What you need to know when fueling your boat
The process of fueling your boat is not something any owner looks forward to. It’s expensive, time consuming, and just plain inconvenient, but it needs to be done. When fueling up, there are a few things you need to know ahead of time to make sure you’re doing it safely, effectively, and to your boat’s best interest.
Understand the size of your fuel tank
This seems basic, but it’s even more important on boats than it is on cars and trucks because a boat’s life extends well beyond most street vehicles, which means you’ll encounter many more broken fuel gauges. If yours isn’t working, you should know how much gas your boat needs to ensure you don’t overfill your boat or need to fuel up again after a short period of time because you didn’t fill it enough.
While it’s important to know the size of your tank, you can listen to the sound of your tank filling as a good guide. When you get to the last half to a quarter gallon, you’ll start to recognize the sound that indicates it’s almost full. It’s important to listen closely and recognize this sound, because it’ll save you time, money, and the embarrassment cleaning a spill.
Also Read: How to Reduce Fuel Consumption For Your Boat
Leave a little room in the tank
There are times when you might not be able to hear that sound of your tank approaching its capacity. In those cases, err to the side of underfilling your tank. An extra half or full gallon isn’t going to make much of a difference in your boat like it would in your car, so be safe and make the conservative choice.
Manually pump the gas
Filling your car with gas is easy because you can simply set it and forget it until the pump stops automatically. In a boat, it’s important you don’t use anything to assist in pumping gas other than your hands. Although fueling can be time consuming, propping the handle is extremely unsafe and can create huge problems if forgotten and can extend a spill if there is overflow.
