Calling all Petrol bods

[Jobs_a_ good_ un]

How do you get on with the cost of petrol ?
Do you feel as free to go out ?
Just thinking the cost of diesel may soon be the same as petrol and wanted a perspective on it

 

[BarryH]

I gave up keeping track of how much money I poured into the boats tanks. I just enjoy it now. Depends on what type of boating you do. An average w/e for me would probably run up to about 100 quid in fuel for a good couple of days just coasting and messing about. If I went across the channel I'd be looking to do that and a bit more both ways.
Depends how hard you want to use the throttle and how far you want to travel.

 

[MedDreamer]

From my point of view, I know nothing different as I've never had a diesel boat so I went into it knowing that I would have to moderate my cruising ambitions.

We were originally on Windermere, couldn't go too far without hitting land so fuel costs not that significant. Now we are in Majorca where petrol is cheaper but we only use the boat for dayboating and bayhopping so again not really an issue.

I think if I had been used to cheap fuel and the dcruising freedom it brought with it I would feel the price increase quite badly.

Martyn

 

[Nat]

New boat consumes 12 to 15 galls an hr at 3000rpm 22knts depending on sea state. W.O.T 32knts flat sea 25 galls an hr.
Twin V8 5.7s. Cost of marina fuel in Spain 1 litre = 1 euro
Last trip 10 days fuel bill 700 euros. Booze & food bill 200 euros.
To sum it up ...... Pleasure of boating outweighs pain of spending.
......Nat

 

[Its_Only_Money]

As part of the overall running costs of the boat it doesn't overly worry me. Like for like an equivalent diesel will still use approx 30% less quantity for the same HP so even if diesel comes up to petrol prices there will still be a differential in running costs on a similar installed hp basis I would have thought....?

 

[gjgm]

mainly dayboating, but tend to save the open throttle for a bit of fun, and be a bit more rational when cruising from a to b. Id guess people will adapt their boating to how much fuel they care to spend. yes, there would be some long distance regular cruisers who would have a horrible increase, but then many will probably be change their boating and still enjoy.

 

[jhr]

Most petrol boats are small, like mine, so not sure comparisons with large twin engined diesels are entirely like with like.

In reasonable conditions and at cruising revs (3,500) I get about 3 mpg out of my 22 footer. I'm guessing you get about 1 mpg at cruising speed. Petrol's about 3 times the price of red diesel, so at the moment, we pay about the same price per mile as you.

I take the view that I don't add up the cost of what I spend on petrol, on the grounds that there are enough stressors in my life already

 

[johnnyb]

I have a Sealine 290 with twin petrols and last year the cost was around £1500 pounds for local days out, we are aware of the cost as it takes around £500 to fill the tanks right up but if we just nip to a local bay for a days swimming with the kids its no more than £50 at a steady pace and my better half prefers a more sedate pace anyway. i keep the wide open throttle stuff for when i am out and about with my son. talking to a local engineer about diesel conversions like you do he told me he could replace both petrol engines with new ones if the need arose for the price of one diesel engine which made me feel a little better about the cost of petrol..........

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Have to watch the pennies very carefully these days and a full tank of petrol would be beyond my means more often than once a year or so. A full tank of red is still viable rather more often, but if it goes up to petrol costs I for one will either have to give up boating entirely or become some form of ditch crawler, which isn't _quite_ the same thing, is it?

 

[BrendanS]

It's never constrained me at all, but in the scheme of things, compared to other boating costs, the cost of petrol has never been an issue.

Having said that, my boat is pretty frugal. Even at fast cruising speed it only uses a litre per mile or thereabouts. Even on a trip to West country (eg Salcombe, 115 nautical mies ish from Lymington) I'd probably spend less than £200 there and back, and on a long weekend, I'd spend more than that in marina/mooring fees, meals out, drinks etc etc

 

[itsonlymoney]

Currently paying £1 a litre on winderemere however I prefer to take a 20L can up at about 85p a litre every weekend. As we dont go out of the marina every time and even if we do its only for ten miles or so its not really an issue for us.
Ian

 

[itsonlymoney]

Incidentally my new profile pic was taken at Low wood ski school Winderemere last weekend by my daughter from her dinghy. This is the first time we have ever moored up there as previously its been a bit choppy and noisy due to ski and wakeboarding. As a matter of interest contrary to popular belief the ski school is still in business, however I don't no how !!!!!
Ian

 

[Alistairr]

Yip, Ian we used to do that with our first boat.
Used to cart 3 jerry cans up every time we went to the boat.
But we are only allowed to transfer it from the cans to the tank when we are 150mtrs from the shore. So when we got the new boat we deceided to pay £1 a litre for the marina fuel just for convience, also because we use it a lot more and 3 jerry cans wasn't enough for it every weekend.

As per the origional question, we are happy to pay that, as the enjoyment out weighs the cost. we try not too think of it!!

Note, 3 jerry cans for sale!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Another reason, was people putting the frightners up us, by saying the max number of litres of petrol you're allowed to carry in a car in 5, and we were talking 75ltrs each weekend!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

 

[MedDreamer]

When we were in WMV the guy in the next door berth used to do this and his fuel filler was right next to our boat, I always felt more than a little nervous watching him fill it and smelling the fumes.

Scary

Martyn

 

[itsonlymoney]

Martyn
I know what you mean, but I am very safety concious and allways put my cigar on the jetty whilst filling her up. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ian

 

[Alistairr]

Thats the very reason, our Marina doesn't allow it!!!
If one goes up, the whole pontoon goes!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Whitelighter]

Have any of you petrol chaps consider LPG? I am looking into it for my 285 which runs a Mercruiser 350 MPI. On petrol she uses about 9-10 Gallons an hour at a fairly decent 20-22knts. LPG consumption is apparently fractionally higher, but not noticably so. Based in Sparks Marina they have a refueling station as well, which sells Calor Marine Gas for 39ppl, compared to the petrol at 95ppl.

Working on 9 gallons/40 litres per hour, and a yearly use of about 100 hours I reckon I can save £2250.00 a year in fuel costs!!!!! This is the primary reason I didnt go for a diesel boat, as the same model was an additional £13000, which I would never recoup if (when?) red diesel goes.

I reckon I can get about 30gallons (133 litre) of usable tanks in the boat, nicely fitted and boxed, inthe dead space either side of the fuel tank for about £3500.00.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

I'd expect the tax on LPG to be treated about the same as that on red diesel but with a different reason used, although the same real one: perceived increase in revenue.

 

[Whitelighter]

I'm sure in the long run you are right. But for the time being, duty was actually reduced last year by 2ppl - so for now it seems to be moving in the right direction.

I have spoken with Calor this afternoon, and they have confirmed that the current refuelling sites will be maintained indefinitly, with the reimplementation of removed sites considered as and when demand grows.

There is also a rumor that the brunswick group is looking at the viability of factory built bi-fuel boats for the EU market. I guess time only will tell.

 

[Its_Only_Money]

As Solitaire on this forum, he might "have a view" on installing LPG. Seems pretty polarised, either a given installation happens and runs without problem or the engine(s) suffer terminally, not a lottery I'm willing to take part in (mainly this seems possibly related to early LPG systems where the same ignition setting had to be used for both fuels, LPG requires more advance than petrol but as the static setting on older ignition systems can't be advanced (else it would lead to detonation on petrol), LPG was running retarded and presumably leading to the engines running with high cylinder temps, but this is just my theory).

Would take what Calor say about refuelling stations with a pinch of salt, getting LPG an installed base was always a question of chicken and egg - having tried installing a base of stations and found the takeup wasn't there at most of them how will they ever encourage demand in areas without a refuelling station now?

Current stations will stay indefinitely or if/until demand drops to an unjustifiably low point