This article is one in a series offering tips on boating skills and seamanship prepared for The

Citizen by

the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Since fuel prices have been rising, I would like to bring to your attention again the column which first appeared last year. It offers suggestions made by the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.) and a few tips that could help stretch your fuel dollars:

1. Leave the extra “junk” home: Don't load the boat up with weight you don't need. Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting mildew in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home.

2. Water weight: At 8.33 pounds per gallon, why keep the water in the tank topped off if you're only going out for the afternoon?

3. Tune her up: An engine tune-up is an excellent investment and should easily pay for itself over the summer.

4. Tune your prop: If your boat goes 30 mph with a like-new prop and only 27 mph with a prop that's dinged and out of pitch, that's a 10 percent loss in fuel economy, or, you're wasting one out of every 10 gallons you put in your tank.

5. Paint the boat's bottom: When boating in salt or brackish waters a fouled bottom is like a dull knife. It takes a lot more fuel to push your boat through the water.

6. Keep the boat in trim: Using trim tabs or distributing weight evenly will help move your boat through the water with less effort #- and less fuel.

7. Go with the flow: Consult tide tables and try to travel with the tide whenever possible.

8. Install a fuel flow meter: A fuel flow meter is like a heart monitor; when consumption starts to rise, it's an early warning that something is amiss. A fuel flow meter also allows you to select a comfortable cruising speed that optimizes the amount of fuel being consumed. If you don't want to spring for a fuel flow meter (about $300), you can calculate your fuel mileage by dividing distance traveled by gallons at fill-up. Using your logbook, you can then approximate fuel flow using average speeds and time underway.

9. For sailboats only: While their engines are miserly, a sailboat with a fouled bottom, prop or poorly maintained engine can have marked effect on its fuel economy.

10. Get a discount: Many of the 870 BoatU.S. cooperating marinas around the country offer up to 10 cents off a gallon of gas. To get the discount, in the marinas which offer it, all you have to do is to show your BoatU.S. membership card.

John E. Keshishoglou is the IP flotilla commander of the Ithaca Flotilla 22. He can be reached at (607) 273-7175