We know that even the most seasoned boater has things to learn, so we put some interesting facts together to help boost your boating knowledge. We would love to have input from you also, so please feel free to add anything you have learned over the years in the comments below! A few first pointers would be clever weight distribution; try to keep the bow of the boat light. Store anchors, tools and spare props towards the rear of the boat, life jackets, towels and dock ropes towards the front. A bow heavy boat will push more water, causing excessive fuel usage. Loading like this will keep your bow high and dry. When your bimini top is up, even in the bimini cover, its like a parachute catching wind.  Put your top down low, in the “Trailering” position. If you normally run with the top completely up, on nice days when the sun is not partially out.  Go ahead and take it down. You wouldn’t believe the fuel savings, just by going topless! Some more tips for ideal fuel consumption and engine usage are as follows:

Try to keep the bow of the boat light. Store anchors, tools and spare props towards the rear of the boat, life jackets, towels and dock ropes towards the front. A bow heavy boat will push more water, causing excessive fuel usage. Loading like this will keep your bow high and dry.

1. You use approximately one gallon of gas per hour at wide open throttle for every ten horsepower of engine size you have.
2. Taking care of your marine head system is critical but telling guests that using too much toilet paper will clog the system is ineffective. Be specific, tests show that six squares of paper per flush is the maximum to safely use.
3. Knowing the weight aboard your boat can be critical while towing, and sometimes even when cruising. Don’t forget the fuel and water aboard, one gallon of water is 8.3lbs; one gallon of diesel fuel is 7.1lbs; one gallon of gas is 6.6lbs.
4. The absolute minimum berth width with which any normal human will be comfortable is 28 inches. Berth length should be four inches longer than your height.
5. Approximate fuel consumption at cruising speed can be estimated as follows: diesel 5.3 gallons per hour per 100 horsepower; gas 7.8 gallons per hour per 100 horsepower.
6. The number of hours of operation that you can expect to get from a gas marine engine before needing major overhaul is about 1500 hours. A diesel engine lasts about 5000 hours before needing a major overhaul. There have been no studies done on outboard motors by hours, but 10 to 15 years of use in saltwater is common.
7. Owning a boat will always cost you money. To calculate how much, figure to pay between 2-5% of the original price of your boat on maintenance each year.
8. For the quietest boating experience, use effective sound insulation. For low frequency sounds, use layers of foam. For high frequency sounds use thin sheets of lead. Use aluminium foil sheathing or Mylar to protect insulation from heat. Check for a combined thickness of at least one inch.
9. Many engine compartments and the engines are starving for air and thus are not operating at peak efficiency. Cure this issue by increasing a 3″ round vent to 4″ which nearly doubles it’s volume.
10. For small, lightweight runabouts of 20 feet or thereabouts, use the rule for every twenty five pounds of total weight, you will need about one horsepower of engine size to get on plane and cruise at speed.

The above article has been compiled from: http://islandviewmarinecenter.com/increase-boating-knowledge-interesting-useful-facts/