A 26-foot Sea Pro center console just cruised 941 miles from Florida to Washington, D.C., powered by two Suzuki outboards using new eco-friendly fuel.
The boat took ten days to travel from Jacksonville to the Capitol. Its Suzuki DF140 outboards burned 479 gallons of new EcoGen90 fuel, developed by VP Racing, along the way, for an average of just under 2 mpg in the deep-V boat.
The boat’s arrival on Washington earlier this week was timed to coincide with the start of the annual American Boating Congress, organized by the National Marine Manufacturers Association. It then was used for demo rides on the Potomac for marine industry leaders and government officials.
EcoGen90 is a non-ethanol based fuel made to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. It consists of 10 percent of a renewable blend stock.
George Blakely, executive VP of Suzuki, said “There are roughly 12 million gasoline powered boats across America today, so these new fuels offer a real opportunity for boaters and the boating industry to make an impact and lessen our environmental footprint. Not only are these fuels formulated with renewable content, but they also produce substantially fewer emissions and even provide boaters with enhanced performance and reliability.”
Suzuki’s standard Micro Plastic Collecting Device was integrated into the cooling systems of the twin outboards. They were checked at stops at Suzuki dealers along the way, and bits of collected micro plastic pollution were sent to Suzuki in Japan as part of the company’s Clean Ocean Project for analysis.
After the boat arrived in Washington, Blakely said Suzuki looked forward to working with the NMMA “to shine a spotlight on new sustainable marine fuels and the positive impact they can have on our industry and the environment.” Read more:
