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  1. #1
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    GPH VS MPG THE HARD WAY!!

    Well I don't want anyone to take this post as a bash on my Honda BF 250 because I still love it and the cost to run it is still the lowest of any outboard I have run or owned. If you look back at my prior posts I am trying to dial in a new set up, first time owning a Honda outboard. I have said that this is by far the lowest fuel consumption outboard I have owned, I now have to rephrase the comment. It is the lowest cost to run because the cost of the 87 octane gas I can run it on VS the Yamaha SHO that I owned required 89 or higher. Also when I owned a pro xs or ran a Evinrude you have the cost of oil.

    What I have found out the hard way is that the Honda shines on fuel consumption at mid range speeds only!! For example I can run at 40 mph and only burn 7 to 8 gph. No outboard I have run could even get with in 3 gph of the Honda at 40mph.

    However any bass boat I have owned burns between 22 and 23 gph at wot, but if the boat is going 72 to 73 miles per hour on 45 gal of gas you have a range of 145 miles at wot the entire time. Now with the Honda at 22.5 gph but only 67.5 mph range is now only 135 miles.

    So now you ask why do I say I learned this the hard way?? I fished the 1000 Islands open this week and you will see a ZERO next to my name due to a dumb mistake that is all my fault, I ran out of gas with 9 minutes till check in and 4 miles short. I had a situation where I could not run in lake Ontario due to high winds so I changed up 1 hour into the tournament and did a lot of wot river running. I saw I had burned 48.6 gal out of a 50gal tank when I ran out of fuel 4 miles short of check in.

  2. #2
    Sorry man...Thanks for being honest though.

  3. Member
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    #3
    Always honest, hard not to be when you turn on world fishing network this fall and see a zero next to my name lol. I Feel like a fool, never done that before.

    Sticking with being honest I only had about 15lbs in the tank at the end of the day so, no way to win but day 2 was not much wind so I could have run the lake and busted out a sack. The vast majority if not all the leaders were running deep v ranger walleye boats or Ranger 22d's. My boat is a standard bass boat so I turned back in to the river after I took the 3rd 8foot wave over the top, lol. Did not feel I could make it out catch 5 and be back in less the 8 hours with that kind of wind.

  4. Honda / Raymarine Moderator Hickory Legend's Avatar
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    #4
    I can honestly say I hardly ever run mine WOT. Not only does it burn more gas but it’s harder on everything else.

    So did you run 135 miles during the tournament?

  5. Member
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Hickory Legend View Post
    I can honestly say I hardly ever run mine WOT. Not only does it burn more gas but it’s harder on everything else.

    So did you run 135 miles during the tournament?

    over 135 miles that day.

    My average tournament run is no less then 80 miles per day however not uncommon to run over 120 miles per day. Typical north east tournament day 40 miles or more of wot running and then 10 or more miles of running 6 to 8 foot waves at 10 to 30 mph then round trip it you got 100 miles. Examples would be running Champlain from Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga also at the 1000 Islands running the river for 30 to as much as 80 miles one way depending on blast off location then 10 or more miles of running massive waves. Most tournament days I get less then 5 hours of fishing. The last 10 miles often take as long as the first 40 miles, lol.

  6. Honda / Raymarine Moderator Hickory Legend's Avatar
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    #6
    Dang, heck with the entry fee, the gas bill would kill me.

  7. Member
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    #7

    USA

    I'm 63 and would like to see a bass boat running in any real waves of a least 3ft. ( video or in person ) before I die. I've seen plenty of video of bass boats in waves. And everyone of them they said the waves were 2 to 3 times the height that they really were. Have a good day and I'll be waiting.

  8. Member
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    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by ROADRUNNER View Post
    I'm 63 and would like to see a bass boat running in any real waves of a least 3ft. ( video or in person ) before I die. I've seen plenty of video of bass boats in waves. And everyone of them they said the waves were 2 to 3 times the height that they really were. Have a good day and I'll be waiting.
    Do what I do on the great lakes call 1 888 701 8992. This is the phone number for the national data buoy line, for Ontario punch in code 45135. Try it next times winds are only 15mph sw"normal", this time of year that is most days, it will give you a idea of what it is like when it is bad out "20+". Remember when you call you double the wave height # because buoy data is not peak to troth it is sea level to peak. The day after a tournament with big wind there are always one or two boats with the top cap split and that is not from 4 footers.

  9. Member
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by ROADRUNNER View Post
    I'm 63 and would like to see a bass boat running in any real waves of a least 3ft. ( video or in person ) before I die. I've seen plenty of video of bass boats in waves. And everyone of them they said the waves were 2 to 3 times the height that they really were. Have a good day and I'll be waiting.
    Here's an oldie but goodie on Lake Ontario in the early '90's.



    Last edited by Jaydbee; 08-08-2018 at 05:37 PM.

  10. Charger Boats Moderator TOUCH OF CLASS's Avatar
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    #10
    On all my prop testing every prop gets different gas mileage,the turbo lightning will suck a tank before you know it at wide open but my Croxton tempest has always been the leader .Now the turbo will out ride the temp in really rough water.So depending on the water Iam fishing depends on witch prop in run .I know this is on a opti but it has to be similar on any motor .My toon with 250 Honda and the mirage prop it gets great mpg at 2500-3000 but with the turning point 4 blade(2 round ear and 2 chopper blades)Is faster at 4000 so it’s a better mid range prop.Theres a lot of difference in props for sure.These are pretty cheap to try who knows might be a good match on a bass boat.They also make some nice looking 3 blades.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. Member
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaydbee View Post
    Here's an oldie but goodie on Lake Ontario in the early '90's.





    yup, 1995 Eastern Invitational KVD won it!!! Wow awesome video. Filmed about the same time.

  12. Member
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    #12

    USA

    Thanks for the video "Jaydbee". This is the roughest water that I have seen a video in ( around the 7 minute mark and again toward the end ) that a bass boat was in. Now someone please tell me how high the waves are at those time points. thanks again.