Refuelling petrol riverboats

Gavi

Gavi

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Can I gather some thoughts/advice... and before I get a torrent of "buy a diesel" well, I haven't (yet!) so:

- I'm comfortable with where I can get petrol from locally, which is Penton Hook, but they shut at 5pm
- I can also get petrol from Windsor, though that is too far for SWMBO to travel without being certain we have enough fuel to get home (I have great fun with this in the car /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )
- I'm aware of the risks of spillage and fumes
- I don't want to store petrol anywhere other than in the boat fuel tank
- roadside garages seem to insist of filling no more than a little plastic container
- I'm not getting much sense from websites... but DID find this classic on a pike fishing site:

"Ensure that petrol tanks and connections don't leak as spilled petrol can cause fire and also cause damage to the captured pike."

All that aside, what capacity and type of fuel canister is:

(a) safe to use at a garage

and

(b) easy to pour SAFELY into an inboard fueltank (fuel cap is on the outside of the cockpit, horizontal on the small decking)

OR should I just plan life better and top up with fuel whenever I'm near a petrol seller?
 
Military surplus jerricans. Hold 20l if a modern one and whatever the nearest number of gallons might be if an old one. I picked mine up for a fiver each at the War and Peace Show a few years back but any military vehicle show is likely to have them. I have not had issues at filling stations, although have been filling them with diesel.

Or Shepperton?
 
I thought 5l was the max you could buy.. all dating back to when making petrol bombs was a popular hobby in places, I recall. Id guess a petrol station will know!
Just fill up when your near one. You ll use it up sooner or later anyway!
 
I would reccomend using a syphon 'jiggle' line rather than pouring directly into the tank. These lines have a simple one way valve on one end and allow you to syphon by 'jiggling' this end in the container until continous flow is achieved.It takes approx 6 mins to fill 30 litres of petrol into my inboard tank with this method, while you can keep the container upright and at least one hand free.I bought it at local car accessory store.
 
In the US, the marinas charge about 25% more than the auto gas stations. We trailer to the stations and fill up w/o a problem. The trick is keeping the fuel good. We use a fuel stabalizer and avoid over filling the tank, spilling the gas.
 
Interesting. From reading the posts I think i'll do the following:

- fill up whenever conveniently passing a petrol pump after going below half a tank (I know this hobby is not about rushing, but PH takes about an hour to get turned around in my limited experience)
- get a 5 litre can to top up with ahead of departing in case I want to travel when I am theoretically too lean (which, to be honest, will not be often)

I guess this is also about me learning about the fuel capacity of the boat. I have a wooden dipstick to measure fuel and have no idea how reliable (or not) the markings on it are! Only one way to find out, so I have started to keep track of journeys and fuel level. This means I actually need to run lower than normal so I can see what the true level is when below half a tank.
 
'Problem is that the RYA regs: cover only the transportation and storage issues. The sale of fuel is governed by a separate set of regs: and the retailer is for the high jump if you breach those on his premises (withdrawal of license).

As usual in our convoluted society, nobody is quite sure which regulations cover which situation. I got a bollocking at a Tesco station but Sainsbury's ignore me. Now I pull up at a pump well away from the direct view of the kiosk window and don't get any bother. I usually fill two JerryCans suitably NATO (irrelevant) marked.
 
I purchased some 20l plastic fuel containers last year, and generally never had a problem filling them up at the local garage. They are pretty heavy but usually I could get a trolley to get to the boat. I think the jiggly thing to syphon petrol through is a great idea - I used to use a huge angled thing and hang the petrol can over it, and boy was it hard work (although I never spilled any)

I still have them somewhere if you are close to Nantwich, free to a good home

Martyn
 
I do the same as you But with 3 jerry cans in the back of a

pick up It looks as if I,m filling the pick up /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

the link mentions the different regs

cheers Joe
 
Based on a couple of explosions/fires this summer on Freemans and perhaps other petrol boats before, our tip is to consider trying not to fill right to the top of the petrol filler pipe. Our provisional investigations suggest that the weight of the fuel in the filler pipe MAY have pressurized the fuel system enough to cause petrol to leak out through the carbs (there was a 20-30min time gap between filling and starting) and ignite on engine turnover. This is our initial hypothesis only, but it may be a tip worth following, at least until we have drawn further conclusions.

Regards
Rob
 
I picked up a spout for my 20L jerry can along with a wide mouth funnel i have no spillage . Youll get to know the petrol stations on the river as you go out and about and i think the only one you cant see from the river on the way to Windsor is the one near the Beefeater (if its still called that ) on the left just before you hit the park and the magna carta .
Feel free to PM me if you want to know more as im always about on that part of the Thames .
 
Ah yes, I know the station... the pub is now (depressingly) a Harvester. There is a BP station before it, on the right as you head downriver.

I now just need to learn how much fuel my boat will use to get home from there. Aim to fill up safely whenever possible... but carry an empty 5 ltr can for when needed.

And it would be nice to buy you a beer at some point as we've passed each other several times!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I thought 5l was the max you could buy..

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought 5 litres was the max you could store at home?

I guess I'm breaking the law then... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I regularly put 25 litres into my rubber-ducky's tank at garages... and not use it all.
 
Funnily enough (OK, I know it is not funny...), we had a pressure problem last time we filled up at PH and petrol overflowed unexpectedly, but not from the filler. We gave it a little time to let the tank pressure settle, all hatches were closed and there was little possibility of vapour inflow due to the canopy. We pulled her forward and, as I am writing this, all was OK when we started her up....
 
Beer sounds good /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ive sent off to Mr HLB for my new forum flag today so im sure youll spot me when we pass again .


Funny you mention Freemans Andrew as the only first hand stories ive heard of explosions and fires are from freeman owners . Im not saying this is a problem with the boat it just seems odd . Maybe its because freemans are made so well the owners lived to tell the tale ?
 
Ssssh, suspect they'd read my profile. But to be fair, the advice was ok... even if it did relate to an outboard and if Rob had read my profile beyond Freeman he's seen I have inboard. But I am too green to pick fault. I just want to be safe.
 
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