Fuel Consumption

[Wanderer Vagabond]

I know that this is an 'how long is a piece of string' question and I have also looked at other threads to give me an approximation of use (about a litre an hour I believe) but from those of you now actually 'living the dream' on the cut, how much fuel DO you use in an average (non-winter) month? My 'cunning plan' for next year will involve not going anywhere particularly quickly but I'm trying to work out the budget of how much it is going to cost me. I've figured out the fixed figures (Insurance, Licence, food etc) but the amount of fuel is a bit of an open question since clearly as a liveaboard you are not going to travel anywhere near as much as you would if just taking a holiday, so for those of you who continuous cruise, how much fuel do you use?

Edited August 14, 2012 by Wanderer Vagabond

[mrsmelly]

I know that this is an 'how long is a piece of string' question and I have also looked at other threads to give me an approximation of use (about a litre an hour I believe) but from those of you now actually 'living the dream' on the cut, how much fuel DO you use in an average (non-winter) month? My 'cunning plan' for next year will involve not going anywhere particularly quickly but I'm trying to work out the budget of how much it is going to cost me. I've figured out the fixed figures (Insurance, Licence, food etc) but the amount of fuel is a bit of an open question since clearly as a liveaboard you are not going to travel anywhere near as much as you would if just taking a holiday, so for those of you who continuous cruise, how much fuel do you use?

 

Hi

 

Much too ambiguous mate we need a few simple facts

 

1/ Boat type and engine size

2/ What other methods of battery charging if any will you have

3/ How much leccy hungry kit will you have

 

That will do for starters

 

 

Tim

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Hi

 

Much too ambiguous mate we need a few simple facts

 

1/ Boat type and engine size

2/ What other methods of battery charging if any will you have

3/ How much leccy hungry kit will you have

 

That will do for starters

 

 

Tim

 

I think that you are complicating the question. All I wanted to know was how much fuel other people use to get a sort of rolling average. I'm aware that if I were to cruise 7 hours a day every day of the week I'd probably get through over £250 a month and if I sit at moorings for days on end I'll use hardly any so the figure is somewhere between the two. As an 'average' boater I'll probably use an 'average' amount, all I'm tryting to find is what an average amount will be.

[mrsmelly]

I think that you are complicating the question. All I wanted to know was how much fuel other people use to get a sort of rolling average. I'm aware that if I were to cruise 7 hours a day every day of the week I'd probably get through over £250 a month and if I sit at moorings for days on end I'll use hardly any so the figure is somewhere between the two. As an 'average' boater I'll probably use an 'average' amount, all I'm tryting to find is what an average amount will be.

 

Good luck

 

Tim

 

I think that you are complicating the question. All I wanted to know was how much fuel other people use to get a sort of rolling average. I'm aware that if I were to cruise 7 hours a day every day of the week I'd probably get through over £250 a month and if I sit at moorings for days on end I'll use hardly any so the figure is somewhere between the two. As an 'average' boater I'll probably use an 'average' amount, all I'm tryting to find is what an average amount will be.

 

Good luck

 

Tim

[Guest]

I think that you are complicating the question.

 

OK try asking

 

- how long is a piece of string

[dor]

When serving diesel I often used to idly ask how their fuel consumption was. Over a wide variety of boat sizes, engines and cruising styles the answers were remarkably consistent. Between 1.3 & 1.6 litres per hour.

[alan_fincher]

I think you may have come as close as possible to (not?) answering your own question in the very first words you posted........

 

I know that this is an 'how long is a piece of string' question................

[Wanderer Vagabond]

OK try asking

 

- how long is a piece of string

 

Have I stumbled into a canalboaters 'dirty secret' or something? Is it a question that it is considered rude to ask? (on par with "Can I use your toilet?"!!). I'm quite willing to share my 'dirty secret' I put about £35 of diesel in my car each month, I've now shown you mine, would you show me yours??

[bottle]

Wanderer

 

It is totally up to you how much you use and how often you move etc.

 

If I told you I spent over £1,200 last year and probably about the same the year before.

 

How would that help you.

 

ps. these figures are guesstimates, I have no idea how much I spent, when the tank is empty I fill it.

[nb Innisfree]

Retired full time liveaboards approx 100lts pm

[Guest]

Have I stumbled into a canalboaters 'dirty secret' or something? Is it a question that it is considered rude to ask? (on par with "Can I use your toilet?"!!). I'm quite willing to share my 'dirty secret' I put about £35 of diesel in my car each month, I've now shown you mine, would you show me yours??

 

No but without more info. like that which was asked by Tim (Mr. Smelly) you will struggle to get meaningful answers...

Edited August 14, 2012 by The Dog House

[Wanderer Vagabond]

No but without more info. like that which was asked by Tim (Mr. Smelly) you will struggle to get meaningful answers...

 

I think both bottle and nb Innisfree gave meaningful answers, with their information the average (albeit on a very small sample!) seems to be £100 - £120 per month for fuel. I'm assuming that once you settle down to life on the cut as a CC your monthly average cruising time will become fairly constant and that was the figure that I was looking for.

 

When it is all new I imagine that there is a tendency to travel a lot but I wondered how far the average CC'er travelled once into the life.

[alan_fincher]

I'm quite willing to share my 'dirty secret' I put about £35 of diesel in my car each month, I've now shown you mine, would you show me yours??

Therein lies the problem......

 

If I just say "I have bought a diesel car, how much fuel would you typically expect me to use ?", without giving extra info, it is simply impossible to answer, and the fact you use £35 worth is quite irrelevant.

 

I could tell you how much fuel I put in my diesel car, (giving no additional info). That wouldn't be £35, but equally it would be useless info to anybody else wanting to take a stab at how much they might use.

 

If you can work out how many hours a month you will run your engine, (can you ?), then as DOR has indicated, multiply it be something like 1.5, and that is a guesstimate of how many litres you will use.

 

If you can't tell us how many hours a month you'll run your engine, then how can you expect us to guess a number ?

[Guest]

I think both bottle and nb Innisfree gave meaningful answers, with their information the average (albeit on a very small sample!) seems to be £100 - £120 per month for fuel. I'm assuming that once you settle down to life on the cut as a CC your monthly average cruising time will become fairly constant and that was the figure that I was looking for.

 

When it is all new I imagine that there is a tendency to travel a lot but I wondered how far the average CC'er travelled once into the life.

 

I would suggest re reading post number 9 properly..

[mrsmelly]

I think both bottle and nb Innisfree gave meaningful answers, with their information the average (albeit on a very small sample!) seems to be £100 - £120 per month for fuel. I'm assuming that once you settle down to life on the cut as a CC your monthly average cruising time will become fairly constant and that was the figure that I was looking for.

 

When it is all new I imagine that there is a tendency to travel a lot but I wondered how far the average CC'er travelled once into the life.

 

I am sorry but I believe you are a wind up merchant. I as a long time liveaboard of many years standing can tell you that no two boats or boaters are the same. Your question is impossible to answer in any meaningfull way without some basic information. Just for your info Keith ( Bottle ) has an all electric gas free boat which is his choice but that also makes his figures irrelevant as to " average " diesel consumption

 

Tim

[Wanderer Vagabond]

I would suggest re reading post number 9 properly..

 

Yes I'm aware that Bottle just threw out a ball park figure which was however interestingly close to nb Innisfree's estimate (assuming the 60/40 split it would be about £116).

 

Obviously I have a calculator, know the price of diesel and can multiply hours use by 1.6, I was just trying to find out how many hours long term CC'ers tended to travel per month.

 

I'm not a taxman in disguise trying to see if you are wrongly claiming your 60/40 split!!! Is that why some people are so reticent?

[Guest]

Yes I'm aware that Bottle just threw out a ball park figure

 

So you didn't read post 9 properly..

 

he actually said...

 

 

Wanderer

 

It is totally up to you how much you use and how often you move etc.

 

If I told you I spent over £1,200 last year and probably about the same the year before.

 

How would that help you.

 

ps. these figures are guesstimates, I have no idea how much I spent, when the tank is empty I fill it.

 

That is not 'ball park' as you call it he clearly states it depends on how much you move and how often

Edited August 14, 2012 by The Dog House

[journeyperson]

Yes I'm aware that Bottle just threw out a ball park figure which was however interestingly close to nb Innisfree's estimate (assuming the 60/40 split it would be about £116).

 

Obviously I have a calculator, know the price of diesel and can multiply hours use by 1.6, I was just trying to find out how many hours long term CC'ers tended to travel per month.

 

I'm not a taxman in disguise trying to see if you are wrongly claiming your 60/40 split!!! Is that why some people are so reticent?

 

 

Why not decide what your budget for fuel will be and calculate how much fuel that will buy, assume 1.5 litres per hour to find out how many hours you can cruise - and do that much cruising?

Edited August 14, 2012 by journeyperson

[Ark Right]

I'm not a taxman in disguise trying to see if you are wrongly claiming your 60/40 split!!! Is that why some people are so reticent?

 

You sir/madam, have not the first clue, nor will you get any wiser on this forum, you do not listen to answers so why ask the questions?

The information and experience here is the best anywhere.

I wish you well in your quest for knowledge.

A

[Picard]

Hi.

Just filled up with 171 litres, 146 hours since last fill up, = 1.17 litre an hour. A piece of string is twice half it's length.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Having read through the replies to my original question it seems that one aspect of it may have been overlooked, the original question was addressed to "... those of you who continuously cruise...". How many of the replies have come from Continuous Cruisers rather than just Liveaboards?

 

As a Continuous Cruiser I will expect to have to regularly move on and that was the basis of the original question, how far continuous cruisers tended to go in a month.

[Guest]

As a Continuous Cruiser I will expect to have to regularly move on and that was the basis of the original question, how far continuous cruisers tended to go in a month.

 

How far though?

[Wanderer Vagabond]

How far though?

 

As far as is necessary to comply with the conditions of the licence!

[Guest]

As far as is necessary to comply with the conditions of the licence!

 

Exactly -

 

it just means no body can accurately calculate your fuel consumption, So stop trying to be a smart arse and answer some of the questions asked earlier...

Edited August 14, 2012 by The Dog House

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Exactly -

 

it just means no body can accurately calculate your fuel consumption, So stop trying to be a smart arse and answer some of the questions asked earlier...

 

I seem to have missed the bit where I asked anyone to accurately calculate MY fuel consumption, the question was how much others use and how far they go. Since you seem to have moved from discussion to abuse I feel entitled to refer to you as a pedantic arse since a simple reply of "I am a continous cruiser and tend to travel for 60 to 80 hours a month" would have sufficed rather than the pompous blather that has appeared here. There have been some notable execeptions for which I am gratefuyl.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Wanderer Vagabond