No need for the brown bag Sal.
"Cruise speed" (for me) is the maximum speed I will run
if conditions in the Bay permit it.
That is, the maximum speed that I will typically run while
burning a reasonably rate of fuel when the sea state is 1' or less.
We don't get many 'flat days' on the Chesapeake, so my 'normal cruise speed' is typically less than what you see in that photo.
However, when we do get one of those nice days, its nice to be able to 'air her out' a bit.
My boat burns between 10 and 14 gph over a fairly wide range of motor speeds, but starts going up greatly as I exceed 4500 rpm.
At WOT (about 5100 rpm) I'm burning about 28 gph according to my Navman 2100. :shock:
BTW - The Navman 2100 fuel computer is the round gauge obscured by my left hand (which is on the wheel) as I shoot the photo with my right. :wink:
4200 to 4300 rpm (for me), is a comfortable speed to spin the motor while still getting a reasonable fuel consumption figure.
In this case, 12 to 13 gph (depending on the sea state).
That is what I call "cruise speed".
Also known as... "how fast can I run comfortably (without pounding), and without breaking the piggy bank?"
