Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I'm pretty new to the pontoon world and I was shocked at my MPG getting to the lake.
My favorite lake (Lake Havasu) is 200 miles away.
My Duramax Diesel gets 9-10 mpg towing my 24 foot pontoon which might be 4,000 pounds.
I can pull my 15,000 pound 5th wheel and get better mpg.

Anyone else notice there MPG while towing?

10mpg is about what I get with my '06 Duramax towing my 22ft 'toon. It's like pulling a parachute, light but it has a lot of wind drag.

Ive got a 25ft tritoon that weighs around 4k lbs. I get about 8-9mpg towing with a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab with 5.3l v8. These boats pull hard for their weight.

10-12mpg pulling my 20' tritoon @ 65mph. 12' F150 4x4 5.0L,same trip with no trailer is 21-22mpg.

16 to 17 mpg towing my 20 foot benny with a 2010 Toyota 4 runner....

With the cruise set at 60 I got 13 mpg with my truck with OD locked out. I was being passed by a lot of other newer trucks towing loads at 80 or so.

Best I got was 28 mpg on my 2000 Silverado 2500 with 6.0L. But that was driving down the mountain, 5% grade on I-5 towards the Grapevine, CA . When I got down on flat land I averaged 14 mpg.

I get around 13-14 MPG while towing my G3 22 ft. I have to say these pontoons are a big wind sock while towing. Towing with the 3 liter Ecodiesel.

I just posted in another thread about this.

11.5mpg at 75-80 mph
13 at 70mph
16-17 at 62. legal speed here

i have a 09 durmax. full DPF delete kit with 5'' exhaust and a programmer.

when i came home from Maine is when i tracked it. 600mile trip. it hurt the wallet but i was ready to cmoe home she was a 75-80 mph avg till i hit Nova Scotia. the side of my trailer was black by the time i got here

Flattop wrote:I get around 13-14 MPG while towing my G3 22 ft. I have to say these pontoons are a big wind sock while towing. Towing with the 3 liter Ecodiesel.

Wish I was getting that good with mine. I'm seeing about 10.5. I pull about 65 or so most of the time. Still amazes me how much wind resistance these things must create.

You on the ram1500diesel forum?

It's a wonder that tritoons with lifting strakes and big engines are capable of speeds over 40 mph in the water--when aerodynamics are like they are. Notice how hard it is to get much faster than 40 mph--all engine horsepower.

Fuel mileage when towed dramatically decreases with little increases in towing speeds. If you could keep it at 55 or 60 mph, it'll payoff in your fuel mileage dramatically.

I'm just glad to seldom tow my boat anywhere.

robertm wrote:

Flattop wrote:I get around 13-14 MPG while towing my G3 22 ft. I have to say these pontoons are a big wind sock while towing. Towing with the 3 liter Ecodiesel.

Wish I was getting that good with mine. I'm seeing about 10.5. I pull about 65 or so most of the time. Still amazes me how much wind resistance these things must create.

You on the ram1500diesel forum?

Yep, Same screen name.

I recently drug my boat to the Florida Keys with my '05 5.4 F250 crew cab 4x4 on 35's and got 6.1mpg! Around town it gets about 9mpg empty. It's probably the most underpowered truck on the market, but I picked it up dirt cheap and bought it for a hunting truck (It only gets about 200 miles per month on it.) On the same trip my buddy towed his pontoon with a '14 6.7 diesel F350 crew cab 4x4 on the same tires and he got 8.5mpg.

I recently sold a 6.0 powerstroke on 40" tires that would get 16-18mpg.

My parents are leaving Friday with their pontoon and their Expedition and heading from Florida to just outside of Kingston, Ontario.

I've got a 2014 Silverado with a Highly tuned 5.3 ltr engine and tow a 22" tracker fishing barge.

I average 10-12 MPG.

Mike

I get about 9.5 to 10.5 mpg with my 2011 Toyota Tundra 5.7 ltr. But going to the Colorado/Yuma from San Diego we have to go over the mountains but the up & down may equal each other out. That is mostly at 55 mph California speed limit with trailer.