Diesel

Is there a difference with gas station diesel and marine diesel?
They say Valve Tech has additives for growth. Why not put your own additive? The price is close, that's not the point. It's easier for me to bring 10 gallons every few days and keep the tank topped off. To get fuel I would have to travel at least 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back. Sort of a pain.

Marine diesel is usually cheaper because you don't have to pay highway tax on the fuel like you do at the gas station. The growth additives are good if you have it sit for a while.

Greetings,
Mr./Ms. M. I have to ask. How are you using the diesel up that it requires you add to your tanks? Can't you incorporate a fuel dock visit into one of your trips or am I missing something?

Marine diesel fuel has red dye in it.

I only have a few fuel docks in my area. Somehow, I would need to go out of my way to get to the closest 2 stations. Not that it's a major deal. If the worst problem I have is a 30 - 45 minute detour, I guess I'm doing OK? I'm just used to fueling up with 5 gallon jugs and a syphon tube. I guess it's a hold over from my sailing days? Although a 30 gallon tank is easier to keep topped off then a 250 gallon tank.

No real difference, use what is most convenient. If your fuel is going to sit a long time a biocide like Biobor is worthwhile. Keeps bugs from growing. Otherwise, no real difference. The dyed fuel just means it has not payed highway tax, that is all.

Yeah the dye is there to prevent truckers from using fuel that hasn't paid the highway tax. Same as home heating oil that gets the dye.
If a trucker has red dye in their fuel system they are subject to big fines.

Your plan sounds like a total pain in the butt to me. But if it works for you then that's all that matter.

One upside that I do see is that you'd be incorporating some physical activity into your daily routine. Lord knows that many boaters could use the exercise. Unless you consider the 12oz curl or shaking martini glasses a valid exercise!

Molly said:

I only have a few fuel docks in my area. Somehow, I would need to go out of my way to get to the closest 2 stations. Not that it's a major deal. If the worst problem I have is a 30 - 45 minute detour, I guess I'm doing OK? I'm just used to fueling up with 5 gallon jugs and a syphon tube. I guess it's a hold over from my sailing days? Although a 30 gallon tank is easier to keep topped off then a 250 gallon tank.

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10 - 5 gal cans at a time and full before you know it!

Up here where I am located the marinas are selling diesel fuel 20% more than regular fuel station. Sometime I wish I had a tank to refill myself without paying this extra 20%.

L

Not sure if it works in your area, but in most areas, you can buy "off road" fuel at any one of a number of places. Here in the NW, I have an account with Pacific Pride. I arranged to be able to get "off road" fuel, so I can fill up cans wherever there is a pacific pride station. It saves something like 30 cents a gallon. Unfortunately here in washington, they turn around and charge sales tax, so the savings is less. Point is, if you're going to the trouble to tote your own fuel in cans, find out where you can buy off road stuff.

toni

ctjstr said:

Not sure if it works in your area, but in most areas, you can buy "off road" fuel at any one of a number of places. Here in the NW, I have an account with Pacific Pride. I arranged to be able to get "off road" fuel, so I can fill up cans wherever there is a pacific pride station. It saves something like 30 cents a gallon. Unfortunately here in washington, they turn around and charge sales tax, so the savings is less. Point is, if you're going to the trouble to tote your own fuel in cans, find out where you can buy off road stuff.

toni

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Good suggestion. Back when I owned a diesel Mercedes, I would use my heating oil as fuel in a pinch.

My Marina has very strict rules against fueling at the dock. Marina’s are a bit paranoid about avoiding fines. This winter there was a large fuel spill somewhere, either in ours or a neighboring marina. The HOA of our marina were very concerned. When I left my sailboat in the winter with the furnace running a few years ago, I found that the furnace had emptied my tank to the point that the pick-up for the furnace wasn’t drawing. I had to get special dispensation to bring a 5 gallon container of diesel down to the dock and get enough fuel to get to the fuel dock.

yeah dave, I think most places around here are getting sticky about pouring your own fuel. I've done it a time or two, but its a pain. Back when I had 300 gallons of tankage it would have taken a week at five gallons a pop.
Although, with what the south sound marinas are charging now, might have to re-think that.

The problem with service station fuel (besides the extra taxes) is it may contain bio fuel.

Amounts of 5% or less do not even have to be posted at the pump,

5% to 20% is supposed to be shown so the vehicles that can not use it can avoid it.

Many truck stops have the higher bio fuel content and should be avoided.

If our boats had brand new engines , there might not be harm , but for a 20-50 year old engine, its a risk to the fuel system.

We have a 2016 M-B and are cautioned to use 5% or less , drive out the higher content if forced to use it ad refill with under 5% diesel.

An early oil change is recommended too.The fuel system is only part of the problem , the emissions system is also in danger of failure.

For most older boat engines red home heating oil, if filtered before use is OK.

Where I am and in a lot of places between NJ and Florida... narine fuel is priced higher, sometimes way higher than at the gas station down the street.

Also I have been told/observed, the truck coming to fill up the marina..... stops at the gas station to deliver fuel..... then adds dye to the truck and delivers it as heating oil to the house down the street, then to a boat behind a house a little further along, then on to the marina for a final delivery stop.

Reportedly same stuff in all the places..... except maybe some diesel such as Valvetec which might be blended before the marina. If selling Valvetec, supposedly the marina is in a "program" run by Valvetec to ensure the quality of their product, thus the higher prices. But according to Valvetec from my readings, if you start with good diesel and use their additive, you get about the same thing.

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In some places, you can call the fuel truck to deliver diesel. Need to be fairly close to the road. Most marinas will not allow, but ok on a private dock. Cost a little higher than at the fuel depot, but less than marinas. I've done it that way a couple of times.

I always buy my diesel at the gas station. The price is about the same, but my boat has very old fuel fills (the boat was built in 1936) and the fuel nozzle on the marina's system and pretty much every where else doesn't fit in my fuel fills, so I have to use a funnel if I fuel at the marina, which is a pain. I also use less than 50 gallons a season (my fuel consumption at my wife's preferred cruising speed is 1/4 gallon an hour), so it isn't that much of a hassle to bring down two jerry cans once a month.


Since the only difference between the gas station fuel and fuel dock fuel is the dye I see no reason to fool with the fuel dock.

Have you talked with Edison Oil there about delivering via truck?

bobbyp said:

Marine diesel is usually cheaper because you don't have to pay highway tax on the fuel like you do at the gas station. The growth additives are good if you have it sit for a while.

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" Marine diesel is usually cheaper ...... " etc .. etc ... Whaaat ?! Since when is marine " anything " cheaper ? :lol:

Actually, in Florida marine fuel is $.20 cheaper then road fuel. As far as spilling fuel, I use that "shaky" thing that siphons the fuel. I don't have to pour the fuel from the can. I like the post that gave this process a "work out" label. I can check a box on my excursive list!
I have 2, 5 gallon cans. If I had 10 cans, the worst part of that would be storing those cans. I live in a 1200 sq. ft. condo with a 1 car garage. Limited storage.

I have fuel truck deliver to my private dock. No mess and all it takes is a phone call. The bill is in the mailbox.

To the op. I never obsessed about keeping the tanks full on my FL located boat . 17 years and never any water in the filters. Mostly I kept the tanks low on fuel to cycle it through the filters faster.

Our Marina next door to our Dockominium has no fuel so every three weeks we call in a truck to fill about a half dozen boats at the travelift slip. We pay the marina operator $35 per boat for the use of the slip. My last fill was 80 cents a litre vs. 1.20 at a marina 7 miles away. This is the same operator that fills all the Dinner Cruise vessels in Toronto so he is insured for marine delivery. There used to be a company with a split tank that would deliver both gas and diesel to boats but that ended when the company was sold and the new operator opted to not insure for marine delivery.