Petrol Engine Cruisers

[nottsian]

Hi All, new member to the group.

considering buying a Fairline Targa 27, with twin Volvo Penta petrol engines. From the limited info I can find, there doesn’t seem to be any boatyards that sell petrol and fuel consumption is quite high at a gallon per hour at normal river cruising speed. Most of the info I can find seems to be older than five or six years old. As much as we love the boat…it seems it would be perhaps quite a lot of trouble to get it fuelled up and would probably be quite costly for breaks and holidays.

Any constructive guidance or comment welcome on the details above.

thanks in advance,

Ian

[BrundallNavy]

If it’s cheap you could always re engine with a pair of second hand diesels. 

[Graham47]

I am not aware of any boatyards on the Broads that sell petrol. Most people with petrol boats have to re fill using Jerry Cans. 
 

[CambridgeCabby]

Petrol will have to purchased from a garage and transported to the mooring as as you correctly thought petrol is not available on the river .

At a consumption of a gallon an hour you would have to transport quite a lot of fuel to fill her , I believe that the most you are permitted to carry in your car in containers is 60ltrs , although some garages have their own rules regarding how much they will sell you in cans.

this means that at a rate of a gallon an hour you should be able to get approx 13 hours cruising for your 60 litres (12 of the regular red (or green) plastic containers , you can also get metal 10ltr containers) .

[CambridgeCabby]

At today’s rate , your fuel cost would equate to £6.10 an hour compared to the £3.48 per cruising hour it cost us on our last cruise based on what we paid at Boulters for diesel on the 60/40 split and that’s on twin Diesel engines .

 

[Tobster]

I run a petrol Bayliner and use 25Litre cans, with a syphon pipe.

I don’t have any issues & can normally put 75 litres in the tank in under 10 minutes, without spilling any. 

[Graham47]

Sorry Ian. Forgot to Welcome you as a new Member. Welcome to the site. So much information available on here from other members.

[Smoggy]

What do you want to use the boat for?

For rivers only I wouldn't touch a twin petrol, probably not for sea either, would be better with a 30hp outboard and loads of extra storage where the engines used to be.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Take into account the petrol rating coming in this year and one thing for sure is that it wont be cheaper than todays cost.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e10-petrol-explained#:~:text=During summer 2021%2C the standard,built since 2011 are compatible.

PS       

[nottsian]

Thank you all for the comments and warm welcome to the group. Lots to think about !

[Stationerystill]

Diesel is available at about 95p a litre from pumps on the Broads. It is more economical and much safer.

 

[Helian]

I have a Bayliner with a petrol 350MPI Mercruiser. When we bought her Brooms were still selling unleaded. Yes the Jerry cans are a pain but the purchase price differential with a very similar spec boat was over £30,000, proportionately a massive step up. You can buy a lot of (more expensive) unleaded for that.

Also consider how much will you really use it. Does it justify the extra capital cost?

[Smoggy]

What use question still relevant,  for rivers only I wouldn't look at any twin whatever fuel.

Even if you only use one they handle like a pig when singleing,  touch reverse with one engine on mine and you'll do an unwanted 90 degree turn on the river, I found when having a fuel filter problem.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Nottsian welcome to the forum.

Regards

Alan

[Vaughan]

I would not have thought you would find that sort of boat suitable for the Broads, for several reasons.

Rather enclosed in hot weather, difficult to get on and off when mooring, especially with those handrails down the sides. Possibly not very stable on deck owing to the deep vee hull design.  As others have said, also difficult to handle a twin engine, short length boat in small spaces.  Especially with out-drives.  They are not meant for it!

As for petrol engines, I have grown up with them, in hire fleets and even in the 60s, at least half of Jenners' boats still had petrol engines.  I saw a lot of explosions and I put out a lot of fires.  I can assure you that a petrol explosion and fire on a boat is 5 times worse than one from butane gas.  I might also mention that the majority of petrol fires on boats these days come from accidents when re-fuelling by hand from cans.

The Americans love petrol engines in boats like this as they give much more power and acceleration for bombing about offshore, than a diesel of equivalent size.   But their moorings are just bow on in a "slip" in a marina and they don't "do" narrow waterways.  They also have petrol available at the pump in all marinas and it is very cheap.

It is a question of "horses for courses".  I think you would enjoy the rivers and broads very much more (and more easily) in a boat designed and built for the job.

Sorry to put a damper on things, but welcome to the forum!

 

 

 

 

 

[Polly]

Welcome! 

[vanessan]

from me too!

[TeamElla]

Since I don't use it, I've never noticed the lack of riverside petrol re-fuelling facilites on the Broads.

It should be noted that for obvious reasons, most (if not all) marinas on the Broads prohibit re-fuelling at the berth in their terms and conditions, which require the signature of compliance of all berth holders. It doesn't stop these rules being flouted regularly in our marina and the above would seem to explain why.

For the sake of our resident wildfowl alone (not to mention the mess that it makes), I dread the consequences of a spill.

[annv]

Hi Ian One thing i would add to Vaughans comment is that out drives will only steer when the prop is turning which means you have to drive them into the mooring spot unlike shaft drive where you can come in to moor in neutral, also out-drives CAN make stern on mooring untenable. also the bellows need changing every two years or so which requires the legs to be removed to do this which will be the case if you re engine with diesel John