just bought a 211 liberator

211libby · **Joined:** Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:24 pm **Posts:** 4

hey guys, i just bought a 211 with a 460 king cobra. very clean boat and almost looks like it just rolled out of the show room. i was just wondering if anybody can give me a idea on gas consumption. i know its gunna burn some fuel. but just am curious

ric · **Posted:** Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:55 pm

If you're easy on it cruising around, 15-18gph on average. Top speed around 60.

Yes, 15 to 18 gallons per hour. Compare that to a modern speed boat like my Stingray cuddy of 20ft. They're near identical boats. My boat has a 190hp 4.3L v6 and gets around 5 gallons per hour on average, with a top speed around 60.

deafwish · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:07 am

Awesome boat you've just got!

Chuck up some pic's for us all to ogle over... :wink:

p.s. Ric - You're comparing your Honda Civic Type R to an old school, big block classic, with an almost cult following. :roll:

neutron · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:44 am

I just love the sharpness of those old Liberators..... we see a few here om the bay and they are all excellent shape........
Good luck!

and some pics please:)

ric · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:32 am

deafwish wrote:

Awesome boat you've just got!

Chuck up some pic's for us all to ogle over... :wink:

p.s. Ric - You're comparing your Honda Civic Type R to an old school, big block classic, with an almost cult following. :roll:

Lol yup old school muscle vs. Modern technology. Nothing beats the sound of a big block

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 2:09 pm

My guess is that on long distance cruising (at a reasonable speed such as 35) I would guess that you would get about 2.5 miles per gallon, but maybe better, such as 2.75 or 3mpg. That might sound bad compared to automobiles, but your average outing in the boat might be 30-40 miles, and you use 12-15 gallons. No big deal.

Also, it's not as much about the size of the engine as much as the size/weight/efficiency of the boat, but then a fuel injected engine will get about 10-15% better efficiency then the carb engines.

211libby · **Joined:** Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:24 pm **Posts:** 4

thanks for your comments! Thats what i kinda was figureimg was about 20 gal. on a average day.
And honestly ive never owned a boat personally until now. I have been out on plenty of them. And have never seen a boat that was good on gas. Even a 19ft four cyl. trolling for walleye at idle still burns a gallon a hour. i dont expect a day of fun for $20-$30 dollars and you wouldnt even get that in the same walleye boat. If your gunna play,your gunna pay!!
i will get some pics up eventually but i just bought it in Jabuary in Michigan. I picked it up at night and needed to get it inside out of the snow storm that was headed our way. as soon as it starts warming up and i get it out of the shed,i will get some pics and post them!

p.s. i am really looking forward to some warm days when the ice disappears!!

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:18 pm

I would not worry too much about the fuel, you will get used to that, figure on 12-15 gallons per hr, depending on your driving habits. You want to get it up on plane and then throttle back to the point where you are comfortably on plane, around 3000-3200 rpm. If you use all the power the 460 has fuel consumption will go way up. Keep in mind that's a heavy boat and that's 7.5 liters you are feeding with a single speed transmission.
I'd be more focused on learning about the OMC Cobra drive system you have. They are good but some parts are hard to find (like exhaust manifolds and couplers for that 460) and it would be smart to try to find a good shop that knows OMCs in your area. Mine has been very good, I had some issues that needed sorting when I first got the boat but I have a good OMC shop local to me. I have not had to take it back to them for about 8 years after they set up the shift cable and did some other minor repairs for me. The rest has been basic maintenance. If you want to learn to do your own work see if you can still get a factory shop manual from Ebay, I know they were selling them a while ago there.

john55c · **Posted:** Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:55 pm

LouC wrote:

If you want to learn to do your own work see if you can still get a factory shop manual from Ebay, I know they were selling them a while ago there.

MarineEngine.com is an outfit in Vermont, you can purchase directly and it will arrive in less than a week. Nothing better than an OEM manual, but as with any manual, they assume a basic level of knowledge. A lot of the guys (at least up here where boating is seasonal) make their money in a 6-month span. If you meet a mechanic at the shop, ask if they do side work. Chances are they do, and this is a great hands-on way to learn if you get the right person plus its cheaper than paying marina. You can ask questions, etc. if you get a friendly guy, and most of them are. Enjoy!!

BTW the manual was $54.95 with shipping. Well worth the investment.

http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/omc_sterndrive/index.html

211libby · **Joined:** Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:24 pm **Posts:** 4

thanks. i already have a omc shop manual

NOLV4V8 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:58 pm

I noticed you said your located in MI, if your located in the metro Detroit area, Michigan Marine Gear, http://www.michiganmarinegear.com/, is going to be a valuable shop for you.

They used to specialize in OMC, and the head mechanic was trained at the OMC facility many moons ago.

Anyway, welcome, awesome boats! Where do you expect to be boating??

Morceri · **Joined:** Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:17 am **Posts:** 5

211libby wrote:

hey guys, i just bought a 211 with a 460 king cobra. very clean boat and almost looks like it just rolled out of the show room. i was just wondering if anybody can give me a car accessories idea on gas consumption. i know its gunna burn some fuel. but just am curious

hello congrats for the boat. is there any good offers as I am looking for good condition old boat?

211libby · **Joined:** Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:24 pm **Posts:** 4

Morceri im not quite sure on the question asked to me.
I will probably be mainly going out of the Caseville area for the most part. Maybe a little bit from Bay City or Port Austin area. I live in the middle of the thumb.

jvthundercat · **Posted:** Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:10 pm

Well welcome! Libby's are awesome! We miss ours very much. There are pics all over this site of it. Anyways, just to scrare the crap out of you, we now have a 38 Special, Twin 502 Mags. It can eat 220 gallons in 3.75 hours at around 63.7 gph (gallons per hour).
:shock:

yes that is 1000 smackers for an afternoon joy ride. My twin King Cobras where not as bad, but close.

Now, you only have one to worry about. You pound it all day and it WILL suck gas at a rate of 25 gph or more. We drove ours a little more conservatively. WOT to get some place cruise around, sit around, idle slow around. Then you can average pretty good. But 20 gallons for a day will not get you far. Make sure you fill it up and find out how much you need.

One third there, One third back, and one third reserve, just in case.

You have a Libby. You will truely enjoy life in and around it as long as you treat it well.

www.iFourWinns.com

just bought a 211 liberator

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