Getting boat on plane-gctid361341

[gazza25 Frequent Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close gazza25]

Hi can anyone assist I have a 3055 and last week i used 600 ltrs fuel to travell 32 nm people tell me my boat is always high can some one tell me how to fix this

[Guest Close Guest]

600 litres for only 32nm :O were you still tied to the jetty and did it most of it break off and follow you?

But seriously, what speed were you running at and were you at WOT all the way?

[Patrevan Seasoned Member Find all posts View Profile Close Patrevan]

THAT is a lot of fuel. Hard to assist with such limited info, but start with the following:

#1: Hull - time for a cleaning?

#2: Weight - this is obvious...has anything changed since last time you had the boat out?

#3: Look at each engine independently, then start eliminating problems; fuel (filter, carb etc). Has the boat been layed up for a long time? First time back in the water after winter? Based on your limited info, it is difficult to diagnose, but I'm suspicious it's a fuel problem...bad fuel, choke sticking. Do the engines start and run normal? Do the engines seem to have an inability to develop power?

#4: Plugs?

#5: At some point in the elimination process, do a compression test on both engines.

#6: Have a look at the props. Good shape? Again, I am assuming that you have had this boat for a while and know how it runs normally.

#7: Trim tabs - functioning? Coming up when you are coming out of the hole?

These will be easy, inexpensive areas (assuming your compression is ok) to eliminate as possible problems. Good luck. Post your year, make, and model of engines and out drives. It will make it easier to zero in on common problems for those drivetrains. Good luck. You came to the right place for help.

[Go Aweigh2452 Founding Member Find all posts View Profile Close Go Aweigh2452]

Run your trim tabs all the way down and keep them there until you come up on plane then ease the tabs up a touch to see where you can maintain plane.

[2850Bounty Supporting Member Find all posts View Profile Close 2850Bounty]

gazza25 wrote:
Hi can anyone assist I have a 3055 and last week i used 600 ltrs fuel to travell 32 nm people tell me my boat is always high can some one tell me how to fix this

By "high" are they suggesting that the bow is high or up in the air?

I agree with the other suggestions.

Are you by chance loading this boat to be stern heavy?

[Guest Close Guest]

That is 158 us gal approx to go 32 nm .unless i read your post wrong that is 5 gal per mile or .2 mpg. there has got to be something else going wrong!!

[Guest Close Guest]

The 3055 always wants to run bow high, but there are several things you can do to maximize economy. I have fuel flow meters, so I've experimented with different speeds and attitudes.

First off:

What engines and drives?

When were they last serviced?

What speed were you running?

I've found that the best economy comes at about 30-31 MPH, with the drives trimmed out only slightly, and tabs around 70% down. Were you running slower than that? Most people think cruise speed is slower than what it really is. And the 3055 runs the stern deep in the water if you don't get up to full cruise speed.

[Guest Close Guest]

gazza25 wrote:
Hi can anyone assist I have a 3055 and last week i used 600 ltrs fuel to travell 32 nm people tell me my boat is always high can some one tell me how to fix this

If I ever used that much fuel I'D need to get high. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.p....gif[/img]

[JimMc Guru Find all posts View Profile Close JimMc]

If the fuel burn numbers and distance numbers are correct something is seriously wrong. I have fuel flow meters and have never seen fuel burn rates even close to that high.

[itsabowtime2 Moderator Emeritus Find all posts View Profile Close itsabowtime2]

Run tabs and drives full down until on plane, then adjust the tabs until you are as close to 0 adjusting for the ride based upon load.

[Guest Close Guest]

gazza25 wrote:
Hi can anyone assist I have a 3055 and last week i used 600 ltrs fuel to travell 32 nm people tell me my boat is always high can some one tell me how to fix this

You must be dragging something! Crab trap? Something wrapped around you prop? Did you take the boat off the trailer?(just kidding, but it has happened).

As said by others, that is extremely out of wack. How did you determine that's how much fuel you burned? Did you fill before and after your trip? Are you sure you filled up? Often, if you fill too fast, the fuel backs up in you filler tube and spills out, especially if your fuel vent is plugged. Yopu may think it is full, but it is not. If that happened, and your fuel guage is not working correctly (or you didn't notice) you could easily start with a lot less fuel than you thought, hence, when you filled at the end of your trip (this time actually full) it would appear that you burned a lot more fuel.

Just a thought. It has happened more often than you may think.

[Fire Escape Supporting Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fire Escape]

More information is needed. Speed? RPM's? etc. Were you on the hump trying to get out of the hole and up on plane with a very heavy load? Wrong prop?

[Guest Close Guest]

Wow!! That is impressive!

I think your numbers must be off. I would burn approximately 110 liters to run that same distance at normal cruising speed.

[Guest Close Guest]

wow...How big is the tank anyway?

Did you have to stop and fill up within that 32 nms?

[JimMc Guru Find all posts View Profile Close JimMc]

How long has it been since the boat has been out of the water and the bottom cleaned?

Condition of the props?

What are your Wide Open Throttle engine RPMs ?

How long since the engines were tuned up ?

Compression tests ?

Cylinder drop tests ?

Something is seriously wrong. My normal fuel use is 1/5 to 1/6 of yours with our 305.