Fuel

Buy when you can, not when you have to

http://https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/us-diesel-stocks-set-fall-critically-low

For what it’s worth.

I'm not looking forward to buying fuel this spring. Of all the years for us to have stored with empty tanks (so I could move them out of the way for water tank replacement)... I've got the drums of fuel we pumped out in the fall, but once we put those back in we'll still need another ~340 gallons to fill the tanks...

Still the cheapest part of boat ownership. No worries, just fill up & keep going

Agree that fuel isn’t the biggest expense in boating, but I do like it when it is cheaper.

rslifkin said:

I'm not looking forward to buying fuel this spring. Of all the years for us to have stored with empty tanks (so I could move them out of the way for water tank replacement)... I've got the drums of fuel we pumped out in the fall, but once we put those back in we'll still need another ~340 gallons to fill the tanks...

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Yup, that sucks. We're down to around 340 gallons left . . . . but hold 2,100 when full . . . . At this rate, I'll need to take out a mortgage!

Going to need 2,000 gallons for this summer's adventure. The John Deere investment with its 4 MPG dividend just keeps getting better and better.

Ted

Availability issues more concerning than price.

O C Diver said:

Going to need 2,000 gallons for this summer's adventure. The John Deere investment with its 4 MPG dividend just keeps getting better and better.

Ted

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If fuel prices keep climbing like this, I think you've got the right idea. Now how do I convince the admiral that we need to do a diesel re-power instead of buying a house...

FWT said:

Availability issues more concerning than price.

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I have considered that. At 6.5 knots and 4 MPG my range not counting reserve, is around 2,400 miles. May have to up the reserve from 240 to 1,000 miles.

Ted

We always try to go with a 20% fuel reserve. I like carrying a little extra fuel since it is in the center of the boat and above the keel in belly tanks.

IF your boat is near a working shrimp dock, you might chat with one of the captains. I was able to purchase a small amount for my Seaweed direct from a trucker who allowed me to fill first (for cash)

We used to have a truck come fill our tanks on the 40'er too. Shrimpers know the best deals, so look for a working pier. You want an active truck, with fresh fuel, thus the busiest is the best option even if you have to wait.

Be prepared to pay in cash too.

Though I agree that fuel costs are generally not a major percentage of total spend, I don't agree that fuel costs don't matter. There is a price that causes people to change their thinking and change their habits. I don't know if that's $4, $5, $10, etc, but eventually it causes a change. It means boaters will think about the cost of taking a long cruise. It may make people re-think going from sail to power (as many of them worry about fuel expenses regardless of the price). Some may re-think starting a new build, not knowing what fuel costs will be 2 years from now. Used boat prices will sink if the market for buyers dries up. Regardless of what it means to you right now personally, it's not good for the power-boating community or industry if fuel costs continue to rise dramatically.

With the announcement of Russian conflict i decided to tank up this morning. Did the boat and the motorhome. My wallet is $2400.00 lighter. Like gambling.

when fuel is going up everywhere, it's nice being next to a commercial fuel dock in Alaska.

Filled up my car last night. First time in quite a few years that I can remember hitting the $75 cutoff on the pump.

rslifkin said:

Filled up my car last night. First time in quite a few years that I can remember hitting the $75 cutoff on the pump.

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Get used to it, not getting any better soon. <political content removed>

I'm just waiting to see what marine fuel clocks in at for the summer and whether we scale back or cancel some of our travel plans for the season. If things level off where they are that's one thing, but if they keep climbing at this rate for a while, things are going to get rough considering how much the cost of everything else has jumped recently. At a minimum, seeing my boat up on plane will be a very rare thing this year!

Really glad we bought a single diesel. Now can we do something about the price of everything else for the boat?

Greetings,
Mr. CO. "Now can we do something about the price of everything else for the boat?"

Just heard that oil is just about at $100/barrel and predictions are for somewhere between $120 and $150 soon. Fasten your seatbelts!

This is an older chart using inflation adjusted gasoline prices they really don’t seem to change that much. And I’m old enough to remember buying gas for under $.50 a gallon

Americans complaining about the cost of fuel there
Funny.

$6.77 a gallon here for diesel
Petrol more again

Simi 60 said:

Americans complaining about the cost of fuel there
Funny.

$6.77 a gallon here for diesel
Petrol more again

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Probably less the cost and more the percentage of increase. From November of 2020 to this summer, I'm expecting fuel to triple or quadruple.



If you were cruising several to maybe 10,000 miles a year, I imagine you would be grumbling about the the percentage of increase also.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Probably less the cost and more the percentage of increase. From November of 2020 to this summer, I'm expecting fuel to triple or quadruple.

If you were cruising several to maybe 10,000 miles a year, I imagine you would be grumbling about the the percentage of increase also.

Ted

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That's exactly it. We got spoiled with a year of cheap fuel and now it's rapidly rising. And potentially going to reach or exceed the highest prices we've previously seen.

Big increase coming due to world events. Not making a political statement, but things are not going in a good direction for the world's fuel supply.

O C Diver said:

Going to need 2,000 gallons for this summer's adventure. The John Deere investment with its 4 MPG dividend just keeps getting better and better. Ted

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Will you tell us a little more about your John Deere?

friz said:

Will you tell us a little more about your John Deere?

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Somewhere on the forum, O C Diver made a thread for the extensive refit of his beautiful boat. The thread was ironically named "Short Haul" or something to that effect. I recall enjoying it thoroughly and one of the biggest changes was removing a oversized cummins in great running order for an appropriately sized john deere for displacement cruising. Everyone and their brother weighed in with their opinion whether it was worth the effort/expense at the time.

friz said:

Will you tell us a little more about your John Deere?

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https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/my-short-haul-refit-19105.html

See post #9 and #312.

Ted

o c diver said:

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/my-short-haul-refit-19105.html

see post #9 and #312.

Ted

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#312?

friz said:

#312?

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The thread is 18 pages long. Post #312 is on page 16.

Ted