Tuchodi Hunt 2016

[Kootenay Killer]

My hunting partner and I are planning a trip up the Tuchodi next year. We're gonna head up in his jet boat and was wondering how much fuel we should bring. His boat is 16' and 8' wide and has the 200 sport jet. We are planning a 10 day trip and probably gonna be 3 of us going. So if anyone with a similar boat has made the same trip with the extra fuel to play around can share there info would be much appreciated. I mapped it out on Google Earth and came up with around 240 kms round trip from the Muskwa launch site to Tuchodi Lake does this sound accurate? Also did you drop fuel off and where? Thanks in advance for the info.

[Buckzilla]

We go further up the muskwa and bring the 200 L the boat holds, and 400 L extra.
Noticed a lot of guys 1st drop is at the mouth of the tuchodi.

[Buckzilla]

Forgot to mention I'm in a 18' Exact with a 200 SJ.
never gone up the tuchodi way

[Riverratz]

Assuming a load of about 1500 - 2000 lb (which includes people, fuel, gear, equipment), your boat will consume about 1.2L/km. going upstream and 0.8L/km coming downstream.

If your round-trip distance is accurate ?, that will equate to approximately 150 liters going up and approx. 100 liters coming down.
Only you can decide how much playing around, exploring, etc. you want to do to figure out how much extra to bring.
Plus, allow at least a spare 50 liters which you don't burn for any purpose but is held in reserve for "just in case".

Your 16 ft. boat should haul 1500 lb., (2000 lb. is pushing the limits) it will be pretty much max'd out for cargo weight while still allowing for some reasonable, albeit sluggish, maneuverability

Speed is of no consequence; if you go full throttle you will shorten the time spent travelling but fuel consumption goes up through the roof.
Even if you travel downstream at only idle speed, the fuel consumption drops considerably but it takes 10 times longer, ......... fuel consumption per km. traveled remains the same.
Doesn't matter how fast or slow you travel, the above noted numbers will end up being the average fuel consumption per km. with a substantial load.

So,......... based on your assumed round-trip distance of 240 km., you'll need approx. 250 liters to get to your destination and back again, plus 50 liters in reserve, which will leave about 100 liters for playing, etc. ....... not a lot.

Probably about 400 in total depending on how much playing around you want to do; this would include what is in the main boat tank(s) plus the additional in other containers.
400 liters of fuel will weigh 300 kg. or 660 lb. ......plus the weight of the containers.

Gas weighs 0.74 kg/liter or 1.63 lb/liter plus the weight of the container.

Two average sized men plus personal clothing & gear will weigh in at about 400 - 500 lb., plus the weight of the fuel and oil at about 650lb. for a total of about 1050 - 1100 lb.
This leaves you with about 500 lb for additional gear, equipment, food, etc. etc.,..........assuming your boat will carry 1500 lb.

Strongly recommend you load test the boat (preferably on a lake) both for performance and fuel consumption well in advance of your trip so you don't end up being one of the many who find themselves out of fuel or with a boat that won't even get up and out of the water forcing you to make last minute changes, etc. at the launch before you even get going.
Embarrassing, time consuming, and frustrating to say the least.

Weigh everything in advance so you know exactly how much your load weighs. Don't guess. Bathroom scales work well for this, make a list and weigh everything.
This will also give you the advantage of experimenting well in advance as to where to place the load within the boat for optimal performance, handling, steering, etc.
By doing this, you won't end up like so many others, screwing around in a panic at the last minute just when you're ready to head up river.

With proper advance planning and the right equipment you will have a safe and enjoyable trip.
Good luck.

[TARCHER]

We were up there in sept. We went about 20km past the gato in an 18ft with 200 sport jet. Three men. We started with a total of 240 gal. We had too much. Came home with 100 liters and started out too heavy.

[Keta1969]

To do what Riverratz says sounds like a lot of work but it is the only way to ensure things will go as planned when you start. The preparation is well worth it.

[nap]

First question, when will you be heading up the Tuchodi? Second, has your partner ran a river like the Tuchodi before? I have a 20' Omineca with a 200 sport jet, and to make it to the lake with 3 guys and gear I myself would pack 100 gallons of fuel, leave what you used going up the Muskwa at the mouth of the Tuchodi. Just plan on burning 10 gallons an hour. The Tuchodi can be unforgiving, especially boulder alley, google earth doesn't help you through that stretch.

[Buckmaster]

My hunting partner and I are planning a trip up the Tuchodi next year. We're gonna head up in his jet boat and was wondering how much fuel we should bring. His boat is 16' and 8' wide and has the 200 sport jet. We are planning a 10 day trip and probably gonna be 3 of us going. So if anyone with a similar boat has made the same trip with the extra fuel to play around can share there info would be much appreciated. I mapped it out on Google Earth and came up with around 240 kms round trip from the Muskwa launch site to Tuchodi Lake does this sound accurate? Also did you drop fuel off and where? Thanks in advance for the info.
Just did that trip this past September and I think it was about 160km each way. We took a 16' and 17' boat with 2 guys per boat. I think we burned about 350 litres getting there and back plus run around fuel. At least another 150 Litres. Pm me with your number and can give you some info on things we did. Saw a lot of carnage up there from guys getting stuck to a boat sinking. I would not do this trip on your own if its your first time up there. You will hit a lot of rocks no matter what boat you have so make sure your boat is built for it. What type of boat are you guys talking?

[killman]

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b636/Shane_Killman/777F2AB7-E874-4312-9D5B-E843D6BD2B47_zpsey7pmcis.jpg (http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/Shane_Killman/media/777F2AB7-E874-4312-9D5B-E843D6BD2B47_zpsey7pmcis.jpg.html)



Nothing to see up there......

[xfactor]

What a beauty pic!!!

[mikek]

A good summer trip in June to get to know the area would be your best bet, exploring on a hunting trip is gonna cost you precious days of Hunting,

[Kootenay Killer]

We're planning on heading up around the 8th to the 22nd of August with 4 travel days in there as we're from Kimberley. Im sure thats gonna be our best bet for water levels but am aware it changes from year to year. Yes we've ran some pretty skinny water so not so much worried about that. Our main goal is to try for Stone Sheep but going up at that time would also give us a chance to hunt elk and moose if we're successful on our sheep hunts. Thanks again to everyone taking time to reply much appreciated.