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Gas can vs paying more at the gas dock on the water


weekender

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although gas is about half the price it was last year now, 

my marina still charges about 2x the price of gas on the water as it is at a regular gas station down the street. ~2$ a gallon compared to gas dock ~$4 a gallon, i think about 40 -50 gallons for a 23lsv every few days out comes out to $200 per fill up almost, and i could save about half just filling up with a gas can or two everytime i go out.

i figured this year i could just get a 5 gal gas can or two and just fill them up at the gas station when im almost at the lake, put them in my sedans trunk for a mile or two, then just fill up at the boat on the water for ~$2 a gallon.

 

Anyone have any experience with this? My concern is mainly driving with these gas cans either empty or full. Empty its a problem sitting in a car in the hot sun whenever they arent being used with the residual gasoline still inside and i cant ethically just try to dump them out in the parking lot to totally empty them and just let them dry out with the cap off.

I also dont want to really leave these gas cans empty/99% empty in my car with gas fumes building up inside while the car gets baked in the sun.

 

i live in a city and park on the street and live in an apartment also so i dont have a garage to leaves these cans in fyi.

anythoughts?

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I use 3 ea 5 gal plastic jugs. Bring them down to the lake, full, empty them into the boat at my lakehouse, so the tank stays topped off for max surf wave. Repeat nx weekend. If I know I need more fuel for Sunday, and dont feel like driving to fill them up, I just top off at the marina. I basically use 15 to 20 gal per day.  All that to say the jugs are in the back of my truck, not the trunk of a car.also after the jugs are empty I leave the caps a little loose so they don't build up too much pressure while in the back of my truck.

 

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i agree. just looking i guess for someone to convince me otherwise.. also not worth risking my car exploding due to gas cans in the back for days

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1 minute ago, weekender said:

i agree. just looking i guess for someone to convince me otherwise.. also not worth risking my car exploding due to gas cans in the back for days

Have you ever put a gas can inside a car?   You wont be able to breath after the can is in there for a couple of days 

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12 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Have you ever put a gas can inside a car?   You wont be able to breath after the can is in there for a couple of days 

i have done this even for a few minutes. i agree. very dangerous as well

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https://www.cnbc.com/2013/12/04/warning-scientists-say-gas-cans-carry-risk-of-explosion.html  And there are some nice videos of guys fueling cans in the back of pickups.  It's like the 4th of July!  Like Dad used to say... "You gots to pay to play".  Although TBT, if I was burning 20-40 gallons a day I'd get  a 500 gallon tank and have that filled.  Up here, there is a 30% uplift for marina gas.  I can live with that.  YMMV

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2 minutes ago, weekender said:

i have done this even for a few minutes. i agree. very dangerous as well

I have - just seal the plastic can in a garbage bag.  EOS.

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Does not sound like a good option for you to be transporting cans of gas in your car.  I fully appreciate your wanting to save the fuel cost, we debate the same thing too.  The response carries no more than 10 gallons on board for daily ski sets, i keep 10 or more cans at the lake house to fill it with.  The 25 gets filled at the gas dock, even thogh its 20 minutes each way to the closest gas dock, but they have 93 octane, with stabalizer already added. 

I looked into getting a fuel trailer, but without the propper CDL, where I live and use my boats, its not an option, local fuel suppliers won't even fill them if you don't have the right certification to transport it.

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I’ve had gas cans in my car but only to the lake which is ten minutes and never leave them in any longer. 
Also I’m pretty sure you won’t be allowed at any marina that sells gas. 

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You could always wait until the boat is low on fuel, pull it out, go to town and fill it.  You could also use the opportunity to clean any scum line off the hull.

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3 minutes ago, RyanB said:

You could always wait until the boat is low on fuel, pull it out, go to town and fill it.  You could also use the opportunity to clean any scum line off the hull.

Doesn't sound like he owns a truck since he is worried about storing the cans in his car so towing probably isn't an option.

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If you can hunt down a few surplus NATO jerry cans, they don't leak.  I have one that my brother gave me years ago, and it is great.  I have three more that I bought new for cheap, and they work but the steel isn't nearly thick enough.  They don't stink or leak, but I left one in a shed with sun on it and came back to it dented out from the pressure.  It didn't leak, though.

You could buy the nozzle also, but honestly a 3/4" hose to siphon with will drain it faster and with no spilling.

This looks like a real one (and cheap enough that I might get a few more).  https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/nato-military-surplus-20l-steel-jerry-can-used?a=2049570

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It’s been mentioned multiple times, but I doubt your marina allows people to fill boats with gas cans. Keeping your boat at the marina has a lot of benefits, but one of the draw backs is having to fill up on the water. Sounds like you need to prioritize marina boating vs trailer boating. Based on your op which mentioned a sedan, street parking, etc sounds like marina boating is the way to go. Part of that convenience is paying more for fuel. Heck, ask your friends to chip in for fuel and make sure they’re on board when you hit the fuel dock. 

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