|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Mar 30, 2021 21:44:50 GMT -5
In purchasing our 26 XO, I was aware of various comments on-line about how it was underpowered with the stock 300 HP Yamaha. That made me very carefully select options. We intend to do a lot of cruising with overnight stays - including frequent runs to the Bahamas and the Dry Tortugas - so we ordered the dual panel Garmin. But to reduce weight, we opted not to go with the power arch, generator or all-chain windlass line - meaures which saved us approximately five-hundred pounds.
Our "shakedown" cruise ran for three days. My 23 year old son and I were on board with a a full fuel tank, a full cooler, a full water tank, four days worth of drinks & food, a portable inverter generator, 4 gallons of extra gas (for the generator), a full set of tools and all sorts of accessories we wanted to test out (marine CB radio rig, cell phone booster, etc.). We ran a total of 15.1 hours. That allowed us to log all sorts of information regarding performance running with the stock 3 blade stainless steel prop.
There are a couple of on-line video reviews of the 26XO. I had checked them out in advance and made notes of the performance numbers they logged. We found the best overall cruising speed performance at 4000 RPM, where we were getting 2.2MPG and making a pretty consistent 26+ MPH. Those are decent numbers I can live with and which exceed the performance reported on the video reviews. That made me think that our weight reducing choices had paid off. However, I was surprised to find that the boat struggled to stay on plane as you worked your way down to about 3700RPM - a speed at which the on-line video reviews suggested it would cruise just fine. Also, fuel efficiency suffered as the RPMs went above or below the 4000 mark. And yes, I worked the trim on the engine and the trim tabs to find all of the best settings.
I'd be happy running the boat at 4000 RPM, but I'd like a little more flexibility in the cruising speed range. A little better fuel economy would also be ideal. A four blade prop is on the way, and I am curious to see if it delivers the better MPG expected when making that switch and a better ability to hold plane at the lower range of cruising speeds. If the four blade doesn't deliver, I'll pop the three blade back on and cruise at 4000 RPM for the next decade or so.
I'd be curious as to the experiences had by other 26 XO owners.
|
|
|
|
Post by kdubya on Mar 30, 2021 22:15:52 GMT -5
Have you considered a Sharrow Prop?
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Mar 30, 2021 22:47:20 GMT -5
No.
I've already ordered a Yamaha 14.25 X 15" "Ultima 4" 4-blade.
|
|
|
|
Post by david26xo on Apr 13, 2021 18:13:35 GMT -5
We have 2020 26xo and will be on the Sacramento Delta this weekend. I will check out the planing speed, RPMs and MPG. This past weekend I was cruising in the 26-28 MPH range as the fuel consumption is less but not really tested what the lowest plane speed is or the optimum fuel consumption. Our boat has the generator and power tower. We bought the boat new out of state so did not have a chance to do any sea trials with the dealer. We hired a captain with Regal experience to run us through the basics.
Really enjoy the boat but have had a couple of concerns. The first one is the boat takes on water in the bilge more than I would expect for a new boat. I had the local marina mechanic take a look and he is the one who brought it to my attention, he said it should be a little tighter/dryer for a new boat. The second is there is a slight list to the port at plane. We have rearranged the gear on board so the heavier stuff is on starboard but didn't help. With my wife and I on board, I weigh 50 pounds more, she sits on the port side, I'm in the driver seat we still get the port list (yes, I adjust it with the trim tabs) but it seems like more list that it should have. This is with full fuel and water. Unfortunately, I don't remember if the list was there when the boat was empty of all supplies.
Interested in what you have found on your boat. Also interested in the 4 blade prop and what the advantages are, I don't have experience in this area.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Apr 13, 2021 23:38:53 GMT -5
The 18 gallon holding tank, 6 water hot water tank and the batteries are all on the port side. There are a few hundred pounds there that could easily cause a bit of a list on a boat this size.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Apr 18, 2021 0:22:41 GMT -5
My son and I just got back from a 3 day run. We launched the boat in Miami and cruised to the upper Keys and back. It was a little windy averaging about 15 knots, but moderate temperatures (low to mid-80's air temps and 78 to 81 degree water temps) set the backdrop for a a nice time on the water.
We used this opportunity to do a lot more experimenting with throttle settings and cruising speed adjustments. Much to our surprise, we locked in the best combination of cruising speed and economy at 4200 RPM, where got were cruising in the 28.5 to 30.4 MPH range and nailed 2.4 MPG. This was using the stock 3 blade prop.
I've still got a 4 blade on the way. Once it gets here, I'll be eager to drop it on there and see what it can deliver in terms of fuel economy and better time to get up on plane.
Can't wait for another good excuse to get back out on the water.
|
|
|
|
Post by xixp on May 3, 2021 18:18:47 GMT -5
If you are considering crossing to Bahamas its important to have clarity about the different speeds you can run the boat comfortably.
After crossing a few times from Miami with different sizes Regal (3760 and Sc 35) i rarely could run them at the most efficient speed.
Basically , weather conditions rule so you have to be concerned about keeping a comfortable ride for the crew regardless of the fuel consumption.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on May 3, 2021 23:07:00 GMT -5
If you are considering crossing to Bahamas its important to have clarity about the different speeds you can run the boat comfortably. After crossing a few times from Miami with different sizes Regal (3760 and Sc 35) i rarely could run them at the most efficient speed. Basically , weather conditions rule so you have to be concerned about keeping a comfortable ride for the crew regardless of the fuel consumption. That's part of the reason why I picked up a 4 blade prop. It'll give me some more options holding plane at slower speeds - options which could make a difference in less than ideal weather. |
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Jun 25, 2021 1:48:05 GMT -5
On the recommendation of a friend who is knowledgeable in all things marine (a marine parts distributor), I picked up a Solas Titan 4 blade instead of the Yamaha 4 blade. With high expectations, off went the factory 16" pitch 3 blade Yamaha prop and on went the 15" pitch 4 blade. Here's my experience.
Understand that not every "test run" was done the same day under similar conditions, as you would ideally like. Instead, I made several trips using the 3 blade and took down the relevant information. I switched the props when I had the boat out of the water, and then made several runs using the 4 blade during which time I took down more data.
(1) My main goal in switching to a 4 blade was to get better fuel economy. It didn't happen. With the stock 3 blade, I was able to tweak the trim adjustments and get to 2.4 MPG at 4200 RPM. With the 4 blade, the best MPG I could obtain was 2.2 to 2.3 MPG at 4300RPM.
(2) Cruising speeds were slightly reduced, as expected. The 3 blade got me to around 30.6 MPH at 4200 RPM while the 4 blade gets to 28.6 MPH at 4300 RPM.
(3) I expected the boat to be able to hold plane better at all cruising speeds with the 4 blade. It didn't.
The 4 blade definitely gets up on plane faster. Whether using the 3 or the 4 blade, best results require the tabs trimmed down and then adjusted as you throttle down to cruising speed. Best performance also requires that the Yamaha be trimmed all the way down for best acceleration and then trimmed out for optimal cruising speed performance. No surprises there.
One of the programs I used for determining correct props suggested I should go with a 13" pitch if trying a 4 blade. Another idea is to try the same model Yamaha Saltwater series 3 blade prop but with 15" pitch instead of 16". Another is to go back to a 3 blade but with 17" pitch. I'm playing with all 3 options in my quest for the prop that delivers the best overall performance and fuel economy.
Anyone else care to share their experiences with their 26 XO?
|
|
|
|
Post by david26xo on Aug 10, 2021 16:30:27 GMT -5
Here is what I have from my 26xo. Two passengers, full fuel, water and generator/power tower. Slight trim to reduce list to the port. Water was fairly flat.
29.4MPH
13.1Gal/H
4350RPM
26.5MPH
11.9Gal/H
4100RPM
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Aug 11, 2021 11:58:24 GMT -5
We just made a 4 day, 3 night cruise through the Keys in which we ran a total of just under 300 miles. We averaged 2.05 MPG.
There were two of us on board, full water, full fuel and sufficient food and drinks. Using the 15" pitch Solas Titan 4 blade, the best cruising speed tended to be around 4400 RPM if we had any kind of conditions. There we could consistently tweak 2.0-2.2 MPG while clocking 30 to 31 MPH in moderate conditions. If it was bumpy, we'd have to trim down to minimize pounding and porpoising. Mileage would decrease down to 1.7-1.9 MPG. If it was flat calm, we could throttle down to 4200 RPM and hit 2.3-2.4 MPG.
We had not been able to hit 2.4 MPG with the 4 blade on prior trips. We were able to hit it a few times on this one.
I'm playing a hunch and am going to try one other option: a 17" pitch 3 blade. Stay tuned.
|
|
|
|
Post by david26xo on Aug 11, 2021 16:13:16 GMT -5
Partizan, I just realized when rereading your post that I mislabeled the second number on my previous post. It should be gallons/hour not MPG. I have not made an MPG calculation.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Aug 11, 2021 17:19:04 GMT -5
Your numbers work out to 2.24 and 2.23 MPG, respectively. Our numbers are pretty much in the same ballpark.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Sept 21, 2021 21:12:59 GMT -5
I made another 4 day/3 night trip. The throttle, trim tabs and trim adjustment all saw tweaks, as will happen when I have that much time to enjoy my boat.
I'm still using the Solas Titan IV 15" four blade. Cruising at 4300 RPM got me a steady 2.3 MPG. Trimming the engine out managed to get the mileage up to 2.4, but the boat would then porpoise when confronted with minimal wake.
I opened up the throttle all the way at one point. The 26 XO hit 42.4 MPH at 5700 RPM - respectable numbers that fall within ranges that tell me this prop is well suited to this boat. However, a 3 blade prop is usually able to deliver better top speed than a 4 blade, so I'm curious to see how fast the boat goes with 16" or 17" pitch three blade and to see if I can squeeze out a little better gas mileage.
More experimenting to come.
|
|
|
|
Post by partizancudjoe on Oct 19, 2021 0:28:06 GMT -5
 A couple of weeks ago, I installed a 3 blade, 17" pitch Solas Lexor. I got to try it out last week-end over a 3 day/2 night trip. In short, this prop delivered the best overall performance of any prop I've tested to date. We have a winner. The fuel economy was noticeably better than that delivered by either the stock 16" pitch, 3 blade Yamaha Saltwater II or the 15" pitch, 4 blade Solas Titan IV. At 4050 RPM, the Solas Lexor 17" 3 blade delivered 2.56 MPG at 31.6 MPH. At 4150, it delivered 2.5 MPG at 33 MPH. At one point, while cruising around 4100 RPM the Garmin showed 2.64 MPG! WOT revved to 5400 RPMs and took the 26 XO to 44.5 MPH - the best top speed either of the 3 props tested had delivered. The only downside is that the boat doesn't get up on plane as quickly as it does with either of the other two props. Still, it was "good enough". My prop search is over! |
|
