by Captain Tom Ohaus
You’re sure you’ve got plenty of fuel because you usually get home with what seems like an ample surplus sloshing in the tanks when ever your out this far, so there’s no worry, right? Wrong! Possibly dead wrong!
You’re 60 miles from port when you slam into the front. The squalls slow your headway to a crawl. After plodding 20 miles through the rain and lightning the clouds break, but you run headlong into a howling northwest wind. You’re pushing a planing hull at displacement hull speeds to maintain control and stability burning far more fuel than normal, making very slow headway into the mounting seas and strong winds. It’s about then you glance at the gauge and begin to realize your fuel calculations are going down the toilet. You watch the needle sinking toward the big E and you’ve got an awful feeling in the pit of your stomach, and it’s not seasickness.
This and similar scenarios can and have happened, and illustrate why you should remain vigilant of the weather and always be conservative with your fuel supply. But you must also be aware of conditions that affect fuel consumption and can leave you in a potentially dangerous situation like rough water. I don’t like running home through a sloppy inlet on fumes. I don’t care if it’s Barnegat, Oregon, or Jupiter on the East Coast or on the Columbia River on the West. The thought of losing power at the mouth of a bad inlet in nasty weather is enough to scare the bejezus out of me or anyone else for that matter, regardless of whether they’re a professional or a weekend warrior. That’s why it is absolutely imperative for anyone who ventures offshore, regardless of the size of their boat and fuel capacity, to understand how to compute and track fuel consumption and know the performance capabilities and range of their vessel.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'
People run a lot further offshore than they used to in smaller boats than ever before. When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey, Barnegat Ridge, a popular spot just 20 miles off the beach, seemed like the outer limits for sportfishing boats. Now a 50-mile run to the fishing grounds is considered nothing more than a day trip by most fishermen. Whether you’re chasing albacore 80 miles off San Francisco Bay, yellowfin tuna on a distant bank off San Diego, making the run to Bimini from a central Florida inlet, or running the canyons 80 to 100 miles offshore in the northeastern states, the popularity of fishing further offshore to challenge gamefish has exploded. So has the potential danger to those not aware of fuel consumption and boat range. The further offshore you roam, the more careful and educated you must be or you could end up not coming home at all.
Manufacturers have been building boats that accommodate longer ranges for the growing number of anglers entering the offshore fishery. The latest generation hulls ride softer, engines are bigger and more efficient, and fuel capacities have increased dramatically. Some modern 23-footers hold 150 gallons or more, which makes them vest-pocket sportfishermen. With bigger fuel tanks, anglers are free to make longer runs. Still, the concern for range is a big one and the further you travel offshore, the more concerned you need be about fuel consumption and maintaining safety margins when calculating range.
To make matters more difficult, there has probably never been a standard equipment fuel gauge on any boat that conveys the reality of what’s inside the tank. The gauges on both of my charter boats are consistently unrepresentative of what is actually in the tank. I know I have more fuel than the needle indicates most of the time, but seeing it on “E” gives me an ulcer anyway. Uncertainty has no place offshore.
You’re 60 miles from port when you slam into the front. The squalls slow your headway to a crawl. After plodding 20 miles through the rain and lightning the clouds break, but you run headlong into a howling northwest wind. You’re pushing a planing hull at displacement hull speeds to maintain control and stability burning far more fuel than normal, making very slow headway into the mounting seas and strong winds. It’s about then you glance at the gauge and begin to realize your fuel calculations are going down the toilet. You watch the needle sinking toward the big E and you’ve got an awful feeling in the pit of your stomach, and it’s not seasickness.
This and similar scenarios can and have happened, and illustrate why you should remain vigilant of the weather and always be conservative with your fuel supply. But you must also be aware of conditions that affect fuel consumption and can leave you in a potentially dangerous situation like rough water. I don’t like running home through a sloppy inlet on fumes. I don’t care if it’s Barnegat, Oregon, or Jupiter on the East Coast or on the Columbia River on the West. The thought of losing power at the mouth of a bad inlet in nasty weather is enough to scare the bejezus out of me or anyone else for that matter, regardless of whether they’re a professional or a weekend warrior. That’s why it is absolutely imperative for anyone who ventures offshore, regardless of the size of their boat and fuel capacity, to understand how to compute and track fuel consumption and know the performance capabilities and range of their vessel.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'
People run a lot further offshore than they used to in smaller boats than ever before. When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey, Barnegat Ridge, a popular spot just 20 miles off the beach, seemed like the outer limits for sportfishing boats. Now a 50-mile run to the fishing grounds is considered nothing more than a day trip by most fishermen. Whether you’re chasing albacore 80 miles off San Francisco Bay, yellowfin tuna on a distant bank off San Diego, making the run to Bimini from a central Florida inlet, or running the canyons 80 to 100 miles offshore in the northeastern states, the popularity of fishing further offshore to challenge gamefish has exploded. So has the potential danger to those not aware of fuel consumption and boat range. The further offshore you roam, the more careful and educated you must be or you could end up not coming home at all.
Manufacturers have been building boats that accommodate longer ranges for the growing number of anglers entering the offshore fishery. The latest generation hulls ride softer, engines are bigger and more efficient, and fuel capacities have increased dramatically. Some modern 23-footers hold 150 gallons or more, which makes them vest-pocket sportfishermen. With bigger fuel tanks, anglers are free to make longer runs. Still, the concern for range is a big one and the further you travel offshore, the more concerned you need be about fuel consumption and maintaining safety margins when calculating range.
To make matters more difficult, there has probably never been a standard equipment fuel gauge on any boat that conveys the reality of what’s inside the tank. The gauges on both of my charter boats are consistently unrepresentative of what is actually in the tank. I know I have more fuel than the needle indicates most of the time, but seeing it on “E” gives me an ulcer anyway. Uncertainty has no place offshore.
