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Inexpensive Refueling Options

Thanks Michiman!  That is good advice for my first gas tank, and very helpful to know my anticipated mark up for convenient fueling on the lake.  I will have to put some serious thought in fueling that baby up after delivery.  I had frankly planned on using the marina.  It was one of our cottage buying search requirements: marina on the lake to fill up at instead of carrying fuel.  


However, I can see saving a tremendous amount over time.  I may have to consider some of the ideas and options listed by you and others up above in this thread. 
 
Michiman said:
When you take delivery, I'd ask the Spicer driver to stop at the gas station first before they launch you! That's what I did.
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Ask what kind of gas they are putting in . If you are going strictly No Ethanol ,I would I want to know .
 
jabo said:
This^^^^^ or trailer it to the gas station.
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I'm going with the Super Siphon and race cans to start out.  Pays for itself in the first couple of uses. I have a 115 hp motor, I've had to fill it up 1 time in less than 4 hours of operation.  I usually am running wide open (25 mph for my setup) from the slip to a beach on the river that we are on.  


I'll let you guys know how it goes when I use it soon.  I will still fill up at the marina when convenient but think this is a good option to save a few dollars from time to time. 
 
Indian_Lake_Bum said:
Prices at the fuel docks last year ran pretty solid $3.69 all summer (except for on holiday weekends then it was $4.29+).  Granted pump gas uptown was just over $2.00 - 2.29 range for e-10 and 87 octane
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Your example of how they jack the prices up during holiday weekends demonstrates that their pricing is as much about supply and demand as it is environmental insurance as others have mentioned.  Business!
 
Presently using two 5 gallon tanks making my 15 year old son carry them to the boat slip.  Works very well.....until he is off to college at which point I will need to re-assess.  
 
Guess I am fortunate my dealor includes delivery with full tank of gas.
 
Mike31406 said:
Guess I am fortunate my dealor includes delivery with full tank of gas.
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Our dealer also delivers the boat with a full tank of fuel.  There is that $500 charge for misc fees on the purchase agreement.  Who paid for the first tank of fuel you ask......we probably did and then some!
 
Indian_Lake_Bum said:
Our dealer also delivers the boat with a full tank of fuel.  There is that $500 charge for misc fees on the purchase agreement.  Who paid for the first tank of fuel you ask......we probably did and then some!
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I sure don't remember seeing that, I surely would have asked for some clarification.  Guess I will pull out the contract and see if I missed it.
 
Vikingstaff, there are three places (that I know of) on the lake that you can fill up at so you might want to shop around. As with anything, you'll quickly figure out if it makes sense to pay a bit more for convenience or haul your own.


One primary difference between us is that you're on the lake and I'm not. I have to drive past multiple gas stations to get to my boat anyway, so stopping at one is no big deal. You, on the other hand, will have to make a special trip. And, time is money...
 
I had a different issue with gas.  The marina on our lake is only open on weekends and it's about a 3 mile ride to it.  I have the Benny, a bassboat and two jet skis so I need a bit of fuel.  I modified a single jet ski trailer to carry a 109 gallon commercial DOT approved fuel tank that has a 15 gal per minute pump, 55' of hose with a commercial nozzle, fuel flow meter and a 12 volt marine battery.  I drag it to the closest place to get non ethanol gas, fill it up and take it home.  I then hook it up to my golf cart and drag it down to the dock.  The hose is long enough to reach all the boats without having to move the trailer.  I fill it up 6-8 times per year but I live on the lake full time.  It wasn't cheap to build, but I've had it 5 years and it's close to having your own gas station.
 
basshawk84 said:
I had a different issue with gas.  The marina on our lake is only open on weekends and it's about a 3 mile ride to it.  I have the Benny, a bassboat and two jet skis so I need a bit of fuel.  I modified a single jet ski trailer to carry a 109 gallon commercial DOT approved fuel tank that has a 15 gal per minute pump, 55' of hose with a commercial nozzle, fuel flow meter and a 12 volt marine battery.  I drag it to the closest place to get non ethanol gas, fill it up and take it home.  I then hook it up to my golf cart and drag it down to the dock.  The hose is long enough to reach all the boats without having to move the trailer.  I fill it up 6-8 times per year but I live on the lake full time.  It wasn't cheap to build, but I've had it 5 years and it's close to having your own gas station.
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Got some pics?
 
That's thinking outside the box! Great idea!
 
If you're not burning a lot of fuel, nothing beats the convenience of pulling up to the fuel dock and filling up.  You don't have the pain - and hassle - of dragging gas cans down to the dock, bending over and lifting them to fill the boat.  When I was living in Punta Gorda, FL, had the boat tied up to our dock in the back yard, I used a 21-gallon fuel caddy with wheels.  To fill up the boat required 51-gallons, so it was multiple trips to the pump.  Real PITA.  I eventually stopped doing that and just paid the on-water prices for fuel.  It was the cost of having fun.


We burn a lot of fuel (I typically go through about 30 gallons on a day trip), so the differential between dock prices and gas station prices was significant (we typically go out 2-3 times a week).  When we moved back to Ft. Myers, we used to keep our boat in a wet slip at a marina.  $178/month for the wet slip, and could not drag fuel to the boat if I wanted to (no fuel pumps at this marina either), so I still was paying on-water prices.  I sat down and did some serious math and usage data, and decided that I was going to get a trailer and keep the boat in a 24/7 accessible storage facility.  


So glad I did it.  


I now trailer the boat to the gas station and fill up with non-ethanol at about $2.73 per gallon.  That's a savings of over $30 each trip.  My storage facility charges me $112/month, so saving about $60/month there as well.  We also now take the boat everywhere - we're not limited to day trips out of Ft. Myers.  We've trailered it down to The Keys 3 times already this year alone.  I just pull up to the non-ethanol pump and fill both tanks up.  (As a sidebar, I also take much better care of the boat now, as I can bring it home to clean it, I don't have to scrub the bottom weekly, don't have all the zinc maintenance, and do all my own maintenance now).
 
tcpip95 said:
If you're not burning a lot of fuel, nothing beats the convenience of pulling up to the fuel dock and filling up.  You don't have the pain - and hassle - of dragging gas cans down to the dock, bending over and lifting them to fill the boat.  When I was living in Punta Gorda, FL, had the boat tied up to our dock in the back yard, I used a 21-gallon fuel caddy with wheels.  To fill up the boat required 51-gallons, so it was multiple trips to the pump.  Real PITA.  I eventually stopped doing that and just paid the on-water prices for fuel.  It was the cost of having fun.


We burn a lot of fuel (I typically go through about 30 gallons on a day trip), so the differential between dock prices and gas station prices was significant (we typically go out 2-3 times a week).  When we moved back to Ft. Myers, we used to keep our boat in a wet slip at a marina.  $178/month for the wet slip, and could not drag fuel to the boat if I wanted to (no fuel pumps at this marina either), so I still was paying on-water prices.  I sat down and did some serious math and usage data, and decided that I was going to get a trailer and keep the boat in a 24/7 accessible storage facility.  


So glad I did it.  


I now trailer the boat to the gas station and fill up with non-ethanol at about $2.73 per gallon.  That's a savings of over $30 each trip.  My storage facility charges me $112/month, so saving about $60/month there as well.  We also now take the boat everywhere - we're not limited to day trips out of Ft. Myers.  We've trailered it down to The Keys 3 times already this year alone.  I just pull up to the non-ethanol pump and fill both tanks up.  (As a sidebar, I also take much better care of the boat now, as I can bring it home to clean it, I don't have to scrub the bottom weekly, don't have all the zinc maintenance, and do all my own maintenance now).
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Sending you a PM on storage options.
 
All good points above. 


I think keeping your boat on a dock and hauling everything to a from is a PINTA. We haul our boat out of the water every night and park it in the drive way. I agree way more convenient cleaning and loading your boat when it's in your drive way then hauling all your stuff to and from the docks. Plus I sleep better knowing my boat is right outside. No slip or storage fees and you can work on it easy peezy.


and I To would love to see the mobile gas pump that thing sounds cool.
 
Cannot wait to see pictures of the mobile gas pump contraption mentioned above.  Very curious about that set up. 
 
That does sound like a slick setup. I live less than a quarter mile from 2 gas stations so I just take (3) 5 gallon cans up there and fill them up. I put about 10 gallons in the boat for the weekend and 5 in the jet ski.
 
Non ethanol gas at QT is currently $2.45 a gallon. At the Benny Marina it's $3.19 but that will go up as it gets warmer. We fill up during the week when there's nobody around. 


IF IT NEEDS IT...........FILL IT UP!!!
 
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