Running only 1 engine at idle speed

[mkuzdzal77]

Hey everyone, I come here looking for some advice. Although I've been boating for over 25 years, I have never had a boat with 2 engines. I just purchased a 212x ( my first jet boat) and am wondering if I can run one of the engines at idle speed with doing any harm. I have a 45 minute river trip at idle speed in order to get from my dock to the lake. I was thinking of running one engine out and the other on the way back to keep the hours close and possibly same some fuel. I'm aware that at higher throttle it can cause serious issues, but I'm not allowed to go that fast anyway lol. I just don't want to put the engines at risk just to save a couple bucks. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dave burke]

Probably shouldn't be an issue but if this is going to be a regular occurrence (and it sounds like it), I'd probably clamp off the water intake line or add a valve to it. Better safe than sorry.

 

[mkuzdzal77]

So other than the issue of flooding the non running engine, there should be no reason why 1 can't run alone. I was planning on adding valves and stopping the flow to be on the safe side anyway. I feel 1 should be enough to push me along and in theory should save me almost 1/2 the fuel which means more fun on the lake. If I'm missing something else please let me know. Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Dave burke]

Makes sense to me. Not sure how much fuel you'll actually save but it's worth a shot.

That 45 mins must seem like forever!

 

[mkuzdzal77]

Oh, it is, but it's always worth it once I get there. I'm going to compare gph to see if it's worth the hassle or not. Thanks again for the advice.