Petrol and antifowl

Tim M · 05 July 2004, 10:56

Two questions for you....
1. I currently use standard unleaded petrol in my outboard. I was wondering whether putting the more expensive "super" unleaded would be better for the engine, and/or make me go faster.

Question 2. Can I risk leaving my boat in a tidal marina for three or four days without anti-fowling the hull. I wil be using the boat every day, so is nasty stuff likey to be able to grow in that short time?

Thank yuow!

swginn · 05 July 2004, 11:12

As regards the antifouling, you should be fine, especially if you are using the boat every day.

The petrol! Well does using "super" unleaded really make your car go any faster? You're unlikely to notice the difference if any, except in your wallet!!

Higher octane petrols do make a noticeable difference to some Japanese import cars that were designed to run on 98(sometimes even 100) octane instead of the standard 95. So unless your motor is a Jap import, then I don't see the point.

Tim M · 05 July 2004, 11:15

Thanks for the advice.
Is there anyone out there who has kept thier boat in the water for a few days - what (if any) were the effects? (I really don't want to end up with a load of crud which I have to scrub off!)

swginn · 05 July 2004, 11:24

Sorry Tim, forgot to mention that my boat has been in the water for 3 weeks now with not one sign of growth, but then the hull has been waxed with safeboatskin. Usually kept our last boat (which wasn't waxed) in the water for about a week at a time with no growth. Did leave her in for just over a month once and boy was I sorry. Took a total of 3 days to clean her properly. This was mainly down to the fact that she was only used at wkends during that time period. If you use her everyday you'll have no trouble.

Searider · 05 July 2004, 12:21

Tim,

My Searider is usually kept on a trailer but occasionally spends up to two weeks at a time in the water. After this time there is usually some fouling on the transom and engine but this comes off very easily. The hull gets a slight green tinge but this seems to disappear once the boat has been taken ashore.

Regarding the petrol, my car, a VR6 Corrado specifies 98 Octane and does run better on it - smoother idle, better top end and uses a bit less as well! However, it has anti-knock sensors that allow it to run satisfactorily on normal 95 octane - so, in effect the car can detect the quality of petrol it is being fed and adjusts itself accordingly - I don't think that any outboards are this clever yet. Most outboards are designed to run on 90 octane which is then further degraded by mixing in some oil. I always use Tesco unleaded in the boat.

Duncan

Tim M · 05 July 2004, 12:32

Thanks everyone. I will be quite happy leaving it on the water now!

Daniel TD5 · 05 July 2004, 12:33

well i filled my rib up this weekend i used shell super fast stuff and i think it went so much better that my back still hurts from the super speed or was it the fact i was raceing bilge rat and phil davies back to herne bay with no regard to how many times i went airborn

by the way i won

i must say i did think it went a little better with the super stuff

dan

Bilge Rat · 05 July 2004, 14:52

Dan you only won because i ran out of fuel at the end of the pier and had to switch tanks

anyway if you remember rightly i was running on half a prop aswell

You were much faster coming back as we'd lightened the fridge considerably over lunch

Daniel TD5 · 05 July 2004, 17:35

bilge rat

it was a fair race

its was all down to strategy

i made a fuel change early
take on a 50 hp with a broken prop
add some shell super fuel
fill all the other racers up with very heavy food

phil could not keep up due to not wearing his new aero geko helmet

and the vailant is the winner

got a very cool ssr number ssr111888 got my number

dan

Phil Davies · 05 July 2004, 20:20

Yes, but the Honda engine is better suited to endurance events rather than short circuits. Its superior fuel economy would have meant I could have adopted a splash 'n' dash fuel strategy where your 2-strokes would have necessitated two stops.

Furthermore, Bilge Rat's Evinrude reliability has been suspect all season which, coupled to his aggressive driving style, would inevitably have caused him to make a premature retirement. Anyway, you should have been black-flagged yesterday for dropping sausage rolls and sandwich crusts in the path of following RIBs in flagrant contravention of safety regulations.

Bilge Rat · 05 July 2004, 21:00

Dan/Phil

You both may want to check this out as i cant believe it myself, on Sunday we did a total of 126km round trip, Dan ran out of fuel and had to switch at 104km which means with both tanks full he has a potential cruising range of 200km

i've not worked out yet what this means in old money but for a small rib its pretty impressive i think.
Also worth noting that we were not hanging about either, most of the run back was at full chat as we were aiming to get the slipway with some water on it, i had Dan doing 28 knots most of the way back.

Bilge Rat · 05 July 2004, 21:21

Update

Just done a quick conversion, 126km = 78.26 miles

Daniel TD5 · 06 July 2004, 08:18

bilge rat

thats top class 28 knots

now i know why my back hurts and i broke my ICOM or was it the kids playing with it

200km is a very good plus i had a 5L spare can as well in the front locker
for real hard times

dan

Bilge Rat · 06 July 2004, 09:00

Dan
I'd suggest you want to account at least 25% of that amount for emegencies and in a different sea state you may use more fuel over all, worked out that i used 60 litres on Sunday to cover 126 k which equals 2.1 kilometres a litre, and remember i was running on half a prop too

Phil Davies · 06 July 2004, 09:02

Which means the ultra frugal Honda was doing nearly 4 miles/ltr!!

Daniel TD5 · 06 July 2004, 09:07

yes phil

your honda will go for thousands for miles on a tank but what you gain from the cost of the honda you lose on the range rover

are we out this sunday i can do bradwell or burham to save you a drive
and if we send bilge a map he may be alble to find his way out of kent

dan

Phil Davies · 06 July 2004, 09:20

Well spotted Dan, but if only the Honda was as quiet and smoooooooooth as the BMW V8

Saturday could well be a possibility, be in touch nearer the weekend. I reckon you've got as much chance of getting Bilge Rat out of Kent as you have of getting MeMe out of Abersoch, although at least MeMe did venture as far as Anglesey once. Problem is Bilge has only got short range air tanks and they run out by the time he's reached the Dartford Tunnel.

Daniel TD5 · 06 July 2004, 09:39

could all ways go up the thames to tedding ton and you lot could by me lunch
then i don,t have to drive very far

and bilge rat won,t have to go over the bridge only under the backwall tunnel

Phil Davies · 06 July 2004, 09:50

To be honest, after a week in 'the Smog' the last thing I feel like doing is driving back there on the weekend! I'd rather go for the wide open spaces of the Essex coast, although I appreciate your point about not wanting to drive. I could always buy you fish 'n' chips at Burnham!

Bilge Rat · 06 July 2004, 09:51

Guys i'd love to come out this weekend but if you recall i hit a fridge in the medway and tore a lump of my prop, its now on its way up to Julie at Steel Devs for a fix and i dont see it being back with me before this weekend.

anyway what do you mean i never go out of kent, so where is Poplar then mr D ?
Yep Phils frugal Honda is more fuel econiomical than our polution pumping 2 strokes, but if you cant carry the fuel you cant get anywhere can you, seem to recall you re filling at the lunch stop anyway Phil

though refilling is a bit optimistic as most of it went over your deck