Fuels ?!?!

[Lost Lake]

Unfortunately, in the USA at least, the bigger is better mentality seems to be pervasive across all parts of society.  If you don't own a 40'+ boat, a 5000+ sq. ft. house, or a Hummer H2, you're doing something wrong.

Oh, c'mon... does anybody really like Hummer H2's or H3's?  All they are is a funky body on a Tahoe frame.... We call 'em 'posers' here.

Now the H1, that is a machine!!

[s/v Faith]

sadly, the price of fuel affects how much or how often I can trailer my sailboat. Since last October, I haven't sailed at all, matter of fact, I thinking in building a little sailing dinghy so I can use a small lake closer to my house.

Gus

  Geeze Gus, now I feel bad for the thought.....  Here is some grog to make it up to you.  ;)

[CharlieJ]

I've used it for a quick "brake" when I ran out of gas on the ob and had to swap cans quickly

LOL- See the valve in the first picture? That is connected to the two tanks you see in the second, with a fuel line from each tank, then one that runs to the engine. When we need to switch tanks, we simply switch the valve. IF we are getting into an area where we KNOW we'll need to maneuver and we aren't sure how much fuel is on the current tank, we just switch, then switch back when the need passes.

I don't EVER switch hoses on the tanks

[AdriftAtSea]

I think I'll be making a similar modification on my boat. :)

[ronc98]

When I was pulling my sailboat out of the lake for the season last year I had two power boaters come up and ask If i new anyone that wanted a boat.   I asked how much money thye used in gas last year.  Both were over 1K.  I laughed and told them I used less then three gallons for the whole season, and I sailed every weekend. 

I really think we will see more people go the sailboat way.  As far are the hummers.  I hope they completely go away.   I hate the fact I need a huge truck to pull my boat, but I offset that by riding my bicycle when I am not pulling my boat. 

[AdriftAtSea]

Ronc98-

I know what you mean.  I like telling the powerboaters at my marina that I spent $60 on fuel last season, and still have six gallons left over. :)  Some of them have spent $1500 on a single fuel dock trip. 

[Gus]

jeez 1,500 bucks on fuel? And here I am complaining that it takes me a tank to trailer to the coast and back :)

[sharkbait]

Yeah, I had to fill both tanks today,cost me almost 10 bucks ;)

[Captain Smollett]

Wow.  I've gone a whole season on less than three gallons of fuel (for the boat).  Used a fraction of a pint per outing if any at all.

I cannot imagine spending $1500 per fill up, and that's basically what, less than a week's worth of cruising?

Ouch.

[TJim]

My daughters sister-in-law keeps her boat on Lake Powell and goes down about every weekend during the summer.  She spends $400 a day for fuel.  Shes very well divorced....

[AdriftAtSea]

My main expenditure for fuel is getting down to the swing bridge and through it...and back... that's probably where 99% of my fuel goes. :)  They won't let you sail through the swing bridge for some reason. 

Wow.  I've gone a whole season on less than three gallons of fuel (for the boat).  Used a fraction of a pint per outing if any at all.

I cannot imagine spending $1500 per fill up, and that's basically what, less than a week's worth of cruising?

Ouch.

[Auspicious]

I burn much more fuel for the heater than the engine. The good news is it keeps the fuel supply turned over two or three times each year.

[Lynx]

Shhh, If I do not want to talk to a powerboater with a cabin I tell him how much fuel I am using. Those 28+ foot boats sure eat up the gas.

[Gus]

I don't use a lot of gas in the boat neither, and I motor more than I should when I go out.

Gus

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

Well..., I agree on fuel usage. IIRC I used around 3-4 gal last year with the Gulf and about a gallon with the Clipper each year.  But, I managed to get out sailing only 8 times last year :'(  Slip rent was around $800 or so IIRC.  Factoring in that, it was a bit over $100 per boat ride.  Still less than stinkpot fuel usage on a day, I'd imagine, but unfortunatly too close.  Of course if I were coastal cruising and not restricted at the present time to the lake... :D

[AdriftAtSea]

Given how many I've seen...it would appear that the H2 and H3 have some appeal to somebody... not me...and probably not so much with gas prices over $3.00 and expected to rise again soon.

[Lynx]

Gas in the Bahamas is $ 5.25 per gal.

[Gus]

Gas in the Bahamas is $ 5.25 per gal.

yeah, most of the world pays much more than we do for gas, but we are spoiled with cheap gas, and the whole country depends on gas, so paying $3.50 a gallon, to fill my truck its 70 bucks, and I get 28 MPG driving slow, and by slow I mean not going over 60-65 MPH. Towing the boat I get much less, but again, I don't drive past 55 when towing.

[s/v Faith]

Went ahead and merged the fuel cost posts from the small boat cruising tactics thread into this one.

A re-read brought to mind an issue I have been thinking about.  Before I left I posted;

My plan for cruising is to carry a max fuel load of 34 gallons.  That would only be carried when making a crossing when fuel is a difficult to come by, safety item.

  I will swap my 6 gallon tank I currently use (stowed in the lazy-rat) for a 13 gallon tank that came with the boat.  I will carry 4, 5 gallon cans lashed to the shrouds and life lines amidships.  I looked at using the 6.5 gallon cans, to go to 40 gallons, but they are much tougher to lug around, and sit high enough to add windage above the cabin top.  (not to mention if you have a 6.5 gallon can, you are more likely to fill it it 6.5 gallons, and if you have to carry it far it gets HEAVY.

  Oh yea, and the one gallon can for the dingy motor.

Well, this is pretty much what I went with. 

  We had the 13gallon tank in the lazy rat, that was nice because while it was not often full, its capacity allowed us a margin of error to never let it run out.

  We also carried 4 cans lashed to the rail (using 'pin rail boards' clamped to the shrouds, this worked out well and I really don't feel the weight up high, or windage caused any appreciable issues).  We did elect to use 5 gallon cans and not the 6.5 gallon cans I had originally planed to carry. 

  FWIW, I found that 5 gallon (ventless) cans would almost always leak when the nozzle was stored in the can.  We did not like having the snag hazard of having the nozzles stowed outside the can so we just never filled the cans with more then 4 gallons.

  Our current gasoline capaicity is the 13 gallon tank aft, 16 gallons in cans (4 x 5 gallon cans filled to 4 gallons), plus the gallon for the outboard.

  We almost never had the entire ~30 gallons onboard, but carried it to the Bahamas (to avoid the hight $$$ Lynx mentioned earlier) as well as a couple of times we did not want to worry about running out (like the Okeechobee, although we did not use it all there). 

  While I did not have any real issues with the cans on the rail, I did not care for the arrangement. 

  Our Yamaha 6hp 2 stroke gets between .5 and 1 gallon per hour depending on conditions and throttle settings.  My max fuel load allows somewhere between a 150- 300 motoring range. I know Kurt does much better then this when forced to motor long distances, and Frank just posted;

Very nice... I like the new Tohatsu four-stroke outboards. I have the 3.5 HP for my dinghy... and I've been very happy with it.  I have a 20 HP Honda four-stroke for the big boat...and been very happy with that too. Smiley I'll have to see what I get for run time on it though... Gives me about 6 knots at 2/3-3/4 throttle, 7.5 WOT.

  I bet I could go to a 6hp 4 stroke Nissan/mercury/tomatsu and get some more range, but will stick with what I have for now. 

  So, to eliminate the cans and still carry enough fuel for a trip up the Tenn-Tom, or maybe to motor through the doldrums I am thinking about a ~ 15 gallon tank under the cockpit sole.  The inboard Ariels had a standard monel 14 gallon tank that would be perfect but that I have yet to find.  I have had some on the Ariel forum express concern as to the safety of gasoline below decks, but thousands of boats came standard like this for years without much trouble (keep in mind I would not have a sparking inboard down there).

  I am thinking a modern poly tank with a proper vent that could be pumped up into the aft tank, or into a gas can to mix for the dingy.

  Don't know how comfortable I am with a bladder (I love my water bladder, but think I like a hard tank below for gasoline). 

Thoughts?

[AdriftAtSea]

s/v Faith-

Did you have sun covers made up for the jerry cans.  I understand that the plastic they're made out of generally degrades a fair bit with intense or extended UV exposure... so to prolong their life and prevent them from suddenly spilling gasoline on-deck, you might want to get sun covers made up for them.  The lighter the color, the better. :)

I'm also thinking about adding a larger fuel tank, under the cockpit.  On my boat, there is a space under the aft portion of the cockpit that has the tiller stock in it, and opens to the fuel/rudder locker in the very stern of the boat. It is basically sealed from the interior of the boat, or will be when I finish a bit of glass work this spring. I am thinking of buying a hard plastic tank for this space, and using it as the primary storage tank on the boat. 

Currently, I have one 3-gallon and one 6-gallon portable tank currently, and would keep those.  I also have a 2.5 gallon can that I use for the dinghy gas supply. I think the space under the cockpit floor would hold a 15 gallon tank fairly easily, but I have to find one that will fit. If I install this tank, I'd still add two five gallon fuel cans to store in the amas... giving me a total of 35 gallons or so.