2.5 EFI Offshore fuel efficiency question

[Southpaw]

Greetings.
I am looking at purchasing a 32' Skater w/ triple 2.5 efi offshore mercs (1997 model). I have never owned outboards before. So, what kind of fuel should I use? I've heard everything from pump to straight race gas. What kind of fuel consumption should I expect? In other words, any idea what a weekend gas bill might look like? Are these motors pretty reliable? Meaning, is there yearly maintenance required? Are they sensitive to differing weather climates, etc??? Any advice/ help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

[SKATER241]

If You Have Never Owned A Skater Before You Will Absolutely Love This Boat.now To Answer Your Questions.
1.)fuel Efficiency
Compared To Twin Big Block I/o's This Will Use Less Fuel.my Twenty Four With Twins Is Good For A Weekend On Seventy Gallons With Fuel Left Over.
2.)fuel Type
I Wouldnt Run Anything Less Than 92 Octane Non-oxygenated Fuel.race Fuel Would Be A Waste Of Money Unless The Engines Are Highly Modified.run Oil At 32:1.what Kind Is Up To You But I Prefer Mercury Performance Blend
3.)reliability
These Motors Are Fairly Reliable As Long As They Havent Been Mistreated And Have Been Maintained.by Mistreated I Mean Not Spun At Anything Over About 7500 Rpms For Prolonged Periods And Have Had Good Fuel And Oil.
4.)maintenance
Periodically Check All Bolts.a Partial List Of These Would Be-gear Case,plenum,motor Mounts,steering Wing,ect.gear Case Should Be Drained And Re-filled At Least Twice A Year.fuel System Should Have Water Seperating Filters Which Should Be Changed Anually Along With In-line Fuel Filters.
5.)effects Of Weather And Climate
Pretty Much A Non-issue With The Efi's Unless You Are Racing And Trying To Squeeze Every Last Mph Out Of The Rig.

I Dont Know This From Experience But Have Heard That The Center Motor On A 3 Outboard Rig Is More Prone To Failure Due To The Turbulent Water It Is Running In.
If You Have Never Driven A Cat At High Speed Take It Slow,wear Proper Safety Equipment,and Spend A Lot Of Time In The Seat Before Pushing It.they Are Faily Easy To Drive But Small Mistakes Can Be Costly At Over 100mph On The Water.
Just My Two Cents Worth
Andy

[Southpaw]

Andy;

Thanks a mill! This is good stuff to know. From what I have been reading it seems like at WOT Im lookin at roughly 21-23gph. However, I dont plan on running it too much over the 90mph mark, atleast for awhile.

[hdtwncam88]

I have a 98 30ft Spectre with 2003 300x's. At 4500 rpms im burning 15-17 gallons per hour per motor (30-34 total). At WOT (wide open throttle) i'm buring 67-70 gallons per hour TOTAL. My best friend has a 36 Gladiator with Merc 575's and there better on fuel then my O/B's. I use nothing but Merc Premium Plus Oil (my motors are injected) and have to run Super, i would never put more then 12-15 hours on the lowers between oil changes...better to be safe then sorry and if there are any problems brewing hopefully ya can catch it before it gets to bad...