Gas Mileage on 4-tec

[byebye]

I've got a 2004 4-tec 155hp single jet, it has about 65 hours on it.

I've noticed the gas mileage is TERRIBLE and I was wondering, if anything, you can do about it? An additive - drive slower/faster?

Not into replacing the engine or anything, just that when camping last year (no gas stations nearby) it became clear to me how quickly a tank of gas disappears.

 

[cycleguy88]

these boats just get very bad fuel economy. The newer ones are a little better, but not much.

 

[byebye]

for when you need to go a long distance, is there a cruising speed that does the best?

i'm guessing it's mid-throttle somewhere, certainly not putting along OR full out

 

[Scott0321]

fuel economy and boat should never be used in the same sentence ...period.

It's part of the process. I learned to modify my driving habits after the realization of how bad it was. On a holiday weekend...$250 easy. Thank God for the following.....shallow water, an anchor, ice and the amber colored beverages in convenient 12 oz cans.

 

[byebye]

That sounds SO GOOD but I'm on Lake Ontario and it's not clear to me you can get away with booze on board. I put in at Bluffer Park and there's a police station RIGHT AT the boat ramp.

still curious about the best cruising speed for mileage, guessing it's mid-throttle somewhere. I find I can reduce RPM's quite a bit before the speed suffers that much. guess that's the "sweet" spot

 

[cycleguy88]

when i'm on "eco" mode and cruising it's about 5500 rpm, so you could start there i guess. You should ask the police about the beer. In Texas you can have it on the boat and drink while operating the boat, but you can't pass the legal limit if you're driving it. I usually have about 1 per hour and i'm good, but the passengers will have plenty more than that.

 

[davo]

Agreed, I don't have the wizz bang eco mode & drive by wire, but I get 1.3 kms per lt average around 5000-6000rpm at 45-50kph. It bleeds economy more going slower than faster in the single engine boat.

 

[devonte007]

Here is an article from boating magazine, but it is for the supercharged version. The 155 n/a can't be too far off though. Anyway if you view the link below you will see that the most efficient cruising speed is about 30 mph or so.

http://www.boatingmag.com/2012%20boat%20buyers%20guide/sea-doo-150-speedster

We all like to have fun with these boats, and if you are heavy with the throttle it is easy to burn through a whole tank in a day.
Hope this helps!

 

[Macster]

All relative I spose - to me the 155hp Speedster has great fuel economy, but that's coming from a Kawasaki 250x... That engine would drink 38 gallons / 80 litres in one hour at WOT...

 

[James.Moon]

Best mileage for a 2009 180SE 215HP is either extremely slow 1850 (4mpg)or after well up on plane at 6000 RPM (3MPG) - it tapers off a bit at 7000 and up (2.5 MPG).
Really bad at 4000-5500. 1.5 MPG at 5500! The reason I know is that I got the test data chart off the boattest.com site for an actual test of a 180SE.
Best to go to the website to see if a boat similar to yours has been tested. Forget about getting good mileage from these jet boats.

Rule of thumb - best at 2/3 to 3/4 throttle/rpm.