Gasoline Prices

[CHassmann]

RE: Propane Tanks

I've run nothing but 89 octane in my '02 GT40 with no problems at all. Before that it was nothing but 89 for my '91 with a Pro Boss.

[Dean]

RE: Propane Tanks

I have also read and talked to mechanics that say the difference between octanes is not as big as the difference between brands of gasoline. They said to always use name brand gas, it burns cleaner, leaves less residual and is more efficient than the cheap stuff. The overall preference was Chevron with it's techroline additive. Since taking their advice I have noticed a bump in overall mileage numbers in my truck by about 2 miles per gallon. And since using it in my boat I haven't gotten any of the dirty exhaust stuff around the back of the boat. Food for thought.

[pj]

RE: Propane Tanks

I think I just read an article somewhere about what octane rating people should be running in their boats. I'll have to look around at home and see if I can find it. All I remember was the article said that pretty much all boats run fine on the lower octane fuel. Except PCM engines. However, I remember a lot of back-and-forth on this topic last year and I think the general consensus was that the 87 should be fine. It's really a matter of what compression ratio your engine has that determines the octane requirement. If you have a high compression engine, you'll need a higher octane fuel. The higher the octane rating the slower the burn propagation. This is how you avoid detonation, or spark knock. By running too low of an octane for the compression ratio, the compression of the air/fuel mixture (and resulting heat) causes the fuel to light off a little early. At least, that's how I understand it.

[Daytomann]

Yeah, I had a huge shock this weekend. Here in Oklahoma we have the lowest gas prices in the US averaging about $2.12/gl....thats the good news. The bad news is that I live about 150 miles from my favorite lake. I burn a full tank of gas round trip without towing the boat. So thats $50 a trip. This weekend we made a detour to see some friends then went to the lake to check things out and get away. We didnt take the boat but with the added miles to see our friends, we burned about the same amount of gas in my truck that would would have if we had towed the boat to and from the lake. We spent $75 in gas in the truck alone. So I figure a couple of weekend trips a month will end up adding what would amount to another car payment to our budget with the gas in our truck and boat :|

Oh well, what can you do? I'll either have to storage my boat at our favorite lake, which will keep us from boarding during the weekdays here in the city, or I'l have to go to closer lakes and forsake our favorite lake getaway. :evil:
Looks like I'm gonna have to make more money this year, its gonna get expensive. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[SGY]

I hear you Daytomann. I have a 90 mile drive to the lake. Gas is going to be a killer. I think this year I'm going to ask my regular family guests for help with gas money. The problem I see is that everyone is talking like this is temporary. I don't see gas prices ever going down below $2.00 again. It'll hover around $2.20 and creep up from there--IMHO. Rutat, if you are lurking here, maybe you should throw in your two cents.

[BASC]

You should be here in the Uk.

Current average price is 0.83p per litre or Just over £4.00 per gallon, working on the current exchange rate of 1.8 usd to 1 sterling gives us an approximate price of $7.20 per gallon.


Thats why so many people run the boat on LPG.

Update on the UK price, it has gone up again to 0.85p per litre approx £4.25 per gall or $7.65 using b2's calc, and no sign of it letting up. Further rises are predicted
My 196SN runs on LPG so I make a bit of a saving there but my truck runs on diesel and that's around 0.90p per litre or $8.10 per gall. It can manage around 25 mpg, so with a couple of round trips of 100 miles each at weekends the costs soon mounts up.

[Brad_K]

And the price of LPG is starting to creep up aswell

[CHassmann]

Re: RE: Propane Tanks

I have also read and talked to mechanics that say the difference between octanes is not as big as the difference between brands of gasoline. They said to always use name brand gas, it burns cleaner, leaves less residual and is more efficient than the cheap stuff. The overall preference was Chevron with it's techroline additive. Since taking their advice I have noticed a bump in overall mileage numbers in my truck by about 2 miles per gallon. And since using it in my boat I haven't gotten any of the dirty exhaust stuff around the back of the boat. Food for thought.

There is some validity to the brand issue also. The decals and manual tell you not to use gasoline with alcohol additive. I refuse to use BP gasoline. Friends of our have a Ski Supreme that was not running well at all. They worked on it for a while until I asked them what brand gasoline they use. They siphoned the BP out and replaced it with Shell. It ran great! :grin:

[wake_fun]

RE: Re: RE: Propane Tanks

$2.69 for 89 octane here in NorCAL..........

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Re: RE: Propane Tanks

This is getting ridiculous. Soon the dudes selling candy and operating gas pumps will be making more than us. On land, $2.45 for 83 and $2.65 for 93. And that's with ethanol. Then if I don't want ethanol, I have to buy 93 at marina for $2.99 a gallon. Some's gotta do the math and figure out how many years it will take until you have paid more in gas than for the boat.

I'll start. If you use 1 tank of gas (30 gallon) every Saturday for 8 months of the seaon, April-November, at a price of $2.50, after 16 years of owning the boat, you will have spent about $38,400.00 in gas.

Same scenario at $3.00 per gallon. After 16 years, you'd spend about $46,080.00 in gas.

Makes you want to buy a Moomba instead right???

Nahh.... 8-)

[bcrandall]

I wouldn't say I'm an avid environmentalist, but with the current gas prices this sounds like a good alternative. At least for a tow vehicle. www.greasecar.com or www.biodiesel.org

[AbunDiga909]

Saw this pic on WW and thought it was appropiet (sp?).

[TwinTip]

RE: Propane Tanks

PJ, could that article have been in the April Waterski Magazine (page 86)?

This is part of that article:

"Virtually all marine-engine manufacturers require no more than 89 octane fuel, and sometimes lower (MerCruiser engines take 87). With few exceptions - like PCM or Indmar six-liter engines - you can go low at the pump and maybe save enough green to buy a weekend at your favorite ski school."

I take it that the exception on PCM engines is the ZR-6 but the Excalibur (5.7L) can take low octane. After all, the manual and engine sticker on the Excalibur state to use gas of no less than 87 octane.

So for those out there with the ZR-6, you will have to spend more $$$ than those with the Excalibur.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Propane Tanks

So for those out there with the ZR-6, you will have to spend more $$$ than those with the Excalibur.

Still worth it :?: Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Absolutely... Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

If it were all about the money, I wouldn't be in a Nautique right now.

[97SN]

RE: Propane Tanks

If there is a positive side....it may be less crowded on the water this year. My personal adjustment is taking mass transit to/from work and putting the savings into the water-ski gas fund. I know I'm one of the lucky ones where mass-transit is an option, eventhough it takes me over twice as long as driving. The company for whom I work provides a free yearly pass to ride the local mass-transit system, so the only net cost to me is time -- time that is passed thinking about being on the water and smiles per gallon instead of price per gallon. Yellow_Flash_Colorz: