Nautical Miles/ 228 Seafarer

magicalbill

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Thanks Pig/Glacier

I think I can trim it down for those wanting to read it. There is other stuff specific to LuckyDude involving trim angles, offshore running, etc that I can omit for the tabs discussion.
 

sturgstev

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I have a '04 228 with a repowered Suzuki 250. Have 190 hrs on the engine - second year of use. Today at 8am the bay was as flat as it ever gets and with the tide going out the beast was at 5,300 top RPM and the speed read 30.1 MPH on the boat gause as well as on the GPS. At that speed the gas use read as 1.49 miles per gallon. The usual gas use ranges from appx 1.75 and 2.15 miles per gallon. The boat has the hard top, full plastic and a 92 gallon fuel tank.

I believe the prior engine - Yamaha 225 would get up to as high as 35 MPH and I think the gallon per mile was higher but it did not have a fuel use gauge with the old engine.

The boat is in need of a bottom painting and the 200hr service which will be done in November after the end of salmon season at which time the speed test and gallons per mile will get tested again.

No complaints from me and the engine has performed real well. The 228 is a great boat compared to the prior beast - '86 216 Glastron walk around cutty.

As I always say expenses will be much higher for me when I am in a nursing home.

Sturg ( San Rafael, Ca.)
 

Doc Stressor

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That's very poor performance. You should be able to go at least 40 mph with a 250 and get at least 2.5 mpg at around 4000 rpm.

If the boat needs a bottom job, the could be your whole problem. It doesn't take much fouling to ruin performance.

Suzukis are notoriously hard to prop correctly because of their higher gear ratio than the other brands. They typically do best with a larger diameter prop. You should be propped to turn at least 5800 rpm at WOT. But get the bottom job done before trying different props.
 

luckydude

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That's very poor performance. You should be able to go at least 40 mph with a 250 and get at least 2.5 mpg at around 4000 rpm.

If the boat needs a bottom job, the could be your whole problem. It doesn't take much fouling to ruin performance.

Suzukis are notoriously hard to prop correctly because of their higher gear ratio than the other brands. They typically do best with a larger diameter prop. You should be propped to turn at least 5800 rpm at WOT. But get the bottom job done before trying different props.

What Doc said. I got about 45mph out of my Yamaha 250 somewhere north of 5000 rpm and getting between 1.7-2.0mpg. Engine is probaby not broken in, has less than 25 hours on it.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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Your boat has 114 g tank , mine has 125 g tank, I cover anywhere from 80-120 miles on a days fishing, I fill up when fuel is cheap on the road , We have gas prices fluctuating here up too 30 even 40 cents per lt in any 3 week period that is a lot of $$ when you buy 350-400 lts of gas. I normally get 2 fishing trips on one fill , sometimes I may top up with 20-40 lts on second trip. I get over 2 miles per US gal maybe 2.25 depending on sea and weight . Bottom paint may make a little difference, as long as there isn't any growth it shouldn't be much.
The Yamaha command link should be very accurate ( should have been calibrated ) . You can see your fuel usage as you go along and fuel use up to that point if it was reset before you started. I reset mine when I fill up and whatever it shows "fuel used " that's what it takes to fill up.
Fill your tank and go out fishing say up to 80 miles from starting point so 160 round trip, as long as the tank was full to start with you will not run out, where you are boating you will use less than I do. I use much more fuel punching into the sea going out in the morning because I trim in so she cuts in to the waves, coming back in the afternoon i'm on the top of the waves trimmed out until close to the inlet , then she is all nastier.
After the first fishing trip fill up again preferably at the same gas station on the same pump facing the same way , check fuel used and if it doesn't match the amount she took to fill up you calibrate the command link to that. If the difference is very little less than 2% don't worry about but take note for next time .

Enjoy the boat, I hope it suits your requirements, mine suits me 100% but it is a compromise. Bigger boat is better in the sea and smaller boat better on the road . Deep V better going in to the head sea but not as stable stationary, variable deadrise the best of both worlds.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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I got it home. I like your info on the reset. I brought her home with a full tank. I’m interested in how you recalibrate the Yamaha Command Center at the gas station. I thought you have to start engine to set the calibration? How do I do that on land?
 

wrxhoon

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Good to hear you got her home safely .
If you are not familiar with the command link check this out, easier than me trying to guide you through. It is an Australian site, I hope you can understand the Aussie accent.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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This guy has a great sense of humor. I had no troubles with the accent. On my map app, I have a female Aussie accent.

This video is excellant!

It allowed me to complete my understanding of Command Control. Which really is easy and excellent feature to have.

I now can fill my tank and set my gauges.

Thank you.
 

wrxhoon

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Glad I could help, as for the humor, well life is too short to be serious all the time...
 

Seafarer_Bob

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No one has answered this yet, but his question was the Nautical Mile Range of a Seafarer.

Assuming he chooses 50 miles as his safe trip range, the Nautical Mile Equivalent is 43.4.

I use statute miles too, but I thought I'd answer the question as written.

Couple notes on the area your boating in:

Many is the day in the summer months that you'll have light NE E to SE breezes in the morning when you go out and a localized seabreeze in the afternoon on your way back in. This translates to a following sea going out and an onshore following sea coming back in. I have a great friend whom I grouper fish with sometimes, and he's seen that happen dozens of times.

During winter when the cold fronts punch all the way thru, things get a bit more cantankerous, but you'll still have your days. SE to SW winds will precede an incoming front and when the boundary passes, they will veer NW and then NE for 2-3 days post-passage. Most of the time they are 15kts or higher with 2-3 footers common, unless the Hi pressure pushing down is weak. Afterword, it'll lay down 'till the next front comes thru.

Venice Inlet, as you know, is a deep and easy passage. (Don't get too close to either jetty bank or you may get a fishing line in your prop.) Stump Pass and Little Gasparilla Pass to the South are iffy at best. Shoaling occurs and the depths & channels are always changing. Navigate them with local knowledge gained, or be very cautious with your hand on the trim button all the way in. Same with Big Sarasota Pass to the North, although the Sarasota Yacht Club has updated nav info on Big Pass. The latest channel is marked with floating ATON's that the Yacht Club members move according to the shifting sands. Check their website for the latest.

This info is purely subjective. I had a Seafarer for 10 years and loved every minute. My comfortable limit was and is 10 kts and 2 ft seas. I am speaking of the wind chop that is common in the Gulf. Rarely do we have the swell that LuckyDude experiences on a regular basis. Occasionally, we'll get long period swell sprung from a distant storm, like Laura a few days ago. Mostly the Gulf just bounces you around, and 2 footers are my limit. Yours may be more. The boat can take it., although when it stops being fun, I go in.

Keep us updated on the boat, your Fun Factor and where you go.
Lots of great info but I think the answer is, each boat and conditions are a bit different so the only way to know is to keep a log and test the boat in a variety of conditions at different trim levels. I like to
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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No one has answered this yet, but his question was the Nautical Mile Range of a Seafarer.

Assuming he chooses 50 miles as his safe trip range, the Nautical Mile Equivalent is 43.4.

I use statute miles too, but I thought I'd answer the question as written.

Couple notes on the area your boating in:

Many is the day in the summer months that you'll have light NE E to SE breezes in the morning when you go out and a localized seabreeze in the afternoon on your way back in. This translates to a following sea going out and an onshore following sea coming back in. I have a great friend whom I grouper fish with sometimes, and he's seen that happen dozens of times.

During winter when the cold fronts punch all the way thru, things get a bit more cantankerous, but you'll still have your days. SE to SW winds will precede an incoming front and when the boundary passes, they will veer NW and then NE for 2-3 days post-passage. Most of the time they are 15kts or higher with 2-3 footers common, unless the Hi pressure pushing down is weak. Afterword, it'll lay down 'till the next front comes thru.

Venice Inlet, as you know, is a deep and easy passage. (Don't get too close to either jetty bank or you may get a fishing line in your prop.) Stump Pass and Little Gasparilla Pass to the South are iffy at best. Shoaling occurs and the depths & channels are always changing. Navigate them with local knowledge gained, or be very cautious with your hand on the trim button all the way in. Same with Big Sarasota Pass to the North, although the Sarasota Yacht Club has updated nav info on Big Pass. The latest channel is marked with floating ATON's that the Yacht Club members move according to the shifting sands. Check their website for the latest.

This info is purely subjective. I had a Seafarer for 10 years and loved every minute. My comfortable limit was and is 10 kts and 2 ft seas. I am speaking of the wind chop that is common in the Gulf. Rarely do we have the swell that LuckyDude experiences on a regular basis. Occasionally, we'll get long period swell sprung from a distant storm, like Laura a few days ago. Mostly the Gulf just bounces you around, and 2 footers are my limit. Yours may be more. The boat can take it., although when it stops being fun, I go in.

Keep us updated on the boat, your Fun Factor and where you go.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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Good to hear from you again. Yes, I have obtained my GW from Staten Island NY. The first of many adventures that i’ll have. Although, this one begins on land. I had my eye on the CATCH 22 since July. At that time it was a dream to come true. Through some very fortunate circumstances I had the ability to seriously consider my dream. The 228 was not bought on a whim but, through a great deal of research right down to the scuppers of the GW’S. This took 8 mths and only a daily basis having pure enjoyment a long the way.

The opportunity that was available became obtainable. I began the proces, almost as extensive as a real estate purchase. I had the price under book value set with a serious time constraint. The seller wanted to sell now. If I didn’t buy now, I would pay later buying another boat down the road. Catch 22 is a 2016 bought in 2017. She was put on the water April of 2017. Through the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the , then buyer, Catch 22 sat. Fortunately for me, they have seasons up there. The usage was non existent. I found that the total usage time was really one year. She still has all the original stickers and the plastic around the head (never used). The motor, right around 220 hrs. on a Yamaha 300.

I had everything set to buy and travel with one serious problem. No trailers to be found anywhere. I phoned from Tampa to , even NYC. Nothing. My opportunity was slipping through my fingers. One of our GW brothers suggested Tropic Trailers in Fort Meyers, FLA. I found one Port Charlotte and drove down there and bought that one to find out from the GW brotheren that it was to small . Another disappointment and a real concern. I still didn’t have a trailer. Everybody had a 8 week turnaround time! Got to love COVID. I called to Gary in Fort Meyers and...well he said he may have one. I drove down to Port Charlotte to cancel on that trailer to buy the one there. I brought it back unadjusted for the boat. I sweat bullets all the way up there. The marina was a small one with no capabilities to lift the the boat to adjust the trailer and put it on. I had to go to a federal park offsite that had a ramp. Through the grace of the boat master I could utilize one of her employees. She also hooked me up with a marine surveyor. Another problem. They all had backlogs for weeks. Now I had the boat trailer and a boat to buy but, I needed to get this boat surveyed. She hooked me up with a friend, he was a marine surveyor for much larger boats, but agreed to do it the same day. I called the the owner that lives out of state in Connecticut. He agreed to drive down to take him out for a sea trial. I was on the phone with him while he was out with the owner. The synopsis from him and the boat master was I a buying a used new boat. Buy the way, everybody up there knew each other. A good solid Italian neighborhood. Good families.

One final thing, the financing was finalized and the deal the night before I was scheduled to leave on a journey of 2600 miles including the traveling to Tropical Trailers. Which I might add adjusted the trailer with the boat on it, after the trip back.

That was the very same day I did my first sea trial here, alone, with then, a tropical depression to be come hurricane Sally knocking at our door. Sideways rain and a lot of wind. Not much competition at the Blackburn Point boat ramp that day. I figured if I could start to get a feel for her that day, the rest would be even more fun. Those gusts were 20-30 mph. Times I couldn’t see more than a couple of boat lengths ahead of me. I had rain gear on and was soaked. This done mostly on the inter coastal. Yes I did have to hit the Gulf! And did! Just a rather short jaunt.

Now it’s time for the real adventures to begin. I’ll be looking for you now but, not from the north side of the Venice Jetty, on the beach but on the Catch 22.

Take care my friend.
 

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trapper

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Look forward to these acquisition events. Great story! .Thanks for sharing. How Grady came into our lives and the enjoyment that comes with finishing up all the "for sale" details and now the adventure of bring the baby home. Went from central Vancouver Island to Southern California for my 208. Met great previous owners and had a great holiday driving down and back.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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Look forward to these acquisition events. Great story! .Thanks for sharing. How Grady came into our lives and the enjoyment that comes with finishing up all the "for sale" details and now the adventure of bring the baby home. Went from central Vancouver Island to Southern California for my 208. Met great previous owners and had a great holiday driving down and back.
 

magicalbill

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GW On The Horizon:

Best of fun with your new ride!

Starting Sunday into the middle of next week, your gonna have some sloppy conditions:

Rare early season cold front to push thru first part of next week; increased rain chances preceding it, followed by increasing NE winds post-passage.

You'll probably experience a long-period Westerly swell by next week propagating off TS Beta located off Mexico/S.TX as of now.

Between the swell and the rather brisk NEasterlies, it'll be lousy for a few days until the winds shift East as the next Hi ridges over the Atlantic.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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Thanks Magic Bill,

Looks like, maybe next weekend will be better? I’m locked and loaded throughout each week. I’m also keeping an eye on Africa. I like this weather info. It’s very useful. I work a full time job. Weekends are my time on water. Today we’re going to run some inter coastal waters to the jetty and out to the Gulf. We’ll probably anchor up at Casey Key and go to a beach there. May go to Pops on the return trip and to Blackburn for the ramp.

i like the reports. That’s great to know about the weather. I’ll be after Kings soon. That’s usually some choppy weather. Do you go out for the Kings?

Brook
 
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magicalbill

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GW On The Horizon:

RE: Kings

I do not..I'm not a fisherman. We cruise, anchor and overnight at marinas. (At least we overnighted until this Pandemic hit.)

RE: Next Weekend:

The wx forecast that far out is usually a crapshoot, although NWS can predict upper-level patterns and trends. It may return to an Easterly flow depending on where the Hi Pressure sets up after the cold front passage. If the front diffuses and just lies South of us for a few days, we'll get NEasterlies; If it passes on thru, we should get East winds toward next weekend; that will knock down the Westerly swell off Beta and give you calm running close in to the beach.

Glad your having fun with the boat. it is indeed a marvelous boating area where you are. I grew up running little outboards between Sarasota and Venice on our family vacations. The memories are vivid whenever I steer our Marlin up that way.
 

johnvictor

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The mile traces its origins to the Roman Empire and was originally 1000 paces (2000 steps), hence its similarity to the Latin "Mille" for thousand. When people went to the sea the need for a distance measurement of that scale still existed, but ships don't do much pacing so a different standard had to be used. While it's hard for a ship to measure how far it's gone it is much easier to figure out how far north/south it presently is by looking at the sun or stars. Thus, a definition for a roughly mile-length unit came to be--it is 1/60 of a degree along a meridian (north/south line).

More modern definitions have evolved from these original definitions, so a modern-day mile is 5,280 feet , while a modern-day nautical mile is 1.150779 miles exactly.
 

Gradywhiteonthehorizon

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GW On The Horizon:

RE: Kings

I do not..I'm not a fisherman. We cruise, anchor and overnight at marinas. (At least we overnighted until this Pandemic hit.)

RE: Next Weekend:

The wx forecast that far out is usually a crapshoot, although NWS can predict upper-level patterns and trends. It may return to an Easterly flow depending on where the Hi Pressure sets up after the cold front passage. If the front diffuses and just lies South of us for a few days, we'll get NEasterlies; If it passes on thru, we should get East winds toward next weekend; that will knock down the Westerly swell off Beta and give you calm running close in to the beach.

Glad your having fun with the boat. it is indeed a marvelous boating area where you are. I grew up running little outboards between Sarasota and Venice on our family vacations. The memories are vivid whenever I steer our Marlin up that way.