Fuel Range Calculator
Estimate cruising range, endurance, and reserve fuel for any powerboat configuration.
Typical: 18' cc @ 22kt = 8 GPH · 25' cc @ 28kt = 16 GPH · 32' sportfish @ 24kt = 28 GPH
Cruising Range
160nm
Usable fuel: 80 gal · Endurance: 6.7 hrs
Fuel Burn per Nautical Mile
0.50gal/nm
Lower is more efficient. Plan trips with this as your cost basis.
Reserve Fuel
40gal
Provides 80 nm of emergency range — use only to reach port.
How this works
Range is calculated as (usable fuel × cruise speed) ÷ fuel burn rate. Usable fuel is your tank capacity minus the reserve — the USCG minimum is 1/6 reserve, but the conservative 1/3 rule is recommended for all coastal cruising. For offshore passages, use the 1/2 reserve rule to account for unexpected weather detours and sea-state fuel penalties.
The fuel burn per nautical mile (gal/nm) is your efficiency metric. Lower is better. Modern 4-stroke outboards typically burn 0.4-0.6 gal/nm at cruise; inboard diesels 0.2-0.4 gal/nm. Plan trips with this number as your cost basis.