Refueling in the water

[M6cabriolet]

Hello,

I am a new member here and tried to search but didn't find anything on this subject.

The fuel on the lake here is literally $2 a gallon more at this time then the gas station up the road. I can't pull the boat out every time I need to refuel so I need some good options on how to refuel easily on the water. Holding 5/6 gallon tank at an angle inside the boat doesn't work too well and gets heavy obviously after the 8th one lol. Does anyone have any ideas or similar scenarios that could shed some light on this?

Thank you!

 

[2kwik4u]

Use a shaker siphon instead of holding the jugs.

FloTool Shaker Siphon 6ft., 3.5 GPM, Model# 10801 | Northern Tool

The FloTool Shaker Siphon helps you transfer fluids with ease. Just insert the siphon end of the hose into the liquid you want to transfer, then sh...

www.northerntool.com

Also, build a cart to roll the jugs from the truck to the boat. Some 2x4's, and some cheap wheels should get you there fairly inexpensively.

Check with your marina, I know many in this area do not allow fuel canisters on the docks due to fire hazard.

 

[ctyke]

I don't have fuel on my lake, so I carry cans. Switched over to the Racing jugs a few years ago. You can dump 5 gallons pretty quickly and don't have to mess with buying separate more effective spouts. That said, 40Lbs of fuel gets heavy after the 4 jug so I'm going to order one of those shaker siphons to try out. I like the idea of building a tote for them so I can roll them out on the dock!

Amazon.com: VP Racing Fuels Motorsport 5 Gallon Square Plastic Utility Jug Red & 14 Inch Hose (4 Pack): Automotive

Buy VP Racing Fuels Motorsport 5 Gallon Square Plastic Utility Jug Red & 14 Inch Hose (4 Pack): Gas Cans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[M6cabriolet]

Use a shaker siphon instead of holding the jugs.

FloTool Shaker Siphon 6ft., 3.5 GPM, Model# 10801 | Northern Tool

The FloTool Shaker Siphon helps you transfer fluids with ease. Just insert the siphon end of the hose into the liquid you want to transfer, then sh...

www.northerntool.com

Also, build a cart to roll the jugs from the truck to the boat. Some 2x4's, and some cheap wheels should get you there fairly inexpensively.

Check with your marina, I know many in this area do not allow fuel canisters on the docks due to fire hazard.

I was looking at the 25 gallon carts that have wheels but they are fairly expensive but I may have to go with that. I was hoping there was some kind of long flexible funnel I could use or something to hold the can while fueling, but I haven't found that yet.

I have my own dock, so as long as the warden doesn't come around I guess it is ok. The problem is I have about 200ft elevation drop from the house to the boat so I am not sure that I can wheel 25 gallons. I think that's about 200 pounds and it is a steep bank or take the stairs haha.

 

[ctyke]

I had some neighbors try those 25 gallon plastic carts/tanks. It was hard to load into a vehicle full (against the law to fill in the back of your pickup) and it was really slow to fill up there boat, like really slow. We had one on the farm that was 30 gallons and metal. it had a reversible pump. We would fill up the truck (50 gallon tank) go home and suck the gas from the truck to the portable tank. then could pump into whatever needed gas by bringing whatever needed gas to it. That worked well!

 

[2kwik4u]

I was looking at the 25 gallon carts that have wheels but they are fairly expensive but I may have to go with that. I was hoping there was some kind of long flexible funnel I could use or something to hold the can while fueling, but I haven't found that yet.

I have my own dock, so as long as the warden doesn't come around I guess it is ok. The problem is I have about 200ft elevation drop from the house to the boat so I am not sure that I can wheel 25 gallons. I think that's about 200 pounds and it is a steep bank or take the stairs haha.

Fuel is 6lbs/gal.....Roughly 150lbs. Still quite the chore to drag up/down a hill without some form of motorized assistance......well assuming it's going down full, and coming up empty it might not be terrible.

 

[M6cabriolet]

I had some neighbors try those 25 gallon plastic carts/tanks. It was hard to load into a vehicle full (against the law to fill in the back of your pickup) and it was really slow to fill up there boat, like really slow. We had one on the farm that was 30 gallons and metal. it had a reversible pump. We would fill up the truck (50 gallon tank) go home and suck the gas from the truck to the portable tank. then could pump into whatever needed gas by bringing whatever needed gas to it. That worked well!

that's an idea for sure....i'll have to think about the possibilities now.

Thank you all for the ideas though. I like the shaker siphon idea as far as cheap and fast.

I guess I just need to buy a golf cart to carry all the fuel and extend a shaker siphon out about 60 feet to the boat LOL

 

[ctyke]

Gas up on the hill, long hose + 200ft of drop = Boat filled up fast!!

 

[biffdotorg]

Shaker siphon for me as well. In fact, it's just long enough to allow me to set the 6 gallon can on the swimdeck table. It obviously has to be above the fuel level in the boat to work. That was my issue with using a rolling tank.

The signs at Costco tell us that we cannot fill any tank larger than 6 gallons, which was odd. Not sure if that is a local ordinance, or just their policy. If I had one of those larger rolling tanks with steps, I would consider mounting it on a refrigerator cart. You know the two wheelers with the step rollers on the back side. Going up would be no issue.

At this time, I may just mount a table to the post on my lift above the fuel fill. Then I could stop worrying about breaking my table.

Good luck guys!

 

[M6cabriolet]

Gas up on the hill, long hose + 200ft of drop = Boat filled up fast!!

 

[Babin Farms]

Use the shake siphon as well, just not on the AR yet. Planning on taking a milk crate and putting on swim deck to hold cans higher than exit of siphon hose.

 

[biffdotorg]

 

[rkluck]

I had along walk to my dock as well. I looked at the bigger 25 gal tanks but you can't lift them and they are very heavy to guide downhill. I got a four wheel cart with higher sides and it would hold three 6 gallon jugs with no problem. Once I got to the dock I used the siphon. I just kept the jugs in the cart and the siphon sucked it dry. I would pour the last drops in at the end. You have to watch this all the time since a wave can cause problems. It really isn't too bad once you get used to doing it.

 

[M6cabriolet]

I had along walk to my dock as well. I looked at the bigger 25 gal tanks but you can't lift them and they are very heavy to guide downhill. I got a four wheel cart with higher sides and it would hold three 6 gallon jugs with no problem. Once I got to the dock I used the siphon. I just kept the jugs in the cart and the siphon sucked it dry. I would pour the last drops in at the end. You have to watch this all the time since a wave can cause problems. It really isn't too bad once you get used to doing it.

Luckily I am in a no wake zone where the dock is so hopefully I won't have any wave issues.