Worldwide Gas vs Diesel pricing?

Discussion in 'Powerboats' started by FAST FRED, Nov 10, 2006.

  1. FAST FRED
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    FAST FRED Senior Member

    Am contemplating a gas engine , and wanting to compare fuel prices worldwide.

    Here in the US gas is about $2.25 a gal as is diesel.

    So on terms of 1/3 the purchase price for a gasser and far easier to repair , ease of storage and relative quiet , the gas wins.

    But as we will be cruising europe , the med and hopefully further , the cost for marine gas and diesel needs to be considered.

    Any local pricing would help the decision, Holland? New Z? Argentina?Turkey?

    FAST FRED
     
  2. Crag Cay
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    Crag Cay Senior Member

    You not only need to compare the price of the two fuels, but also their availability. At least one grade of diesel will be availble alongside or from a barge at most ports, even if it's from a truck tanker by prior arrangement.

    Gas (petrol) is only available where power (speed) boats are common. Otherwise its a trip to a road filling station to buy (legally ?) 1 gallon at a time in cans.

    As to price, it varies enormously in Europe. For the moment, marine fuels are tax free in Britain, but this may well chage in the coming years. In France, they keep diesel at about 75 percent of petrol (about 90 eurocents per litre).

    Cheaper fuel is availble along the N African coast, but you need a big fuel tankage capacity to make use of these fluctuations.
     
  3. Raggi_Thor
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    Raggi_Thor Nav.arch/Designer/Builder

    In Norway it's often hard to find gas/petrol at marinas.
    Diesel used to be "tax free" (lower taxed) for boats so that running costs for a diesel boat would be 50% of a simmilar boat on gas.
    This has changed(?) or will soon change, so the difference will be smaller.
    Gas is approx 2USD/liter, diesel used to be 1 to 1.25USD/liter, now more likely 1.75USD/l.
     
  4. marshmat
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    marshmat Senior Member

    In Ontario, the two fuels are about the same price per litre- average road prices are $0.75 to $1.15 CDN per litre for both diesel and gasoline. The vast majority of maritime fuel stations sell both fuels. We generally pay about the same price at an airport or marina as we would for a car. Thanks to a new series of regulations, our diesel will soon be as clean as Europe's (it's currently very heavy on the sulphur, which can screw up some of the fancier engines). Biodiesel is really starting to catch on too, at around $2 a litre.
     
  5. Frosty

    Frosty Previous Member

    Here in Malaysia it is 1 ringet 50 cents =3.68 to the us dollar per liter.

    Strangley --- very strangley just over the border in Thailand it is almost twice that.

    What thouroughly anoys me is that the second that crude goes up its reflected at the pumps but when it falls there is only a very slight fall.
     
  6. ron17571
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    ron17571 Junior Member

    Ive heard that in southeast asia diesel was cheaper?and i think u well burn more gasoline per hour,it also is more dangerous to store than diesel,than again u would need some on board for ur dingy.mabe some thought on how much power needed and how it would be used?small four stroke outboard wouldnt be to bad on fuel verses the cost of an inboard diesel engine.
     
  7. FAST FRED
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    Location: Conn in summers , Ortona FL in winter , with big d

    FAST FRED Senior Member

    small four stroke outboard wouldnt be to bad on fuel verses the cost of an inboard diesel engine.

    We have contemplated that too, but the complexity of the setup , 4 valves per cylinder, belt driven cams , and the lower life of these expensive motors makes us leery of chosing that option.

    Perhaps there are enough Yamaha or Honda outboard dealers in the world , but the constantly changing models would seem to require a long wait for a specific part for say a 150-200hp outboard.

    A Key West pro fish catamaran claimed to have 1500 hours on a pair of Hondas ,that still are working , a fantastic claim!

    FAST FRED
     
  8. Guillermo
    Joined: Mar 2005
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    Location: Pontevedra, Spain

    Guillermo Ingeniero Naval

    Fred,
    Prices today (I checked) for unleaded 95 gasoline and diesel in the Mediterranean coast of Spain are around 0.9 Euros/litre with only a few cents of difference among them.
    My opinion is that this trend of very similar prices for both fuels, is going to be kept in the future.
    Cheers
     
  9. Willallison
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    Willallison Senior Member

    Down Under, diesel used to be considerably cheaper than petrol. It is now the other way around - for reason's that neither the industry, nor the politicians can explain.
    Unleaded approx $1.10 per L (AUD)
    Diesel approx $1.40 per L (AUD)
     
  10. Ari
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    Ari Patience s/o Genius

    Diesel cost

    Possibly the refineries there- Clyde and Geelong ? Concentrate more on running their FCC unit. Clyde is straight run but small capacity compared to Geelong. Clyde is where majority of your diesel came from I believe, Geelong FCC unit favours a low sulphur feedstock run that favour cracking into gasoline/petrol later on, normally have very low diesel production. In a free market, demand for a product produce in small quantity will cost the price to shoot up in order to cover the operating and overhead cost.

    Diesel in Malysia is still among the cheapest in Asean country, at about RM7.20 per gallon or RM1.60 per liter.RM3.7 = USD1.00 . Fisherman received subsidise rate so need to pay only RM1.00 per liter. Some marinas sell at RM2.00 per liter.
     
  11. Raggi_Thor
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    Raggi_Thor Nav.arch/Designer/Builder

    If politicians are worried about CO2 emissions, it's logical. One litre of diesel has more energy and more carbon than one litre of petrol :)
     
  12. yipster
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    yipster designer

  13. Raggi_Thor
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    Location: Trondheim, NORWAY

    Raggi_Thor Nav.arch/Designer/Builder

    Thank's that nice :)
     
  14. Dave Hawley
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    Dave Hawley Junior Member

    We're paying for cars here

    Hi
    Here in Guernsey we have the cheapest fuel in Europe, for now. Our local Govt has decided to scrap car road tax, far too many Soccer Moms in SUVs clogging up the roads so they are just adding tax to all fuels. Fine, all very GREEN but they forgot about the marine industry and farmers.

    So farmers, fishermen, boat service providers to the outer Islands are suddenly stung by a tax they will have to build into their costs to the detrement of local and internatinal trade, our lifeline outside off-shore banking. Its not going to make a lot of diffrence to a couple of hours fishing with your old 4hp outboard or to the huge cruise ships that come in tax-free as we are non EU as part of their cruise.

    But and this is a big BUT, we have a huge local community of boaters and also passing cruisers who used to stop here for just the reason of filling up the tanks on the way to the Med or northern Europe. Many Superyachts stop here for the smelly stuff as well.

    So i have a cunning plan, I'm looking into converting the big gas V8s and other big drinkers to LPG, not taxed. I see no reason not to, large Land Rovers and Range Rovers have been doing this for years in the UK. My only worry is tankage, is it stable enough in extreem sea states? Anyone have facts about this?
     

  15. Crag Cay
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    Crag Cay Senior Member

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