Originally Posted by
peter
I had a 70hp 1984 Johnson on a 17' sea nymph alum v hull. Documented it many times at 5-6 mpg at maybe 75-80% throttle (30 mph relatively smooth water loaded with weight). This was on 700-1000 mile long river trips. Got another identical boat and motor but 1987 and it was worse mileage but seemed to have more power. At full throttle it is ridiculously less milage. If yours is the same block as the 90 it is quite a bit worse mpg than the 70 according to a Johnson master mechanic I asked.
I think the milage seems worse when you are changing six gallon tanks all the time. The oil is expensive too.
Now have a 2000 carburated honda 90 on similar boat and an 18 gallon tank. Put gas in it about once a month and fish pretty must most weekends. No idea what the milage is but it sure sems much better. At full throttle it burns it real fast though.
Those old johnsons are great motors. I ran that first one on various trips 12-14 hours a day at 30 mph for five to six days in a row (total 6-7 thousand miles) plus fishing in it a ton for twenty years. The hull went bad but the motor is now on a boat on the ohio of a catfisheerman you probably know that fishes the grain silos and does auto body repair in Jeffersonville.
Keep the Johnson. Put in at a ramp near where you are going to fish.
That mechanic who was in Ohio on the Ohio River told me he knows of workboats with 20,000 hours on the old johnsons.
If you are getting as little. 3 miles a gallon you might run the numbers.
If you want to know the milage get a river chart and cruise up to Madison early in the am when it's smooth. Fill it up when you leave and get back. Maybe GPS would work for the distance too.
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