{"id":14485,"date":"2025-08-05T10:02:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=14485"},"modified":"2025-08-05T10:02:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:02:28","slug":"10-dos-and-donts-when-fueling-your-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=14485","title":{"rendered":"10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts When Fueling Your Boat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts When Fueling Your Boat<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Boat at the fuel dock\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BTG725-SPL-Fueling.jpg 2000w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Proper fueling will keep your crew and boat safe.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Water Sports Foundation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<p><iframe id=\"wxuzj5efbz\" src=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.dragonforms.com\/wxuzj5efbz\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Fueling up is a basic component of boating. After all, if there\u2019s no flow, there\u2019s no go. But when was the last time you gave any thought to filling up at your local\u00a0marina?<\/p>\n<p>Recently I attended an American Boat &amp; Yacht Council\u00a0 seminar on \u00adcomplying with H-24 fuel-system regulations. While the seminar focused mostly on the boatbuilding process, at the end, members of the panel\u2014including experts from the US Coast Guard\u2014held a brief discussion on safe fueling practices for recreational boaters. They shared more than one cautionary tale about how carefree fueling led to disaster, including fires and explosions.<\/p>\n<p>So here are 10 tips for safely filling up your boat at the fuel dock. While these might seem a little \u201cwash-behind-your-ears\u201d basic, how many do you follow routinely?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Tie It Off<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen many hurried boaters just loop around one midships cleat to tie off at the fuel dock. Best to tie off at the bow and the stern and put out fenders to minimize rock-and-roll, preventing jostling or spilling while handling the fuel pump.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Shut It Down <\/h2>\n<p>Before you reach for the nozzle, shut off everything that\u2019s currently running on your boat. \u00adObviously, the engine, but don\u2019t forget any electronics\u2014\u00adincluding the radio\u2014and anything drawing from a power source, such as your air-conditioning unit. This will help prevent a stray current or spark from \u00adigniting fuel vapors.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Everybody Off<\/h2>\n<p>USCG and ABYC experts have both stressed the importance of having your entire crew exit the boat and remain on the dock during the fueling process. If something goes wrong, you\u2019re much better off being away from the confines of the deck or boat cabin.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Port the Portables<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re in a small boat with a portable fuel tank, remove the tank from the boat and fill it on the dock both to prevent spills on board and to guard against any static-<br \/>electricity buildup that could ignite fuel vapors.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Batten the \u00adHatches<\/h2>\n<p>Close up any open ports, deck hatches, cabin doors, and especially the engine compartment to \u00adprevent fuel vapors\u2014which are heavier than air and sink\u2014from entering into \u00adenclosed spaces.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Stay in Contact<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re refueling the boat yourself or there\u2019s a dockhand, always make sure someone has a hand on the nozzle. This will help prevent overflow and spillage, and also ensures that someone has eyes on the boat at all times.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Open the Hatches<\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re done \u00adfueling, open up the engine \u00adcompartment and any doors or ports to ventilate the boat in case any fuel \u00advapors found their way into \u00adenclosed spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Blow it Out<\/h2>\n<p>For sterndrive and inboard boats, run the blower for five minutes before starting up to rid the engine compartment of any trapped \u00adgasoline fumes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/how-to\/the-importance-of-monitoring-fuel-levels-while-boating\/\">The Importance of Monitoring Fuel Levels While Boating<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Spill Safety<\/h2>\n<p>If you do happen to spill gasoline on your boat while fueling, make sure to thoroughly clean it with absorbent pads. For major spills, move the boat away from the fuel dock without starting it and make sure to clean up the entire spill, even if it means \u00adcanceling or postponing your trip. Call in experts if\u00a0you need to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Sniff Test<\/h2>\n<p>Before firing up the engine, give all enclosed \u00adcompartments a sniff to check for any fumes that could have penetrated inside. If you notice the strong smell of gasoline inside, don\u2019t turn the key or press the \u00adignition button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus Tip<\/strong>: If you mistake your freshwater fill or pump-out fitting for the fuel fill and start pumping it with unleaded gas, call it a day and get a professional to clean your system before boating again. You may have to replace the entire system, but a boat in dry dock is better than a boat in flames.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/how-to\/10-dos-and-donts-when-fueling-your-boat\/\">10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts When Fueling Your Boat<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/\">Boating Mag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Pete McDonald<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.com\/how-to\/10-dos-and-donts-when-fueling-your-boat\/\">Go to boatingmag<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>10 Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts When Fueling Your Boat Proper fueling will keep your crew and boat safe. Courtesy Water Sports Foundation Fueling up is a basic component of boating. After all, if there\u2019s no flow, there\u2019s no go. But when was the last time you gave any thought to filling up at your local\u00a0marina? Recently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5157,2168,126,63,175],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-14485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-august-september-2025","category-boating-safety","category-boatingmag","category-coast-guard","category-how-to","tag-boatingmag"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}