Eco-driving

Every boat model has an economy speed, or cruising speed. For planing boats, this speed is just above the planing threshold. It is therefore best to reach the planing threshold rapidly, then maintain your cruising speed. Be sure, however, to take into account the prevailing visibility and local conditions.

Check your engine
It pays to service your engine regularly. Operating reliability increases and you save on fuel.

Here are a few simple tips:

• Use the correct fuel.
• Check/change oil, fuel and air filters and engine oil.
• Incorrect timing and old sparkplugs increase fuel consumption by several percent.
• Clean and adjust injectors in diesel engines.
• Adjust idle.
• Immediately repair any oil, fuel or coolant leakage.
• Follow the service instructions in the operator's manual.

Load and sit properly
The load in the boat affects fuel consumption and the boat's seagoing performance. Here is some advice:

• Distribute cargo and passengers so that the boat is evenly balanced.
• Be sure to "tie down," that is, stow or secure items that could shift around when the boat is moving.
• Seat passengers in the boat so that no one is injured in the event of sharp turns or rapid changes in speed.
• Keep in mind that fast motorboats can reach speeds equal to 50-70 kph.

The person responsible for the boat is responsible for safety on board.

Choose the correct propeller
A boat that is fully fueled and packed with normal vacation equipment can easily lose 2-3 knots at top speed compared with a normally loaded boat. The reason is that the original propeller is often intended to provide high speed with a moderate load. Accordingly, it could pay to switch to a propeller with a lower pitch.

The basic rule is that the propeller should be dimensioned to match the intended use of the boat.