[Rhodes22-list] Rhodes 22 Fuel Mileage

[Roger Pihlaja]

Hi Everybody,

The recent discussion re 4-cycle vs. 2-cycle outboards got me wondering what kind of fuel mileage the new engines, that some you rave about, are achieving in actual service on your Rhodes 22's.

Fortunately, I've lived on the same Sanford Lake since 1976.   Over the years, I've been able to do multiple fuel consumption tests in roughly the same conditions; same 1976 R-22, dead calm, little or no current, & with just me on board motoring around at hull speed (about 5-1/4 knots).  Our 2-cycle Evinrude 6 consistantly got about 6 nm/gal.  Our current 4-cycle Honda 8 consistantly gets about 10 nm/gal.  This difference is right in line with Honda's fuel consumption advertising.

So, that's my data.  How are your outboards doing relative to that benchmark?

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium