Fuel costs for Catamaran

[spilla]

We are chartering in the BVI on a 44' cat with twin deisel (80 hp). Can anyone give me an idea of fuel costs they have incurred while on charter for a week in the BVI? I'm looking for an average to let others on the charter have a better iedea of overall cost.

[Chuteman]

S:
Is that 80 HP total = 2 x 40hp in each hull?
Does the Cat have a Genset?.........usually for A/C?
What time of year are You chartering? (more consistent winds after hurricane season)
Do You plan on going to Anegada?
Does the gang like to sail even if it takes a while longer or do they just want to get there?

[camaraderie]

How many hours do you plan on motoring each day?
Maybe 10-15 gallons of diesel if you do a lot...so tell everyone $100 bucks and they'll go home happy they didn't spend that much! (G)

[spilla]

2 80 hp engines actually. A Lagoon 440. We will be going to Anegada, and I suspect we will motor short distances to get there "quicker", but will sail to Anegada if the wind is blowing. We will be traveling in mid June.

[Rickm505]

It's a vacation, be happy and have fun!! I wouldn't worry too much about what your fuel costs will be!!

If you must calculate.........All the 440's I've seen have twin 55 hp diesels. Figure a gallon an hour per engine at cruising speed.

[sailvi767]

Your fuel use will depend on many factors and could be anywhere from 10 to 80 gallons depending on how you use the boat and manage it. I suspect the boat has a 9KW genset. Figure that each night you run it for AC you will use about 5 gallons. The 2 gallons per hour is about right for motoring. If the boat is properly set up with a good size battery bank and the genset wired through the inverter/charger to charge the batteries at night you will need almost no main engine run time for battery charging. If the battery banks must be charged from the engines or you have a mechanical refrigeration system then you will need several hours a day of main engine run time. I suspect a L440 will be set up properly. The Moorings 4700 requires a lot of engine run time for the fridge. The L440 should have a electric fridge. You might also check with your charter company and see who pays for fuel. Moorings charters they pick up the fuel bill. Most other companies you pay. My normal fuel use for a week on a cat with twin 40 HP engines and a 6wk genset is about 40 gallons. That is running the genset about 10 hours a night for AC.
George

[sailusvi]

We chartered a Lagoon 42 out of Tortola last year and the fuel cost for 3 weeks of sailing was nothing to speak of.

[uspirate]

Originally Posted by spilla

We are chartering in the BVI on a 44' cat with twin deisel (80 hp). Can anyone give me an idea of fuel costs they have incurred while on charter for a week in the BVI? I'm looking for an average to let others on the charter have a better iedea of overall cost.

i've been staring at this thread for weeks in total amazement, all i can say is... If you have to ask a question like that, maybe you shouldnt go. it's always been said "the only dumb question is the one you dont ask" but (sorry if i offend) this is one of the dumbest freakin questions ever asked due to all the variables. your gonna be on a friggen sailboat for christ sakes. and a fast one at that! how much fuel do you need? you could probably do it in under five gallons depending on your experience. i would be more worried about the cost of beer and liquor. just tell the others that just to be safe, fuel cost will be around $82k per gallon.
some of the other great questions i hear are:
what time does the noon brunch start, how much for two of the .50 cent draft beers or i put $5 dollars in the change machine and it only gave me 20 quarters back.
you wouldnt happen to be a high roller in a Vegas casino by chance would you?

[sailhog]

Spilla,
Sorry for USP's insensitive response. I think you can expect to spend between one-million-billion-trillion dollars and fifty-trillion-billion-million dollars.

[sailingdog]

I agree with USP...if fuel expenses are going to be such a big issue, are you sure you can really afford to go and charter the catamaran in the first place????