37 foot sailboat fuel question

[232323]

Hi,
I just bought a 37 foot sailboat in Grenada with a small 25 Gallon diesel tank,I plan to bring it back to Nova Scotia, My question is how much fuel will we need and when is the best time to leave. Thanks

[model 10]

Carry more fuel. You will need to make some fender boards that go between the life line stanchions on each side. I've seen 8 jugs on a boat that size. That really should be enough.

[psk125]

How much do you expect to be using the engine? Solar panels can keep batteries topped off more cheaply and efficiently than burning diesel fuel. 25 gallons is a decent amount of fuel, though for battery charging on a trip this long you might need more. A boat I sailed on carried extra fuel in plastic jerrycans lashed in the cockpit for a transatlantic trip that took us 22 days. This reduced the cockpit volume for any boarding seas. It also meant less windage and less chance of any waves knocking them overboard, along with the lifelines. Now (Hurricane season) might not be a good time to go from Grenada to Nova Scotia. We sailed from Tortola to Connecticut via Bermuda in June and had favorable winds and no bad weather.

[mike d.]

How did you get 5 stars with 1 post ? Also our engine uses .6 gals an hour ! 4 cylnder Vovlo ! Our tank is 28 gals ! You do the math !

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by 232323

Hi,
I just bought a 37 foot sailboat in Grenada with a small 25 Gallon diesel tank,I plan to bring it back to Nova Scotia, My question is how much fuel will we need and when is the best time to leave. Thanks

Not trying to be argumentative but if you have to ask this question you must do more research and gain more personal experience before undertaking this passage.

[Chuck34]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Not trying to be argumentative but if you have to ask this question you must do more research and gain more personal experience before undertaking this passage.

What Jim said

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, 23.
I've always liked to leave between 6:00 & 7:00 AM.

[Sailmonkey]

How well does your 37’ sailboat sail?

How well can you sail your boat?

Do you have a suit of light air and heavy air sails?

Do you prefer to motor or to sail?

[tarian]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Not trying to be argumentative but if you have to ask this question you must do more research and gain more personal experience before undertaking this passage.

Nonsesne
The usual unless over 65 and 25 year exp you cannot sail
Simply maths issue get you burn rate for your engine and then look at your tankage , work out if you are happy sailing most of the time even slowly then work out how much extra fuel you can take reasonable onboard and add your range alltogether , with a healthly dose of conservatism this will give you a Nautical mile range and then ask yourself am I happy with the range I can get and comfortable with it and then go.
There is the most amazing thing thesee days which allows you to stop and re fill your Tanks I think its called a Gas Station but dont tell anyone of this amazing secert

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by mike d.

How did you get 5 stars with 1 post ? Also our engine uses .6 gals an hour ! 4 cylnder Vovlo ! Our tank is 28 gals ! You do the math !

Mike, what is so exciting about your fuel consumption?

[waterman46]

This one of those rare threads that has me alternately shaking my head in disbelief and then laughing in amusement.

OP, Welcome to the forum. Hope you will continue to seek lots of advice before setting out to sea. It is not a playground.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by tarian

Nonsesne
The usual unless over 65 and 25 year exp you cannot sail
Simply maths issue get you burn rate for your engine and then look at your tankage , work out if you are happy sailing most of the time even slowly then work out how much extra fuel you can take reasonable onboard and add your range alltogether , with a healthly dose of conservatism this will give you a Nautical mile range and then ask yourself am I happy with the range I can get and comfortable with it and then go.
There is the most amazing thing thesee days which allows you to stop and re fill your Tanks I think its called a Gas Station but dont tell anyone of this amazing secert

The OP made no mention of an intention to make his way to a port on the east coast, follow the intercoastal north and hop from port to port all the way to Nova Scotia. There are few filling stations at sea.
His request for basic information indicates he should gain experience before considering a passage to the Canadian Maritimes.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by 232323

Hi,
I just bought a 37 foot sailboat in Grenada with a small 25 Gallon diesel tank,I plan to bring it back to Nova Scotia, My question is how much fuel will we need and when is the best time to leave. Thanks

137.35 litres
Depart 2134 hours

[Valmika]

Come on guys. Give him a break. If he is new he may not get your sarcasm.


232323 I think basically you are asking general advice but you do need to be a bit more specific.


How much experience do you have sailing?


Were you going offshore?


Were you planing nonstop delivery?


As far as the best time to leave pick up a copy of Jimmy Cornell world cruising routes. Its a good thing to have on any boat doing a passage.



There are a lot of variable that could change the answers you are looking for from the guys who aren't messing with you and really want to help.

[Marathon1150]

Lot's of good advice in this thread once the sarcasm has been filtered.

One additional thing to think about is your tolerance of going slow. I have a 2 knot rule - if the boat is doing 2 knots and there is nothing urgent about to happen, I do not start the engine. Much of course depends on where you are and where you are trying to go. On a day sail this rule can mean not going very far. On a passage, it has much less impact.

We recently crossed from Mexico to the Marquesas and motored a total of 19 hours during the 29 day crossing. We have a small fuel tank (about 117 litres) so we also have 10 x 20l jerry cans on the side decks and in a lazarette. We burn about 0.5l/h at 1800 RPM (Perkins 4.108, 3 bladed Campbell Sailor prop). We had lots of fuel left when we arrived in Nuku Hiva. However, friends who did the same crossing two years ago in a Passport 40, motored a total of 165h. We would have used all of our fuel if we had encountered the same weather that they did (though I don't know what their go slow threshold is).

As suggested by others, you should do some additional research before taking on a big voyage like the one you have proposed. Or bring along someone who has some serious experience.