The management of petrol

[Seajet]

I have never worked out exactly how much fuel my motor uses, we never had flat water, I suspect it was worse than 1L per hour.

The difficulty obtaining fuel suprised me. We had to drive to get fuel to start with but I expected that. There was petrol at Oban, but I had to hide it in the rucsack to use the ferry from Oban Marina. A very kind man gave me a lift @ Dunstaffnage but it was only a mile to walk. Tobermoray was good, it was local. Fort William I had to walk the length of the town. I wouldn't like to speculate what it's like going round the top.

It was enough to convince me that the Centaur was the best option for using out of Tayvallich.

Very true, and a good point.

At most harbours it's a right pain to get petrol, and a good rucksack with a couple of 5 litre plastic containers seems the only way to go.

Sometimes when faced with calm - motoring - conditions I've had to walk quite a way inland to get petrol, I always carry a good supply of Mercury high quality 2 stroke oil, this does seem to make an important difference compared to el cheapo oil !

 

[Reptile Smile]

I think decanting fuel from containers into an o/b tank is quite foolish as you may well be in rough water.

Had a thrilling twenty minutes two weekends ago waiting for the Portishead lock to open whilst watching the outboard tank slowly drain in a highly unpleasant lumpy and confused sea.

I could either choose to refill the tank and pour petrol all over the cockpit floor in a heavy sea, or risk running out of petrol and get blown on to the breakwater. A little more forethought before I left in the flat calm of Bristol harbour would have avoided everything.

I am, officially, a championship idiot. Lesson learnt.

 

[DaveS]

I would agree with others re. petrol consumption. Looking at the last cruise in my previous boat (Etap 22, Suzuki 8 hp 2 stroke) I see that I averaged 2.73 h / gal or 1.66 l/h. My current boat (Etap 30, VP 2002 diesel) has averaged about 1.1 l/h over 14 years - and the tank's bigger. Overall, on changing boats my fuel range improved by a factor of 3. It certainly explains why my old logs are full of entries like "diverted to Coll to buy petrol".

 

[fergie_mac66]

We recently had to motor pretty hard for 2 hours into a force 4 headwind two weekends ago.

9.8Hp 2 stroke with high thrust 4 blade prop driving our 7.3M TS 240 weighing about 1.5 tonnes straight into a force 4 doing 4.5 knots through the water.

We consumed 12 litres of fuel

A previous weekend we were doing 3.5 knots at 1/4 throttle in calm water and we consumed around a 1 litre per hour!

Last weekend we could just hold station against a 40 knot wind and 3 knot tide at full chat! Good job it was only for 10 minutes waiting for lock in.

IMHO You will only get a litre per hour in ideal conditions!

We use a 22 litre tin can remote and a plastic 22 litre back up that on average is half full. Both are strapped firmly into a bottom vented rear cockpit locker. All fuel transfer done by syphon even under way. I can top up without any spillage by syphoning from 2 off 5 litre cans carried by car from Garage to boat or from plastic back up to tin can.


KTL shortly to becme becomes KFU

Keep Filling Up....

+1 thats sound same sort of figures in our w22

I guess a 6hp would use proportional less

 

[Scillyboy]

From a small mobo owner point of view, IMHO refilling petrol tanks on board a boat is something to be avoided at all costs - potentially lethal. I have binned a large fixed tank, and replaced it with smaller purpose-made plastic tanks which can be removed for filling, either at the petrol station or elsewhere. I use proprietary tanks from the outboard manufacturer, and the fuel lines have the same quick-release fittings at motor and tank ends, so the tanks can be removed and switched around quickly and at will, with no petrol spillage. Additionally, I've linked two fuel lines to a brass three-position switch so that when one tank is empty, the other can be switched in without interruption, and the supply can be shut off if need be. What is manageable will depend on whether you live on a mooring or a pontoon of course, and tank size will depend on what you need and what you can fit in.

 

[Fire99]

I still have my 20L Metal 'cans' from my old MOBO days and normally I fill one to the brim and keep that in a cockpit locker, with a full main tank. (Around 10L)

Never any issues using, storing, nor filling up at the garage.

That said I was used to filling 4 x 20L 'cans' every time I visited my old MOBO, so this is childs play in comparison

 

[onesea]

Dylan my 2 pence worth,

6hp 4 stroke Mariner Trident 24, 5.5 knots just over 1 ltr an hour.

Have a couple of sizes of petrol cans 10 lts and 5 lts. I always found it made life easier for carrying depending on where I was and what I wanted to top up...

Example: 15 lts to heavy to carry long distance (ok in car). 2 x 10 ltrs OK for short distance, 2 x 5 lts a mile or 2 no problem...

You could also consider cheap Ikea trolley but its more stuff to lug around...

Make sure one of the cans is different colour/ shape so you know which one has the 2 stroke mix in without markings that always rub off etc..

You can get "none over filling spouts" for petrol cans. Aparetnly they stared in "dragons Den" I bought one as I got fed up with trying to fill small outboard on dinghy. They work well (turn can over and wait till it stops) and are easier than prating around filling 1 ltr bottles for the small outboard (or buy one to fill your 1 ltr bottles).

My small outboards with inbuilt tanks have all lasted about 1 hour full chat.

As Sea-jet says none splash filtered funnel for pouring larger quantities.

If leaving the fuel for even short time put some fuel additive/ preservative. It in it does not cost that much compared with engine not working properly and associated worry.

For storage just make sure the vapour's or liquid cannot get into the boat.

Also make sure you cannot mix up your 4 stroke and 2 stroke oil if labels get damp and fall off...

G

 

[johnphilip]

I had not thought of that....

good point

I am told that I should expect to use a litre an hour while motoring with a 5 hp four stroke at about 4 knots in flat water.

With a 3 gallon fuel tank in the back of the cockpit and a second three gallon tank in the anchor well I should have quite a bit of capacity

Does that figure of a litre an hour square with your experience?

Dylan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzwkmFaOsSA

Almost what we did on our Hunter Delta, 3 gall tank the engine fed from with the outboard so it vented through the well and spare cans in the anchor well Better to use 5 litre plastics for these, no corrosion and easier to fill from with their spout and the garages accept them.

 

[VicS]

I still have my 20L Metal 'cans' from my old MOBO days and normally I fill one to the brim and keep that in a cockpit locker, with a full main tank. (Around 10L)

Never any issues using, storing, nor filling up at the garage.

There should be.
10 litres is the max they are allowed to sell in a metal can ( 5 litres in plastic)

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I am told that I should expect to use a litre an hour while motoring with a 5 hp four stroke at about 4 knots in flat water.

I have a 9.9hp 4-stroke Yamahaha on my 9.2m 1.8 tonne trimeringue. In flat water and calm conditions I get 22 Nm per gallon. That works out at a litre every 56 minutes, so seems about right with what you have been told. However, when motoring into the wind or waves consumption increases dramatically.

I can carry 60 litres which gives me a flat calm range of getting on for 300 miles.

 

[penfold]

There should be.
10 litres is the max they are allowed to sell in a metal can ( 5 litres in plastic)

I have to giggle at what goes on regards cans of petrol; I appreciate HMG want to stop citizens immolating themselves, but there are practicalities to be addressed here. For example, the rescue craft that we have on our standby ship have outboards; in a quiet month we might use 100 gallons of petrol, in a busy month we have had to get extra jerrycans brought out to us and consumption was about 250 gallons. The petrol is stored on deck in jerrycans which have to be filled by the boat services chaps; their biggest problem is the company fuel card melts if you try to buy more than £300 worth at a time. If the rules were strictly applied it would take a week to refill all the jerrycans!

 

[fergie_mac66]

I have to giggle at what goes on regards cans of petrol; I appreciate HMG want to stop citizens immolating themselves, but there are practicalities to be addressed here. For example, the rescue craft that we have on our standby ship have outboards; in a quiet month we might use 100 gallons of petrol, in a busy month we have had to get extra jerrycans brought out to us and consumption was about 250 gallons. The petrol is stored on deck in jerrycans which have to be filled by the boat services chaps; their biggest problem is the company fuel card melts if you try to buy more than £300 worth at a time. If the rules were strictly applied it would take a week to refill all the jerrycans!

+1 we often fill 4 6 gall tanks before a long trip nver have a problem would be a pain having to fill 20 ten liter containers ,would be less safe too , all that transferring !