papyson
Outstanding Contributor
i have a new 50hp bigfoot mercury 4 stroke that is about 10 months old...every fall i fish one spot thats about a 10 mile run each way...2 trips per day....i noticed gas usage was high...higher than it ever was on a 90 evinude that i run for 18+ years to this same spot... after thinking about it i begin to think maybe it was the higher rpm i was turning on this particular run....i looked it up on the mercury site and sure enough there is a drastic difference between 4k rpm and 5.5 or higher rpm....so i slowed it down to 5k tops and the gas mileage got back in line....this is for info only...the motor is correctly propped....the fact is (on this model at least) is that a 4cycle at top rpm drinks the gas...and its hard as hell to make a long safe run with it throttled back...especially when you are used to the sound of a 2cycle pounding away back there..