Where does that leave boaters looking for better fuel options for their boats?

Well, you can always swap the motor boat for a sail boat or canoe and paddle. Fortunately, those aren’t your only options. Bio-diesel fuels can be used in any diesel engine with little to no modifications necessary, although your regular maintenance schedule may need to be adjusted. Electric motors are also available on today’s market and can often be powered with solar or wind energy for a completely green power source.

The problem for many boaters, of course, is that making the change to alternative power and fuel sources can be expensive. If you already have a boat that runs on ethanol or unleaded fuel, using bio-diesel isn’t an option. What can you do?

Consider saving up so that your next boat can run on green power. In the meantime, look for ways to be green in the galley, reduce your fuel consumption, and prevent fuel spills.

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3 Easy Ways to Save on Boating Fuel Costs

1. Keep your boat engine tuned. A boat that is running properly will usually use less fuel than a boat that does not. Even a small problem can cause your engine to work harder and less efficiently.

2. Don’t tow excess water. Emptying water out of pontoons and keeping your bilge and head dry for a single day of fun on the water makes your boat lighter. The lighter the boat, the less fuel needed to propel it through the water.

3. Turn off the engine. Whether you’re waiting for a water-skiier to regroup, fishing, or just chatting with other boaters, turn off the engine instead of idling in the water. Idling wastes fuel and may emit carbon monoxide fumes.

Every boater can practice these conservation tips without spending an extra penny or making any changes to their existing vessel. If you want to save even more on fuel costs in the future, look into solar and wind power systems that can power your boat and your boating gear.

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Oil spreads very quickly into a thin sheen on top of the water. As little as one cup of oil can create a sheen over more than an acre of calm water. These oil slicks create a barrier to the oxygen that normally moves across the water’s surface, causing significant problems for both animal and plant life. When it comes to oil and fuel spills, a little bit can do a lot of harm.

Prevention, of course, is crucial. Take the time to learn how to safely fuel your boat to prevent spills and know where your marinas spill station is located. But accidents can happen to even the most careful among us. What do you do if you have a fuel spill in the water?

How to Handle a Fuel Spill on a Boat:

1. Act quickly – remember that a small spill can spread quickly
2. Place an absorbent oil-only mat pad over the spill
3. Dispose of the used pad properly
4. Contact staff at your local marina

That’s it! The most important part of handling a spill is to react quickly and to be prepared with the proper materials. Always have an oil absorbing mat or pad on board or with your boating gear, and know exactly where it’s stored.

Are you prepared or boating season? Do your part today by making sure you have the right supplies to take care of a fuel or oil spill.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus says that the goal of the US. Navy is to have at least half of its energy coming from non-fossil fuel sources. While this will undoubtedly be better for the environment, the main concern of the U.S. Navy is the amount of fossil fuels currently being purchased from “potentially volatile places on earth”. Secretary Mabus also pointed out that fossil fuel may be less expensive than many biofuel alternatives, but the expense of delivering that fossil fuel to military units in certain parts of the world is very high.

Going green, it seems, is a political, security and economic decision as much as (if not more than) an environmental one.

In its quest to go green, the Navy finds itself facing a problem many consumers may be familiar with: it already owns vehicles that work just fine on fossil fuels. Replacing the Navy’s entire fleet of air, sea and land vehicles a decade sooner than planned would present an impossible expense to the government and tax payers. The only solution, then, is to figure out how to make biofuels work with existing vessels.

Does this mean you might be able to run your current car or boat on biofuels in the near future?

Possibly.

The U.S. Navy is largely relying on biofuels created from things like algae, wood chips, mustard seed and other organic materials.  Right now, these sources aren’t mass marketed and are either unavailable or unaffordable for the average consumer. Consumers currently largely rely on converting or purchasing vehicles to rely on wind and solar energy. But military demand could change all that in the near future.

As Secretary Mabus points out, “the military oftentimes is the cutting edge of technology and the rest of America follows.  And I think that’s because (of) how much energy we use, the market we can establish and driving the price down, making sure the infrastructure is being constructed.  Then it makes it really easy to move it into the bigger economy and move it out of the military sphere.”

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There are a number of ways to practice green boating, from choosing a green marina to buying green boating supplies.  You can also take a closer look at your energy sources, both in how you power the boat itself and how you power devices on deck.

Advancements are constantly being made in green energy right now.  Here are a few examples of green energy sources you can use for and on your boat.

Green Energy Sources For Your Boat

Solar Energy

The power of the sun can propel a boat and keep all of your electronic devices running on board.  Today, the most common way to utilize solar energy on a boat is through the use of solar photovoltaic systems, or solar panels.

Energy from Water

Formally known as hydrokinetic energy, it’s possible to use the motion of waves, tides and currents to charge a battery that can power an electric motor.  A device known as an impeller can be towed behind a boat, where it will have the least impact on performance, to transfer the energy created by the motion of the water into usable energy to propel the boat.  Currently, this is one of the more expensive and difficult to acquire technologies for green boating.

Incidentally, hydrokinetic energy can also be used to create renewable power on land as well.

Wind Energy

As long as there have been boats, there have been boats powered by the wind.  Large sails have been propelling boats for centuries, but today we can use wind to power the electric motor on a boat.  Wind generators are perfect for on board power since there is always wind to be captured when the boat is moving.

Although these green boating techniques will require a larger investment of your time and money to get started than others, they’ll also make a more significant difference in the impact you make on your surroundings.  They can also help you save a lot of money on fuel over the years.

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* Slower speeds reduce how much fuel your engine needs. Sure it’s a thrill to go fast, but dropping down even a few knots will help conserve fuel.

* Try not to under power your boat. A small engine trying to push a large boat through the water uses much more fuel than an engine appropriately sized to you vessel.

* Keep your engine properly tuned and maintained so it will operate more efficiently.

* Use the grade of gas or diesel your engine’s manufacturer recommends. Not only will your engine last longer, but it will run better and use less fuel. 

* For both short and long trips make a float plan before you head out so you can minimize unnecessary mileage.

* Power boaters should pay attention to how they use their engine’s trim tabs. The smoother your boat moves through the water, the less fuel it needs. Pay attention to trim tabs, especially while accelerating up to planing speeds and you’ll use less juice.

* Keep your hull clean to reduce drag. The smoother your boat is the easier it will slide through the water, and of course, use less fuel.

* Minimize the use of onboard generators.

* When docked, use electrical power instead of generators.

* Minimize the time your boat idles, on the water or at the dock.

Unless you are a true purist with no engine onboard, fueling your boat is a fact of life. This simple act that we usually take for granted has more potential than just about any boating activity to cause real environmental damage.

Walk the docks near any fueling facility and you are guaranteed to see a deadly rainbow sheen on the water. Just a few loose drops of gas or diesel can spread across the water in no time. Turn your head away while filling your tanks and the accidental spray that heads over the side can contaminate an area many times larger than your boat’s footprint. Let a few gallons loose and you can destroy an ecosystem.

For boaters who trailer their boats each time they head out, it is easy to fill up just like you do your car. After you fill up a quick wipe down of your boat’s exterior will make sure you don’t carry any stray fuel to the water with you.

For boaters who keep their vessel in the water most of the time there will be a lot more effort required to avoid a spill.

However, like most modern day tasks requiring the use of nasty stuff near the water, there are some simple precautions you can take to get the job done without causing any harm.

First and foremost, pay attention. More fuel spills are caused by the neglect of a busy skipper than anything else. It is imperative that you take the time to devote all your focus to fueling your boat. This is not the time to be carrying on multiple conversations or doing two things at once. You can afford to daydream when you are washing your boat, but not when you are fueling her.

If you fill up at a marina with traditional fuel pumps take a minute to do it right. Keep the hose nozzle elevated in such a way that the last guys left over fuel doesn’t hit the water. Also, keep a few paper towels or a dedicated fuel rag handy as you handle the hose and insert it in your fuel tank. Being able to wipe up those few accidental drops right away is a must.

Unfortunately, many novice boaters fuel their boat on the water as if it were a car. They jam the nozzle down the fuel intake pipe and let er rip. Unlike car’s however, most inboard marine engines have venting systems to allow condensation and fumes to escape the fuel tanks. If you try to fill your boat like your car you run the very real risk that these vents will overflow with fuel, right into the water. To avoid this unnecessary mess consider a few things.

One, keep track of your engine’s fuel requirements. With some third grade math you should be able to figure how much fuel you use every hour your engine runs, giving you a good idea how much you will need at each fill up. Write these facts and figures down in your ship’s log (yes, even small boats should have one of these) so you know when to slow and then stop your fueling.

Two, consider using spill prevention devices. Several exist and they are easy to use. One option is a No-Spill system that is a sealed catch basin you place over your exterior fuel vents to catch any overflow. These inexpensive tools are easy to use and stow easily. My only complaint about them is that you must deal with returning the overflow fuel to a proper container, not always a foolproof task. Compared to causing a spill, however, this minor inconvenience is a no-brainer.

Another nifty gizmo is called a fuel whistle. These simple devices have no moving parts and are permanently installed so you don’t have to mess with them each time you fill up.  First, you locate the hose leading to your exterior fuel vents. Then you make a simple cut in the vent hose, insert the fuel whistle and clamp the hose back down. Total time to install is less than 15 minutes for even the mechanically challenged. Once in place, the fuel whistle works according to simple physics. As you fill your tanks the air inside them is pushed up the vent hose, through the fuel whistle, and out the vents. As your tanks fill, the pressure on the expelled air increases. The fuel whistle is engineered to begin making noise once the air pressure reaches a point that corresponds with a nearly full tank. When the whistle blows, shut off your fuel source and you are good to go.

These prevention devices work great for fueling in a marina, but they also help the boater who must bring fuel to their boat. For those of us unlucky enough to deal with this chore there are some simple guidelines to follow. Please don’t bring the same cheap fuel container to your boat that you might use for your lawnmower. You know the ones I mean, either plastic or metal with a simple spout on the end that may or may not have a plug in it.  The moment of truth with these containers comes when you make the initial pour. All that fuel rushes down the spout and usually makes a splash. It is nearly impossible not to spill these old fashioned containers. Instead, spend a few extra bucks on the newer flow control containers out there. Usually made from a thick plastic, the flow control models let you positions the container and insert the spout before a drop of fuel comes out. Once ready, push a little gravity switch and your fuel goes where it is should and nowhere else.

For more details on fuel prevention devices please check out our retail website at

http://www.greenboatstuff.com/fuspprcluppr.html

For boaters with deep pockets or a desire to be extra precise, there are numerous electronic gauges that regulate your fuel status too. If installed properly these devices work great. Unfortunately, such gauges are often out of sight when you are bent over filling a tank, so they can be useless unless you have a partner within earshot watching them.

Regardless of how you fuel your boat, the key is to fuel your boat and nothing else. Common sense and patience are the key to doing the job the right way.