Marina Fuel Prices, Price gouging....how do you get fuel to your boat?

[CFD3Captain]

So...we decided to wet slip the boat this summer for ease and convenience. We know it will get used more this way. Not having to tow 45 min each way is NICE. I figured fuel prices would be at most $1 more per gallon (or less) and that was acceptable to me for the convenience of my slip. The Marina fuel price is inside (not on the pump) and I needed fuel last weekend. The kid pumped 22 gallons and yelled up to the window. She told me $112......I about crapped myself. She pointed to the chalk board with "todays" price on it and $5.05. Gas was $2.74 that day just down the road at BP. This is blatant price gouging in every since PERIOD!! This is the marina where all the boat rentals are, can you imagine the poor people who have to fill the pontoons and other rentals up after already forking big $$$ over just to rent for a day?

Anyhow, I have decided that tomorrow I am going to pull the trailer over and pull the boat, clean her up and oh yea...FILL UP! But obviously I can't do this every time I turn around. So how do you get fuel to your private docks and slips to fill up? I have looked at a few caddy's on overtons but the reviews were mixed.

Or should I just chock it up to BOATing and be happy my yearly slip rental was fairly cheap compared to other lakes? Oh yea, called around and a few other Marina's were around $1 more per gallon EXCEPT for a nearby lake that has Marina's owned by same company that owns mine

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I bought eight NATO steel gas cans many years ago. I keep them filled up from Sam's Club, the cheapest place around, and use my Sam's Club MasterCard to get another 5% off fuel purchases. I can sit the can on a towel on the edge of the boat and use a Super Siphon to easily drain the contents into the boat. I just watch the gauge and when it's almost full that's good enough... so I don't spill it. I haven't filled at a gas station for two years, and have only topped off on the river one time in all my boating years (the fuel gauge wasn't accurate last year and I wanted to make sure I wasn't too low).

If I had a dock I'd do the same... but probably use one of those dollies that convert into a cart to help get the cans to the boat.

 

[CFD3Captain]

@MOA_Chaser Thanks Matt! Looking up and watching video on super siphon now. Looks easy and affective. I would prefer one with a long hose to prevent having to have the fuel can on the swim deck, but I guess it's not necessary.....

Edit: will it work if the can is below the fill on the boat?

 

[BigN8]

Make sure your marina is okay with you bringing gas down to the slip. On Lake Lewisville it is illegal by the core of engineers. So we must use marina gas or pull the boat out.

In defense of our marina I don't think they gouge. When they buy gas they lock that price plus their margin in for the summer. For instance they bought gas when it was pretty cheap and gas has gone up a bit. So gas was about $3.75 I think the last time I bought it at the gas dock.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

No, it's like any other siphon. The gas has to flow to a lower destination. Off the can has to be lower, there might be a hand pump or something that could be used.

I used to put up the bimini top and set it on the boat as mentioned above, but lately when it's in my driveway I use a 6' stepladder and put the gas can on the top. I love the Super Siphon, I don't even have nozzles for my cans. The only downside is that they get pretty stiff on cold weather... not a problem with boating. But laying it out in the sun for a while will soften the tubing even more.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I do a little of both! While my boating season is busy, I'll fill up at the land side gas station to save a couple bucks. At the end of the season when I know the boat will sit, I fill up on the water to get the non-ethonol fuel so that I don't get any phase separation going on. Hopefully this year and many more to come I will be busy boating all year with no down time.

I have used 27 gallon fuel caddies with manual crank pumps in the past for a fleet of jet skis. I would fill up four of them in the bed of a truck at one time. They are easy to roll off the tailgate and slide down to the ground while standing in the bed. (You need a strong back and hands) The caddies I used had the option to use the gravity fed hose and nozzle if possible or the hand crank pump. If you fill in the water you won't need the expensive hand pumps. A caddy or 2 will pay themselves off pretty quick if you boat a good bit.

On a related note..... Driving home from Miami tonight I was reminded of price gouging by the government of all people! The highways in South Florida have express lanes available at a minimal cost. Usually $.50 to $5.00 depending on the length. Well, apparently they figured out they can raise the price depending on traffic flow! Most nights as I return from Miami the first section of toll road is around $2.00. Tonight it was $10.50!!! I left Miami during the beginning of rush hour which I normally avoid due to its extreme back ups. The express lanes moved fast for about 1/2 of the distance then it slowed to slower than the free lanes. It wasn't worth the $10.50 but the company was buying. Lol.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Well as long as you're talking about government gouging, in PA we donate $0.70 to the government for every gallon pumped! Meanwhile, the folks who actually get the oil out of the ground, transport it, refine it, and deliver it... the oil companies... have a profit of about $0.07 per gallon! The government has a pretty good skim for not having any effort into it.

 

[Bruce]

The marina fuel is most likely non ethanol fuel which is more expensive. The non ethanol fuel is about $1 per gallon more at on highway gas stations in my area. Both of my brothers worked at marinas during high school. The marinas have to pay more to have the fuel trucked into their remote locations. They also staff the docks.

I mainly fill up on the way to the lake but I do not begrudge the marinas for what they charge.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Well as long as you're talking about government gouging, in PA we donate $0.70 to the government for every gallon pumped! Meanwhile, the folks who actually get the oil out of the ground, transport it, refine it, and deliver it... the oil companies... have a profit of about $0.07 per gallon! The government has a pretty good skim for not having any effort into it.

I understand the feeling as we have a high local tax on fuel here. But, they are using it for road repair and improvement which every state needs.

 

[CFD3Captain]

The marina fuel is most likely non ethanol fuel which is more expensive. The non ethanol fuel is about $1 per gallon more at on highway gas stations in my area. Both of my brothers worked at marinas during high school. The marinas have to pay more to have the fuel trucked into their remote locations. They also staff the docks.

I mainly fill up on the way to the lake but I do not begrudge the marinas for what they charge.

Considering two of the marina's I called that were about 1-1.25 more than on the pumps said they were ethanol free.......they are gouging still.

With that said I am sure it's that it is a small marina in a remote location and one thought that crossed my mind was maybe the fuel was purchased last year when it was hovering in the low to mid $3 range on the road? Hell I don't know, I just know 2.25 more per gallon is not right.

 

[MrMoose]

I bring a couple 5 gallon tanks with me when I head out. I usually burn around 10 gallons per outing. I hang the tank from my wakeboard tower and siphon.

 

[treeskier]

I have the 14 gallon flo and go. I fill up and take it down to our dock. I lower the lift and it flows like a champ. It will also pump it but you have to keep squeezing and that's a hard way to go. The hose is very slick with multiple shut off valves and a vented cap. There is no spillage what so ever in the back of the Yukon ... not a single drop. The hose is plenty long which is good because my dock is on the opposite side of the fill cap. During filling there is little or no spillage ... much less than gets spilled at the fuel dock.

I bought my Flo n' Go Duramax Fuel Caddy — 14-Gallon Capacity, Model# 06792 at tractor supply for about $100 and it save me at least $20 over the cheapest fuel dock prices every time I fill it. I add the marine stabil to every tank.

 

[Big Shasta]

I've heard various excuses. Yeah, the ethanol free gas is more expensive but we can buy it a lot of places for .80 more than e10. I also heard the insurance is high for gas stations on the water, so there's that too. Being a free market guy, I'm conflicted. They are getting people who have no choice though. I would take a 6 gallon can with me to the boat and fill it up after our outing. usually that would be close to what we used. You could always make 2 trips or use 2 cans. No if you're really using a lot of fuel, it's going to be a PITA, you might just have to suck it up and pay it. If they're gouging the rental folks, you might find a cheaper station somewhere else on the water. Ours is around 4.50 a gallon.

 

[Icatfish247]

From past experience I can say that a small marina charging an extra $1.00/gal at the pump doesn't equate to them raking in the profits on gas sales. Similar to what others have mentioned, smaller marinas may be getting the gas at street price, potential delivery fees, paying insurance on the underground tanks, pump maintenance is generally not cheap, and they will often need to include additives to combat ethanol problems. Add in a small markup to make it worth your time and the extra $1.00 per gallon doesn't seem so bad. With that said, $5.05/gal is ludicrous.

 

[Belleville_Boater]

We have two locations on the lake to fuel up (both sell only standard ethanol) and both are 4.99/gal. If I didn't have 3 tiers of yard to get down to my dock I would definitely just use cans. After doing that once or twice I finally decided I would just pay the price but I'm with you guys... it's BS they rape boaters with their "convenience" charge of $1+ per gallon.

 

[treeskier]

I believe a $1.00 to $1.25 more for convenience is fair even $1.50 more considering its ethanol free...but $5.00+ no way. In our market (which is a resort beach town) gas is $2.75 and ethanol free at the non-marina gas station is $3.85.

 

[cozilla]

A couple 5 gallon gas tanks and a super siphon.

 

[rkluck]

My old marina was around$1 to $1.5 more than at the gas station. The gas was high octane and ethanol free. I didn't think it was too far out there especially when they can out to help you. Now I have to carry gas down to the lake dock. I use the super siphon and it works great.

treeskier, You said you use the Flo n' Go Duramax Fuel Caddy. Will that roll well on grass? I have to go down a little path to the boat and thought it would be a pain with those small wheels. Also, since it is heavy how hard is it to lift up and out of the car?

 

[Jim Robeson]

Yep, I use a 5 gallon tanks and fill up at my dock. I'm not a 100 percent sure, but I think that might be against the rules in our state...but I'm not sure.

 

[treeskier]

@rkluck The wheels on it are hard plastic (like on a lawn mower) and it rolls OK on the loose landscaping rock that we have. It's better on the concrete and on the dock. I do not have any grass so I couldn't say but I would think it would be decent. It is quite heavy full and rubber tires would be an improvement.