Gas used in 2013 for recreational boating

[Rich]

Ok, it's that time of year: Those of us that burn a significant amount of gasoline on the lake ask the state of NH for our Road Tax refund.

For those that will ask for the form, you can download the NH form here, you can get a refund of $0.18 per gallon with a minimum refund of $10 (56 gallon minimum):
http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/a...ents/RT123.pdf

I hope you saved all of your fuel receipts from 2013, as you must submit your originals and they will not be returned to you!

I had one receipt from 2012 from a lake gas station in Wolfeboro that was not accepted in 2013 because it didn't have the full required information on it. Oh well, next time I won't buy gas from them if I can help it as they were also the most expensive I had seen on the lake all season! I remember seeing the receipt and wondered if they would accept it, now I know that it wasn't acceptable.

So as I'm filling out my refund form, I was wondering how much gas I use compared to others. Of course, different sized boats would use a different amount of gas, and the type of running you do on the lake will also affect the amount, but it still had me curious as to how much gas I use compare to others.

So while we're waiting for the ICE out 2014 thread(s) to start to appear as a sign of spring approaching, does anyone else want to share their gas comsumption as you fill out your NH RT-123 form for your refund?

Some interesting info (gathered because I enter my receipts into a spreadsheet):

• Lowest paid was $3.850 in the first week of July.
• Highest paid was $4.120 the last week of July.
• I paid an average of $4.004 per gallon of gas over the year.
• First fuel purchased the first week of June (Had almost full tanks from the previous year).
• Last fuel purchased the last week of September.
• I notice some stations have the price set to 1/10 of cent on their pumps (i.e.: $3.849), but charge you and give you receipts with the price rounded up to the next penny (i.e.: $3.85) is this even legal?

So here's my gas info for 2013:

35ft cruiser, twin 375 HP engines, 635 gallons purchased in 2013.

[NHskier]

I keep track of my fuel usage in a spreadsheet as well. Not too much difference, other than total gallons used.

High: $4.069 (mid & late July)
Low: $3.959 (early June)
Avg: $4.04

312 gallons purchased for our 27' bow rider with single 375hp engine.

[Broken Glass]

800.415 Gallons
All fuel purchased on the water Low $3.83, High $3.95, Average $3.91

28' Formula 280 SS Twin 350 Mag 600HP
25' Grady White 248 Voyager 250HP Yamaha with 9.9HP Yamaha Trolling Motor

Many hours, endless enjoyment fishing and cruising on the most beautiful lake on the planet.... PRICELESS!!

$144.07 Rebate Due

[Descant]

I'm curious how many hours of use led to those total fuel numbers. I used to use about 18 gph cruising my SeaRay (2 x 350 hp) with full tanks (gas and water) and 6 people on board. Total weight about 16000 lbs. Mostly, I never filled up to keep the weight down and was closer to 15 gph with fewer souls on board. (Sold that boat in 2012 and went diesel.) Using that as a frame of reference, it looks like people are actually under way only about 40 hours per season.

Is that accurate? Are you cruising less than you did when gas was cheaper?
Of course, we all cruise more the first year of ownership. Probably use more wax/polish too.

[Rich]

Good question! I should probably keep track of my engine hours.. or at least log them at the start and end of each season.

If I remember to do it, perhaps I'll write the engine hours on each fuel slip this year.

I also have a generator, that I run when I'm away from the dock in the warm weather to keep the refridge cool (my house batteries are small and need to be replaced and I haven't found a deal on an deep cycle 8D battery yet).

[Broken Glass]

It is almost impossible for me to know the GPH per season. When trolling with the 9.9HP the fuel burn is pints per hour. When headed out to fish the usage is closer to 25 GPH. I do not have a Hobbs meter on the fishing boat. In the 280 SS most of the hours are at 13-1500 RPM. We do lot's of putting around. When on plane I try to never exceed 3000 RPM as that is the optimum MPH RPM for the boat.
according to the Hobbs meter on the boat, the engines ran 101 hours in 2013. The fuel burn for the boat was 475 Gallons. GPH was 4.75. Pretty good for a 600 HP Boat. Proof that the heavier your hand is on the throttle, the harder your fuel bill will be on your wallet.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Broken Glass

. In the 280 SS most of the hours are at 13-1500 RPM. We do lot's of putting around.

Make sure you halve the coupler greasing interval if you spend a lot of time at low speeds. That really beats on the engine coupler splines and couplers are expensive to replace.

[Rich]

One thing I also notice on the lake, some marinas have their gas pumps set to display the price of gas to 1/10 of a cent, yet their reciepts round to the next penny.

So when the pumps says they are charging you $4.099 per gallon they charge your card $4.10 per gallon.

Granted, if you're purchasing 100 gallons this amounts to only 10 cents (or 1 cent per 10 gallons), but they never seem to round down, do they?

Does anyone else notice this?

I mentioned it to one marina where I noticed it, and they mentioned that their credit card machine wasn't setup to accept costs in 1/10 of a cent increments so they round up the price of fuel on the credit card machine to make up for it. Hmm... this might make sense if they rounded up the total price to the next tenth of a cent, but it doesn't quite make sense to me. If they are going to always charge you to the nearest cent, then they should set their pumps to display that charge.

I wonder if they round up the total for cash customers too?

Automotive road side gas stations have no problems charging you the correct amount, so why do marina's on the lake have a problem?

Am I being too much of cheap yankee here?

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by Rich

Am I being too much of cheap yankee here?

Yes, by far too much. Complaining about 10 cents on $400 worth of gas for your boat is beyond ridiculous. I'm sure the gas station owners aren't paying for their Bentley's on your fraction of a penny.

[Rich]

I guess it's my attention to detail (I'm an engineer nerd by trade).

If I really cared, I could buy my gas somewhere else where they don't do this.

To me it's not about the 10 cents (holding the nozzle for a moment will cost me a lot more than this), but more about the principal of it.

I suppose that since no one notices it, nor complains, they can continue to get away with it.

Now back to the original topic!

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by Rich

I guess it's my attention to detail (I'm an engineer nerd by trade).

I'm similar in terms of background and attention to detail. I also pay attention to another detail: the value of my own time and the ROI on getting wrapped up in low-value crap. I long ago learned I am much happier, and ultimately wealthier, by not killing myself over rounding errors.

[Never Enough]

For those of you that save those marine gas receipts over the summer, don't forget to file for your refund! http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/a...ents/RT123.pdf

[upthesaukee]

but Thanks.

[BlackCatIslander]

I always noticed the change in GPH from the start of the season in late April with a clean bottom to mid September when we end the season with a dirty bottom. No jokes pleez.

[Rich]

Do you have a flow meter to know how much fuel you use to this level of detail?

I received my NH Fuel Refund today.