(Lake Allatoona Specific)
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| Name: |
4lakelivn
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 2:13:02 PM
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1. I just bought my place last week and the boat that went with it. The seller and realtor got a chuckle out of me hauling 3 5 gal. gas cans from home to fill up the boat. I've done a search and read the pros and cons regarding hauling your own gas. However, those threads were a while back during gasoline volatility pricing. Those who enjoyed the chuckle said marina prices are only about 10 cents higher than the local convenince store and that I shouldn't fool with hauling gas back and forth from Georgia. Any new information I can pick up on pricing?
2. The above mentioned boat did not come with a trailer. The previous owner stored the boat year round at one of the marinas for what I thought was an exhorbant fee. The question: what are the options? Buying a trailer and hauling it to storage somewhere? Find some farmer who would store for the winter. Rent a trailer? Sorry for the questions, but I'm a newbee to the lake.
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| Name: |
Rooster
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 2:49:07 PM
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1. marina prices are 20-30 cents higher- would not haul from GA either. When you get to lake, then haul your gas- You can also buy a 28 gal gas can from Overton's. Com.
2. Consider having a lift installed at your dock, no need for trailer then- several mechanics make house calls if you need one. good luck.
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| Name: |
Rooster
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:00:46 PM
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In addition-- if you don't have year round water- buy a trailer so you will be able to extend your boating season- several people- me included- store on property under cover- but there are dry storage facilities available off water-
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| Name: |
H2X
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:01:09 PM
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Be careful with the gas you haul in. If it has ethanol, you'd be better off paying more for it at a marina that is ethanol-free. I know of a few stations around the lake that still carry pure gasoline. Watch for the decals on the pumps. Gas with ethanol is bad bad bad for your boat.
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| Name: |
Summer Lover
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:01:36 PM
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1. I mule fuel (3 five G cans) also, and do not recall seeing as small a difference as .10/gallon between the marinas and land based stations. I also prefer fueling at the cabin, then not having to worry about hitting the marinas - except Chucks for a "Chimney Rock" pizza on occasion. Fifteen gallons will get our little boat through most weekends - we are not in the boat that much or running all the time when we are. Larger boats or more fuel usage would blur the lines, but it is personal preference.
2. If you have a place to store the boat on a trailer at your new home - avoid the recurring and rising costs of storage by buying a trailer. We have a ramp, and haul our boat when we leave, securing it on a pad, and letting us rest easier.
Disclaimer: Your location with regards to marinas/storage facilities, as well as your own dock/ramp/storage options will of course impact your particular situation, and the above statements are in no way meant to convince you to take a bad tack. No liability should be assumed if you follow any or all of the above. Any savings derived from the use of the above information can be compensated for by the transfer of cold beer to the author.
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| Name: |
Ulysses E. McGill
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| Subject: |
Soooo many things to consider
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:10:43 PM
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Do you have a ramp on the property or one that's very convenient? How big is the boat and how much gas does it burn? Do you have a boat lift? If so, is it covered? Do you plan to leave the boat out all year?
Here are some things to think about:
Boats take a beating when left out in the elements all year. Sun, mold, wave action, and constant exposure to water will considerably shorten the life of a boat. Boat lift's, garages, boat houses, and storage facilities can all help fight this battle. If you plan to store your boat off the water, you may want a trailer (I try to keep my boats garaged when I know they will not be used for several days). Gas is cheaper off the water (usually 50 cents or more per gallon). You need to decide the "pain factor" of hauling vs. going to the marina, but if you haul gas in cans or get it with the boat on a trailer, find a station that does not use ethanol (bad stuff for boats). Since I garage my boats regularly, I often trailer them outside the neighborhood for a fill-up since that is just as quick as going to the marina and I can save money too.
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| Name: |
4lakelivn
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| Subject: |
Soooo many things to consider
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:25:24 PM
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You can tell I'm new, since I didn't put all the below responses into the original post. Here are the answers:
I do not have a ramp to the property. I only have a fixed dock and floating dock. The boat is a 25 ft. pontoon and holds 24 gallons. I don't know how much gas it burns yet, since I've only been out 2 times (thought I was in the river, but was just in Manoy Creek, so I don't think I ever got near a marina). The dock is not covered and I do not have a lift, which I assume that's why the former owner dry docked it. I don't plan to leave it out during the winter. I covered the boat when we left Sunday, so I plan on leaving it covered when we are not there during the summer only. I'm thinking ahead about what to do during the winter - back to the delima: buy a trailer and move it to storage or find someone who can trailer it to storage. Maybe this additional information clears up my question. Thanks.
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| Name: |
Ulysses E. McGill
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| Subject: |
Soooo many things to consider
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Date:
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5/6/2009 3:40:49 PM
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Trailering a big pontoon for gas when you don't have a ramp does not seem like a reasonable option. I have a 24' Harris (25gal) and I usually fill it up with cans or at the marina. I have a 120HP I/O and it does very well on gas in the putt-putt mode which is what I use it for. My jet skies and ski-boat are what I typically trailer for gas. To save me some typing, give me a call. I'll send you my number from the facebook group page.
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| Name: |
Rooster
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| Subject: |
Soooo many things to consider
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Date:
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5/6/2009 4:22:59 PM
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Buy you a trailer- sounds like you will be much happier- should be able to pick one up for less than 2 k. I live in Manoy Creek (Lakeview Height area ). During winter I store my tri under cover on my property. this winter will buy a covered aluminum shed to store under - take a 36' shed to completely cover mine- 22' boat but have oversized trailer- priced a shed at around 1800.00 on Hwy 280 toward Alex city on left. Pay for itself in 3 years vs renting. Have a gold and white SunCatcher tritoon with a 115 yamaha. be on look out for me. Nine times out of ten, wearing a camo cap.
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| Name: |
Swimmer27
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| Subject: |
Welcome to heaven....
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Date:
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5/6/2009 4:24:15 PM
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AKA Lake Martin. I am sure that you will have many years of enjoyment to come. It can take newbies years to explore all that the lake has to offer. It is tough to do it all in one season. Is your place in Manoy Creek? If so we are neighbors.
Now about those options, since it is a pontoon boat you have the option of renting a jack up trailer twice a year to haul it in and out, and store wherever you choose. The cheapest option obviously is if you have the space on your property is to just have it set down there and then cover it up for the winter. Also the aluminim covers you see everywhere make excellent storage for boats, but with a 24' boat you will have to 'special order' one long enough to cover the entire boat. It will cost more than the 'standard' $595 you see them for everyshere, but still a pretty good buy. Also, I don't recomend it, but many folks just let the water go away and leave the pontoon boat in the lake bed all winter till the water comes back. Others build a rack for the boat to sit on in the lake bed in the winter.
One thing too is that if you are in Manoy Creek we are blessed with an excellent ramp at DARE Park and at Madwind Creek. Which is best for you will depend on what part of the creek you are in. If you are off of Genie Martin Rd. then The Madwind Creek ramp is closer by vehicle.
PS-- Summer Lovers disclaimer from above applies here too...lol.
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| Name: |
muddauber
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| Subject: |
Welcome to heaven....
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Date:
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5/6/2009 4:45:55 PM
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The amount was not specified. I'd hold out for a 6 pack, negotiate for 4, settle for three, glad to get two, ok, one will do it. lol
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| Name: |
Mack
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| Subject: |
But, It sure is nice..
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Date:
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5/6/2009 5:02:31 PM
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to arrive at your lake place, flip the switch and watch your toon settle into the water under a covered lift. If you've got the bucks and the dock space, think about it.
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I agree this is an excellent option. If my neighborhood allowed covered slips, this would be my choice.
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If you do not support the marinas on the water, then they will not be there when you need them. It is not worth the trouble to haul gas in. I can see it was reasonable during the "shortage", but I believe in supporting the businesses on the water. Also think about it, you probably will spend as much as you saved in time and trouble hauling the cans to go get the gas to haul back to fill up. That is time wasted off the water to me!
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 8:20:32 PM
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Let me disclaimer my response. We live on the lake full time and so we are not supporting another residence somewhere else.
We have a 22 foot pontoon boat and a bass boat. We had a boat house built and had lifts installed so we would not have to store our boats at a marina or look for an offshore storage. Having said that, we do rent a storage space for the boat trailer and an antique car we have for a very reasonable $70 per month. We have noticed a lot of people rent such a space for pontoon storage.
We also buy fuel on the lake, just because it's easier to do so. At this point in our lives, we just decided saving a few bucks wasn't worth the effort involved in hauling gas. Don't forget that your time and effort are worth something; and additionally, if it takes too much effort, it becomes a burden rather than enjoyment.
We've lived here for almost a year now, and it is wonderful. I think you'll be very, very happy here.
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| Name: |
boataholic
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| Subject: |
Soooo many things to consider
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Date:
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5/6/2009 8:40:00 PM
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I find marina gas to be more like 75 cents higher. When I had a lake place 5 miles from a gas station, I hauled 5 gallon cans. Now that I am 15 miles away, I don't bother, it takes too much time. I can't imagine hauling gas from GA, the cans would be one more darned thing to take back and forth. I want everything I need at the lake, to eliminate the hassle of packing. Also, I'm cheap, but the math on off water gas really doesn't work. Sure, four five gallon cans saves $15 bucks, (minus 2 or 3 for the trip to the gas station?) but how many times will you fill in a season? 20 times is only $300, which is nothing compared to the cost of the boat, lake house, etc.
Good advice here on storing your boat. And covering it will make the seats and carpet last longer. But don't get too uptight about getting it out of the water if you can't. It isn't fiberglass so unless you are in a rough area, I doubt leaving it in the water will harm a pontoon boat. My pontoon has never left the water in 9 years, and the only problems are seats and carpet.
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| Name: |
alahusker
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/6/2009 10:00:46 PM
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Welcome to the Lake.. We will soon build a "Husker Nation South"
From my experience, buy gas from a Marina when you need it.. Don't be concerned about commercial gas with 10% ethanol from Walmart.. running a 200 hp black max mercury for the last 15 years.. owner manual say's it's fine. Never had a problem, check your owner's manual.. Don't have one?? get it off of the internet. Stop by and we will swap 'Big Red Stories' over a cold one.. Terry Burke
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| Name: |
Pontoonfisher
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/7/2009 8:02:08 AM
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I would just leave your pontoon in the water and just get a good quality cover for it. My father-in-laws toon has been stored in the water since 97 and the seats still look brand new. There is no issues with storing the toon in the water year round. The toons will clean up like new with some aluminum cleaner and a pressure washer. We do ours almost every spring and the boat looks almost new.
Second, we have hauled our gas because of the price or marina gas. I would not worry about the ethanol issue. Most people have been putting this in their boats for years and didn't even know it. Just becuase a pump does not say it conatins 10% ethanol doesn't mean it's not in there. The only issues with ethanol are using it if you have a fiberglass tank (ethanol will dissolve some fiberglass tanks causeing engine nigthmares) and long term storage because it will tend to absorb more water from the air. A fuel/water seperator will ensure against this. If you burn through one tank of gas a month you will not have any problems. I would just make sure the tank is empty for winter storage and change the fuel/water seperator filter every year. If you don't have one then I would install one. Very easy to do. You can buy them at Academy.
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| Name: |
4lakelivn
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/7/2009 8:54:57 AM
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Thanks to all for the valuable information (and opinions) - I need both to get up to speed. I saw one comment on a thread recommending someone check their boat/motor manual. I know it's a difficult task for a male, by I looked in my Yamaha manual regarding fuel. It's ok to use Gasohol (mixture of gasoline and ethanol) so long as the ethanol is not greater than 10%. The stickers on the station pumps I've seen state that their fuel contains 10% ethanol. Therefore, based on the manual it's ok to run gasohol in my boat engine. I will however, look for pumps with pure gasoline where possible. I understand that this refers to the engine compatability only, excluding the gas tank and fuel lines issues using ethanol.
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| Name: |
HARRY
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/7/2009 9:45:08 AM
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Great post Pontoon to what I think is much ado about nothing as far as ethanol in fuel.
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| Name: |
GoneFishin
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| Subject: |
Smart Response 2 Dumb Question
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Date:
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5/7/2009 10:04:01 PM
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Welcome to the lake. Years ago, I hauled gas from Atlanta to Lanier and would go crazy trying to fill the tank while the boat was rocking in the water. If you spill any fuel in the water, you are in BIG trouble if caught. I would suggest if you can afford a house on the lake, a home in Georgia, gas for the car then you can well afford a few extra dollars and fill up at a marina. Kinda unsafe to be hauling all that gas with your family in the car. If the only way you can afford the pontoon is to haul gas then sell it. Have fun at the lake this summer.
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| Name: |
Lakewood
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| Subject: |
2 Dumb Questions for the Forum
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Date:
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5/11/2009 1:38:07 AM
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I love my boat but never forget the old and true adage: "A boat is a hole in the water surrounded by wood into which you pour money." Truer today than ever, but substitute fiberglass for wood in most cases.
Filling from a gas can is dangerous from source to destination, tedious, and nasty, with lots of unavoidable spillage. IMO, you'll never save enough money to make it worth the significant downsides.
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