www.iFourWinns.com

To prove my point, I know from my past experience and the specs from FW that ONE 8.1 will burn 16 gallons per hour at 3500 rpm. Doesn't matter if its on a stand, in a canoe or in a boat. That's what it will burn. Now, if they are saying at 3500 rpm you are going 33.3 mph in that boat (which I highly doubt) then you are burning 32 gallons in ONE hour for both engines. At 33.3 mph you have essentially 1 mpg!

No way are they magically getting double the fuel economy out of an 8.1 just because its in their boat.

http://assets1.fourwinnsmarketing.com/p ... %20(p36-39).pdf

_________________
Former owner of:
1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 5.8L VP
2006 Four Winns Horizon 260 8.1L VP
2007 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

Current boat
2004 Sea Ray 290 Sun Sport Twin 350 Mags

Good call Cincy. Notice I did say "impressed" and "surprised" but had to link the boattest article so I would not be accused of being delusional, despite my old age and bad eyes.

Same boat (only 2007 model)with test numbers from Power & Motoryacht, same engines, but with V-drives.
"Once outside, the 330 hit 41.2 mph at 4650 rpm while burning 65 gph, but when I backed off to 3500 rpm (30.5 mph) she got more than 1 mpg and a 227-mile range."
http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boat- ... 0-express/



Here is one more in line with Fire's budget 2008 Cruisers 330 Express

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

The 2.2 mpg caught me off guard too. I have always assumed that boats get around 1 mpg especially twins. Of course if you are puttering around then it's different but actually moving somewhere at a decent clip is another story altogether.

_________________
Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

I was thinking that was out of line myself. Unless they have some really good teflon bottom paint!

_________________
Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Hey I'm putting on the VC-17 Interlux bottom Paint (contains teflon) on our 328 this spring, does this mean I can now expect 2.2 MPG?

Mike.

_________________

Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

Didn't Clark Griswold try that in Christmas Vacation of his sled?? I would kill for 2.2 mpg. We normally get 1.1/1.2 mpg with our 6.2 and bravo 3.

_________________
Jnizi

2007 Vista 338 "Better Yet"
Previously:
2007 Vista 258 " Just Right"
2005 Horizon 230

I sent an E-Mail to Boattest asking to confirm the fuel mpg on the 330 Express. Still no response from them, nor
a correction notice on their web site. Who knows.

I would think the mpg for the 330 Express should be very close to a 328 Vista. And possibly not even as good.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Hey Cap'n,

Email Boattest back and tell them we'll help them out with the honest fuel MPG for the 330 Express.

All they need to do is supply us with a credit card with sufficent limits and have the 330 fueled up and awaiting at a nice marina in the warm southern tropical waters. (These temperatures would be preferrable to my - 20 C temps of last night.)

Don't know about your schedule, but I'll meet you there and we'll take the 330 out and run multiple tanks of fuel through her and provide real world MPG numbers to them.

Mike.

_________________

Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

I'll set up the details, I'm sorta leaning for a cruise from Miami to Bimini. I will try and get them to fly us
to Miami from Detroit Metro. Get VIP passes to the Cruiser's hospitality tent at the Miami Boat Show next week. Then after the show, we can take the 330 to Bimini and back to Miami. That should be sufficient to get some real world numbers.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Sounds like a damn good plan to me! I'll look forward to receiving confirmation of the details...........

Mike.

_________________

Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

Oh.... a couple of things I forgot to ask. are you afraid of heights ? I ask because this close to the show, most rooms are already booked, so all they will pay for is this penthouse level condo.

Also, no allergies to seafood ? I ask because we will have $1,000 gift cards at Joe's Stone Crab, and now is stone crab season.

So if that works for you, I'm okay with it.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

No problem with heights Cap'n., thanks for asking. I checked out the accommodations (Trump Hollywood Penthouse) and the menu at Joe's Stone Crab, both would seem quite adequate to me. Joe's has a great variety of entrees to choose from, so I'll be fine. Kinda looking forward to it actually.

I'll let my wife know this evening that I'll be out of town for a week or so.

Should I dare ask, what we would do for entertainment?

Mike.

_________________

Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

I just purchase a 2004 328 Vista.
The Engines... Well the plastic covers say Gi - but the blocks say GXi LOL

Anyways,
I have all new Lowrance onboard with Fuel Flow.
I have a F3 prop setup.
My boat runs at around 30 mph at 4000 rpm with 1.2 mpg - that's the current sweet spot.
I can drop it down a bit to around 38 or so and still have around 1.2 mpg but I'd be running around 26 mph.

My buddy with the exact same boat has new F5 props on and was crusing at my speed (30 mph) but at 3600 rpm.
His fuel flow wasn't running so I don't know what the difference in fuel consumption might have been.

_________________
When all is said and done, more was said than done...

We typically like to cruise our 328 at 3400 RPM and that gives us about a 29 MPH speed on GPS depending on wind, waves, loading etc.

It would be interesting to compare your buddy's mpg's with his F5 props.

Do you prefer your F3's over the F5's?

Mike.

_________________

Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

I would think the F5's are a better overall set for the 328 than F3's. I'm surprised that his even has F3's.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy