Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › 200 v.s 225 gas mileage
oldtimer57.
With the gas prices today everyone is trying to go with a smaller boat with a smaller motor.Can anyone tell me how much better “gas mileage” you get out of a boat like a Pantera2 or Classic with a 200 compared to a Puma or Cougar with a 225.
As long as both are Optis or DFI it wont be that big of a difference. Towing the heavier rigs with bigger vehicles is where most of the cost differences will be. And as far as that goes the 225 vs 250 isnt any noticable difference. After 80 hours on a 225 ProXS it was averaging the same as my 250 ProXS w/ 30 hours on it according to the SmartCraft gauges. Get the Puma/Cougar Judd Lasiter
It all depends on how the boat is operated, and ill almost guarantee if you mind your manners on the water youll spend more getting to the water than you will while on it ! What ver you get the best deal on , go for it ! D.
I cant tell you the difference between the 200 and the 225 but I would suspect it isnt that much. What I can tell you is having owned both the 200 Opti and the 175 Opti there is quite a difference in both gas and oil consumption. Brian
Recent tests suggest that the old “the motor burns its HP rating / 10 gallons per hour at WOT.” Last 225 test I saw showed 22.1 gallons per hour. So at WOT a 200 will burn 20, and a 225 will burn about 22.5. But the real story happens at lower power levels and there the two motors can be set to run very similarly in terms of fuel consumption / speed. Of course the 225 will run a bit faster on the same hull. Your question is more complex because you are changing two things at once, the motor HP, and the hull length/width/weight. Id expect the heavier boat with a 225 to burn more fuel to run the same speed as the lighter boat with a 200. I doubt it will be a major difference, since these things might go 5+mpg at a decent cruise speed, and the difference between 5.5 and 5.8 (or whatever your numbers turn out to be) wont be that significant. At WOT, you will be burning an extran 10 bucks an hour figuring 4 bucks a gallon and an extra 2.5 gallons per hour on the 225… In short, fuel probably wont end up being the make/break factor for which one you choose. Bigger is harder to tow, requires more room to maneuver, etc. Also will ride better as the water gets rough, and will carry more weight without complaining.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
The larger factor will be the travel costs. We look to see a comeback of Single Axle frames for added fuel mileage.
As a new to BCB owner of a super nice 08 Cougar FTD with a Merc. 250 Opti-XS-pro, I can tell you that all the above statements are very accurate. I am totally satisfied with my choice in both boat and motor . I did a lot (probably too much, if thats possible) of research before I took the “plunge”, and I was originally leaning heavily towards a 4-stroke. I hadnt owned a boat in the past 5+ years so I was very meticulous in my decision process. I have owned numerous boats over my 49 years of fishing, and all were different makes, models and engines. Im not discounting any marine outboards out there on the market, since all are competitive in todays market and have their individual strengths and weaknesses, but this Opti is VERY efficient on fuel at any reasonable operating speeds. Im still pretty conservative while operating my boat, and havent worried myself with WOT yet. Ill probably get to that eventually, but its so fast at moderate RPMs already that Im not concerned about a few more MPHs. Again, time will change that, and I just want to be sure that Im safe rather than sorry. A majority of the time Im seeing better than 5 mpgs, and thats “all good” as far as Im concerned. Of all the rigs Ive owned, I now have way more HPs at my disposal and better fuel mileage than anything Ive ever sat down in before! As stated above, getting the sucker to the landing is where Im burning the most gas!!!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
I agree completely, my sentiments to the tee………….I was worried about fuel mileage as I was going from a small 4 stroke to the 250 Opti but I have been more then happy with the excellent fuel mileage it has been getting even when I am playing with WOT…… Nice set up the 08 Cougar with the 250 Opti……..hard to beat in my opinion….
Bass Cat Boats wrote: The larger factor will be the travel costs. We look to see a comeback of Single Axle frames for added fuel mileage. Does a tandem axle really take that much more gas to pull? That surprises me. I would have thought it to be minimal.
Heres the good news. My old XR6 would not touch 5 miles per gallon unless you drove it off a 5 mile high cliff and shut the motor down while it fell. Todays DFI motors are very stingy. Unfortunately my XR6 weighted right at 400 pounds, as did everything up to the 2.5 200hp motors and then on to the mighty 280hp merc racing motor. You will be hard-pressed to find a 400 pound motor over 100hp today. Which makes the boats bigger to support em. And yet fuel economy is up. Not a bad world in terms of outboard motors, if they could just go on a diet and get back to the 400lb level. 2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
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