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87SunSportMikeyD
01-13-2010, 12:40 PM
What do you guys do to gas up the boat at the dock? I haul 4x 5gal gas tanks to the dock, then get in the water and lift them one at a time. I saw someone just set the tank on the dock and use a hose as a syphon. Looked slick. I know there are lots of big plastic gas cans, pumps, etc, but what REALLY works for you all??

Oh the hose syphon was in this video I was watching. :)
http://www.grindtv.com/video/wake/rewritten_wake_trailer/#47604

docdrs
01-13-2010, 01:13 PM
I use many 25 ltr jugs and a 50 ltr rolling gas caddy. I will usu get about 175 - 200 ltr at a time about 45 - 50 us gal. and just dump them in off my dock. Up here tho the diff in gas at the pump and gas at the marina is 20 to 30 cents a litre difference. So i get some exercise and get a couple of nice bottles of wine for free. :) the 5 gal jugs are heavy but they go in quick and i always like a challenge....Now gassing up the seadoos is a real pita, i now use the rolling siphon gas buddy...it just takes longer. As far as spilling , the last time i went to a marina i was disgusted with the amount the young guy spilled into the water so now i do it myself.

sorry to rant

Salty87
01-13-2010, 01:46 PM
if the dock is higher than the boat, syphoning should work really good. stick as much of the hose in the can as you can without dropping it and cover the hole with your thumb. as you pull the hose out it should still have gas in it....keep the end closed like lifting a straw out of a drink and keeping it full of liquid. stick the end of the hose and your thumb in the boat's gas fill opening so that when you remove your thumb from the hose the gas goes in the boat. the weight of the gas in the hose will pull gas from the can and it will start flowing.

tips...use a rag to wipe excess gas off the hose so it stays out of the lake.
keep an eye on it so you can tip the jug a little to get the last bit of gas out.
if you're using multiple jugs, stop the flow with your thumb before the jug runs out so you can keep prime and move it to another jug. pour any excess gas from the first jug into a jug that hasn't been syphoned yet.
don't use a hose so big that you can't close the end off easily.

if you fill up that way alot, you can add a valve to the hose instead of using your thumb...spill less that way.

87SunSportMikeyD
01-13-2010, 05:13 PM
Any tricks to avoid overfilling and that nasty SPLASH?

Okie Boarder
01-13-2010, 05:53 PM
I got a cool little siphon tube from Wal-Mart or the Auto Parts store (can't remember for sure). It has the black primer bulb deal on it and tubes on each end. It worked really good siphoning the gas out of my tank for removing it from the boat. You could get a tank that you could carry on a dolly and use the siphon setup to transfer the gas.

87SunSportMikeyD
01-14-2010, 12:11 PM
Well I have been considering one of the BIG tanks - 20g or more. But then I was thinking that I have get it to gas station, lift if out, fill it up, then lift it into truck (FULL), then drive home, lift it out FULL, drag it to the dock and fill boat. It is getting lifting it full out of the truck that would mostly be a big pain I guess.

docdrs
01-14-2010, 06:06 PM
20 gallons is going to weigh close to 200 lbs . My 10 gallon is ok for me ,a 20 gallon and i'd need help getting it in n out. Good Luck. my old boat had a 25 gal tank the new one has a 50 ........at least i don't have to fill it as often

87SunSportMikeyD
01-14-2010, 06:31 PM
Is it really unsafe to fill it right in your trunk? Can you ground it anyway?

A 10g tank with big wheels would probably work for me, that is all I go through in a full day, but it is nice to only get gas from the station once a weekend. No marina fillups here, they are all illegal except some existing ones. Good riddance they are so overpriced.

mapleleaf
01-14-2010, 07:17 PM
I was told that gas from the marina, though more expensive, comes w/o ethanol which is better for a marine engine.....any truth to that????

docdrs
01-14-2010, 08:44 PM
Ethanol will eat away at old fibreglass fuel tanks, absorb moisture which can result in engine performance problems. Due to the nature of boats sitting in or near water and condensation in fuel systems, i add stp gas tx a couple times a year to get rid of water build up and stabil near the end and just prior to winterization to keep the fuel system running smooth. Its worked for me, never had to do a carb tune up in 10 years. 10 % e isn't a pboblem if your doing minor maintenance as per above but higher amounts which are being suggested in the near future are thought to be potentially more serious. Most newer motors can tolerate e10 but older engines should have a water separator. If your boat is going to sit for more than 2 months stabil should be added to help slow phase separation of the ethanol. Its the affinity for water that ethanol has and the solvent capability that causes the problem. So a litttle bit of prevention should keep your motor purrin. Ask your marina what they do to their fuel storage tanks ?
you might be surprised!!!!!!

csuggs
01-14-2010, 10:04 PM
As for the ethanol in the fuel - I've never had a problem, but I think what Doc is saying is probably right. We are going to see higher ethanol levels in our fuel. I have been using Stabil in my fuel for the boat and other equipment around the house for years - never had a problem with start-up in the spring. But at the end of last season I ran across a Stabil product that has an additive in it that somehow treats ethanol fuel. It's more expensive, but I think I will start using it next season.

As for filling up, I'm glad I don't have to fill at the dock. I put in the river about 10 minutes from my house and just fill-up at the gas station on the way. :)

Razzman
01-15-2010, 11:42 AM
I quit hauling gas jugs with us when we got the LSV. We fill up on the way to the lake and the 40 gallon tank lasts two days easily. It's a pain where I am as the campgrounds are 60-100' above the lake and steep. If i need gas i'll just buy it at the marina, it's not worth the hassle to me. Ethanol not's a worry to us in Cali as we don't have it.

87SunSportMikeyD
01-15-2010, 12:54 PM
Razzman lets see some pics bud! Sounds epic.

We do have a launch ~1mi from the house and a gas station on the way, but there is a boat lift at the dock so we dont do much trailering. :)

Next year, though, I am thinking of trailering. I just bought my first house and there is a nice (for a metro area) lake just 6blocks down the street! Boat is stored in my yard right now. Poor girl out in the cold.

dshaff24
01-17-2010, 09:30 PM
When I was 12 yrs old @ deep creek Lake we watched 15+ boats burn + docks because Some guy took a gas can to fill his boat up and I guess static ignited it while he was putting it in his boat and the explosion caught 3 other boats on fire instantly! By the time is was all said and done the was just the bottom of the hull floating around the cove untill a wave got it then they would sink! It was a sight that most would never imagine! What was strange I just found the ol' 35mm pictures in my dads truck!

Anyway back on topic - I fill it up before we put it on the dock then just fill up at the marina!

87SunSportMikeyD
01-18-2010, 11:19 AM
Post em up hehe!