Cost per hour of running engine

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by newhaul

rebuild kits range from 300 to 800 USD depending on model and are easily overhauled . Just follow the manual.
New clutch pack kits are cheaper .

Sure, but you're assuming that the engine gets work out rather than timed out (and lasts a long time), and you're putting in your own time for nothing.


I would be much more conservative than that -- I doubt many cruisers get more than 6000 hours out of their engines before they replace, rather than overhaul the engines. I would amortize the whole cost as the OP did. If in the event you save money by overhauling rather than replacing, and save more money by doing it yourself, assign the saved money to your own work.


YMMV.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Sure, but you're assuming that the engine gets work out rather than timed out (and lasts a long time), and you're putting in your own time for nothing.


I would be much more conservative than that -- I doubt many cruisers get more than 6000 hours out of their engines before they replace, rather than overhaul the engines. I would amortize the whole cost as the OP did. If in the event you save money by overhauling rather than replacing, and save more money by doing it yourself, assign the saved money to your own work.


YMMV.

if you have an engine with 20k hours on it and oil analysis says it is still in top shape you don't do anything to it.

Personally I do oil analysis every 250 hours on my customers engines ( non commercial use) as well as my own .
It is cheap insurance.

[valhalla360]

Other than being high estimates on a few things (even after you adjusted them)...you are on the right track. And a high estimate isn't a bad thing if not too extreme. I would much rather be pleasantly surprised that my costs are lower than expected.

A big issue is using an analysis more suited to a commercial application.
- A shrimp boat might put a few thousand hours per year on the clock in a very predictable manner. Talk of rebuild/replacement times makes a lot of sense as you likely will experience it.
- Your average pleasure boat is something more like 50-200hr per year. Even at 200hr a 30yr old boat will only have 6000hr.

Most sell long before they hit the end of life on an engine and short of extreme hours, the exact value has only a minimal impact on sales price, so the total hours before rebuild gets very nebulous.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Where do you buy fuel for $0.62 per liter (or is it €0.62)? I want some of that.


That's less than half of what it costs around here.

That was a typo.... I actually paid €.61 per liter, 61 cents per liter two days ago in Montenegro for duty free diesel.

$2.70 per gallon USD at todays exchange rate.

But according to the overwhelming concensus on this forum.... I make up the “the more money than brains” segment of the cruising population. Getting very tired of it; maybe its time to see what Jedi, Paulo and a few others are doing these days.

[Zzmeyer]

Boat to fit your engine $300,000. Annual engine hours 250. Boat ownership 6 years. Sell boat $150,000. Engine cost per hour $3.ish per above, plus $100 per engine hour depreciation.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by kev_rm

Assuming something in the 30-50hp range, I am coming up with about US$13/hour, any comments?

Fuel GPH 1.5 Both my 80 hp burned up to 1.5 gallon/hour. 30 Hp probably more like .5-.75/hour. For the time I had a 51 HP Perkins 4-108 the total average fuel burn was .65 gallons per hour. This was mostly motoring not battery charging on that boat.
Fuel Cost Per Hour 6 3-5
Oil Change, Each 50
Oil Change, Hours 150
Oil Cost Per Hour 3
Fuel Filter Change, Each 20
Fuel Filter Hours 50 For me maybe fuel filter every 2-3 oil changes, clean tank!
Fuel Filter Cost Per Hour 2.5
Engine Lifetime Hours 8000
Engine Cost 10000
Engine Misc Repairs 1500
Engine Cost Per Hour 1.4375
Total Engine Cost/hr 12.9375 PER HOUR

Est a bit high I think.

[boatman1]

The lyrics from a song from our (much) younger days comes to mind: “ Don’t turn on the lights mama, ‘cause I don’t wanna see”. The costs associated with boat ownership are such that no rational being would ever fall into the predicament if the true financial pain were to be analyzed thoroughly. For me, ignorance is bliss.

[Hudson Force]

There's another factor missing in these calculations regarding time. I'm not referring to the Gallons per hour time, but the time motoring underway per month or season. We spent many years cruising from the Bahamas to Maine and we did a significant amount of motoring; however, we would spend about six months generally moving north followed by six months southbound. We didn't shy away from marinas, but we did spend huge amounts of time at anchor. You only need to average about ten miles a day to match the best seasonal weather. We were masters lingering and gunkholing.
Consider those who would choose to motor the same distance as us over the period of a single month compared to our six months. Couldn't the case be made that they are spending far more for motoring per unit of time?
We found that most "full-time" cruisers travelling our route on the US East Coast were destination bound and traveling for a short time before spending a season south and then another short time before spending a season north. These long stays were most often at marinas with anchoring only at some times during these two months. If your crunching expense numbers; the style of cruising can make a huge difference.

[tarian]

Sail more use engine less more engine cost per lifetime simply eqaution

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, I get oil cost at 50/150= .33$/hr, not 3$/hr.

And your fuel costs seem to be based on running the engine near flat out all the time which is unrealistic. Eg, our 43 hp engine has averaged only 2.5 liters/hour throughout its life so far, including battery charging, idling through anchorages and some relatively high speed runs (rare).

Oil filters don't seem to be included.

Fuel filters are not typically changed on a 50 hour schedule.

And the miscellaneous repair figure is totally arbitrary... could be high, could be way low.

So, while I agree that engine running costs more than we usually imagine, your figures are a bit pessimistic IMO.

Jim

Per tank of fuel 500lt average consumption on my M90 Perkins is 2.8Lt/Hr.
Cost of Oil (whatever) for 8Lt per 200Hr change.
Filters?
1 Oil filter each 200Hr.
Racor fuel filter once or twice a season.
BIOCIDA maybe €10/ tank of fuel.
Don’t over egg it.

Rebuild? Long after you are in a retirement home.

[Scaramanga F25]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Where do you buy fuel for $0.62 per liter (or is it €0.62)? I want some of that.


That's less than half of what it costs around here.

In the EU your fuel is so heavily taxed it is double that of N.America.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Our cost is less than half for a 100hp turbo. Fuel burn 4 liters per hour at .62 cents per liter. Oil change once per season done ourselves and fuel filter once every couple of years by self when needed, which is rare because fuel is polished regularly onboard.

Is fuel really .62 cents/liter somewhere in Europe?


Edit: Sorry, I see that this has been discussed. Still, I wouldn't have guessed that. how do you get duty free gas in Croatia?

[SV Sailfish]

Originally Posted by boatman1

The lyrics from a song from our (much) younger days comes to mind: “ Don’t turn on the lights mama, ‘cause I don’t wanna see”. The costs associated with boat ownership are such that no rational being would ever fall into the predicament if the true financial pain were to be analyzed thoroughly. For me, ignorance is bliss.

Three Dog Night. Mama told me... (not to buy a boat)

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

But according to the overwhelming concensus on this forum.... I make up the “the more money than brains” segment of the cruising population. Getting very tired of it; maybe its time to see what Jedi, Paulo and a few others are doing these days.

I just checked and if I had another $35 I’d have more money than sense...

[kev_rm]

I figured USD$4/gallon.. which I think is an OK average but I am still a little surprised by the low gph figures. Your boats get 10mpg + ??