fueling R25

tuggin aweigh

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
77
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2703E314
Vessel Name
Tuggin Aweigh
MMSI Number
367609060
We will be leaving for Florida in a few days. With one exception we have always fueled while Tuggin Aweigh has been on a trailer. Will it be difficult to find diesel that is dispensed with the smaller nozzle? I believe I remember CaptD touching on this subject. Any suggestions or observations?
Tuggin' Aweigh
 
You can see picture in my album of the bronze one. I took them back to West Marine and got pvc . Much much cheaper and work perfect with big and small nozzels. I used a reducer from 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 which takes the largest nozzel.

captd
 
Using CaptD's advice, I also put together an extension like his which takes the larger nozzle. Fueling(for me) is still a slow process...I have to gently squeeze in the fuel, careful not to put full pressure on the system or it will back up or "burp" and overflow...I try to fuel when no one else is waiting...thought, of course, the huge clorox bottles taking hundreds of gallons talke endless time anyway....

Since I try to top off rather than wait until i am low, it is not a bad situation at all.

tom on BANJO
 
I use a small vacuum cleaner nozzle to reduce the hose nozzle size.
Works well.
Dom Parkinson
Florida
 
I spent 2 weeks on Florida panhandle in November. I spent a couple of nights in Pt St Joe and the marina there only had a large nozzle with a high volumn pump. They acted like that is only type available. When I went over to Panama City there were many soources of fuel & most had both sizes for fuel filler nozzle. I had not previoulsy had this issue since I end to fill mine early in season with cheap red-dyed fuel in Alabama before I take it to Tennessee to launch for season. I can go entire season there (5-6 months & 60 hours) without buying fuel. However, I put more than 60 hours on my boat in the 2 weeks I was in Florida in November so I got more exposure to buying fuel at a dock.

I have had some issues with buying fuel for my Ford F250 diesel truck where the station only had a large pump nozzle so I guess I need to get a nozzle adapter.

For anyone trailering their boat to Florida I would recommend that you leave tank empty & take advantage of cheaper red-dyed fuel as you drive through Alabama.
 
I was not sure what red diesel was so looked into it. This is what I found. I would not want to get caught using it or at least state on a public form that I am using it. FYI.........

Red diesel fuel is only slightly different chemically from regular automotive diesel fuel, but there can be a significant difference in cost. The cheaper red diesel fuel could conceivably work in place of the more expensive automotive diesel fuel, but that would defeat the purpose of a fuel tax. In order to ensure that home heating oil, which is minimally taxed, is not used as diesel fuel, which can be heavily taxed, revenue agents require home heating oil to receive a special red dye. This liquid red dye can be detected in even the smallest samples taken for examination.

Using red diesel for reasons other than home heating is generally considered a criminal act, since the buyer did not pay the proper tax for regular diesel fuel. If there is reasonable cause to inspect a vehicle's fuel tank or storage tank, inspectors can quickly and conclusively identify the presence of red diesel and take appropriate action against the offender. Without the creation of red diesel, it would take a trained chemist to differentiate between home heating oil and automotive diesel fuel.
 
Off road diesel is sometimes dyed red and CAN be used in your boat. It just signifies that the road tax has not been paid. It is mainly for agriculture use off road. Do not put it your tow vehicle under penalty of law. It should be a 25 to 35 cent savings. Marinas usually negate the tax savings by higher prices.
 
That sounds good, Thanks. Just like to know what is cool. I travel across the boarder a lot with my boats and It is always nice to pay the much lower prices on fuel down there . They don't have the taxes we do. I find that it is over a dollar a gallon less. That is one of the advantages to boating in the sea of cortez.
We do not have the red fuel here in Colorado that I know of but I have never looked into it. I may just do that.

Thanks again, Stu
 
The world is surely weird. I know that in AL and GA diesel fuel in the marinas is red and the diesel fuel at the gas stations is clear. I think the clear diesel fuel is taxed; the red isn't. I also know that diesel fuel in the marinas costs more than diesel fuel at the gas pump. I also know regular grade gasoline costs less than diesel, even thought it requires more refining, incurring additional costs.

Gene
 
I live in Alabama about 1 mile from Georgia state line. Red dyed fuel is about 45 cents cheaper at the local "farm" pump nearby me (I believe this is entirely a state road use tax rather than federal). I doubt you will find these "farm" pumps nearby intrastates but they are frequent on state highways. Red dyed fuel is legal in boats in most states BUT I have heard that some states may word their laws to restrict its use from boats. I can not verify this & all the states in the SE USA allow its use in a boat. Some states have a marina use tax which is applied onto the fuel they sell which does contribute toward higher marina fuel costs. The large local fuel supplier told me that the red dyed fuel is usually the same as road fuel except it often contains higher sulfer content (% varies since it will usually be a mix of low sulfer & UL sulfer) There are no restrictions on sulfer use in farm or off road equipment.
 
I forgot to mention that I think red dyed fuel is only available in some states by direct delivery from a fuel truck. This prevents people other than farmers from getting it.

By the way I recently saw a large boat (80-90 feet) taking fuel directly from a wholesale truck at a city owned pier in Guntersville Alabama. He probably saved a bundle. The local suppliers usually want you to buy a couple hundred gallons to deliver.
 
Are any of you guys using fuel additives because of the new diesel fuel? They have taken the good lubricants out. I use Howes in my truck every fill up .

Stuart
 
It pays to know what your truck requires. My 2008 Ford states emphatically you must use ultra low diesel fuel. Some red fuel won't pass the smell test. Off road fuel is ok for older trucks and heavy equipment including Yanmar and Cummings diesel. Bad news for some new diesels. Like Ford.

A Yanmar mechanic told me not to use any fuel additives. Go figure.

I am curious what other engines must use Ultra low.
captd
 
I have wondered about the use of "higher sulfer" in newer engines. My F250 truck (2000 non mechanical controlled w/7.3 turbo) was built for older fuel. My two 2005 Kubota tractors are OK with older fuel. Even my 2008 Ranger w/mechanical controled Yanmar is supposed to run on older fuel. However, some newer "non mechanical controled" engines specify only UL sulfer fuel. My first impression was that the concern is emmissions related but there is a potential difference in lubrication capability of fuel so I do not know. In the large diesel power industry (5000-10000hp) a lot of engineering effort has recently been looking at impact because most fuel suppliers are only able to guarentee delivery of UL sulfer fuel. The only impact I have seen so far is that for large emergency generators is that some facilities have trouble meeting mandatory 30 day emergency backup requirements due to lower BTU content of new fuel (original fuel tanks may not hold enough of the newer fuel). No damage has occurred to these engines from use of new fuel. However, these large engines are all older mechanical designs.
 
For what's worth--Illinois law states that dyed fuel CANNOT be used in boats. Even though the boat only uses the roads on a trailer license to transport the boat. Go figure--another shot at more tax revenue.
Welcome to Illinois.
Tuggin aweigh
 
I find that most marinas now use only the large nozzles for refueling sport and charter fishing boats. I found a solution by using a long flexible spout, high side funnel and cutting off most of the bottom of the fill tube so it would just fit in the diesel inlet. I then use a small bungy cord to attach the top of the funnel to the back rest frame. I can now fill up in about 10 minutes instead of half an hour.
 
Don't know if this helps but when i worked on the cummins engines, we were told the new low sulpher fuel was an emissions related deal. In '07, all diesel powered vehicles were fitted with a DPF. (diesel particulant filter) this device will be damaged by using high sulpher fuel. The older diesel engines, and i assume any engine without a DPF, is quite happy with the low sulpher fuel.I have been running my pre '07 powerstroke on the stuff for over 4 years and have had no problems. So the deal is, all diesel engines will run on the new fuel. Just don't put old fuel in a newer than '06 vehicle.
 
Man, this is a thread gone wild! What happened to the original question about adapters for filling the tank?
 
knotflying":2vqljke3 said:
Man, this is a thread gone wild! What happened to the original question about adapters for filling the tank?

Oh, I think that there were some good practical answers on the first page at least. 😉
 
Back
Top