "out there"...

     I agree, the first response to fuel usage on a sail boat is "Duh - Dummy, sail boats don't need fuel... but actually they do... if you are living on it for a week...

     In addition to docking (which is minimal fuel) if you are living out on the hook for a week, you will obviously be running a generator... I have a forty-footer (and lived on her for a couple years sailing with my son...

     We ran the generator about 2 hours every morning and another 2 or 3 sometimes 4 hours (when running ac unit) at night to get all our battery banks recharged... that kept our refrigerator, cabin lights, computer, stereo, etc... going... when we ran our air conditioner, we had to run the generator as well...  but we only ran our air conditioner on really hot evenings starting about an hour before bed time.  ours cost us about a gallon of fuel an hour... So, at the near $5 a gallon you will pay on the water for fuel... you are wise to budget "sailboat fuel".

Happy & Safe Boating!

Answer 3

Capt John is right on.  If this is your first time renting a sailboat ask for for a short training session, sailing is not as easy as it looks.  Also remember that engines / generators create Carbon Monoxide and you need to make sure you have proper ventilation.

Be Safe - Have Fun!

Answer 4

i would think 3-5 gallons would be enough as sailboats only use there motors to get in and out of marinas.

Answer 5

Either take a trucking company dispatcher or a blonde with you. They should have enough sail boat fuel between their ears to last a week.

Answer 6

Ask the weatherman, he should be able to predict how much SAILBOAT FUEL you will get/need!!!  ROTFLMAO! ;)

Answer 7

Presumably you are speaking of fuel for an auxiliary engine.  The boat should come stocked with enough fuel for the entire weekend; you may need fuel for approaching a dock but probably not much else.  The cost should be minimal.