I'm looking for additional options to purchase fuel (gasoline) for a large boat. Fuel at the fishing marinas is currently $5.00/gallon.
Anybody have experience with getting bulk fuel deliveries? (400-1000 gallons)
Are their cheaper fuel docks in the area accessible by water?
There are plenty of non-fishing/work type outboard/gasoline vessels in the area and I would think they have access to cheaper gasoline than at either of the large marinas.

Short of hauling drums in the back of the truck, or pulling the boat out every day, ive never heard of another option.

Damn! $5 a gallon though. The old standard used to be $1 above normal price but I guess they have a captive audience in the sports paying for tuna trips.

Try posting the same question here. It seems to be the most active forum with info on venice. https://www.thehulltruth.com/gulf-coast-31/

Also, maybe post it on tiger droppings.

We're going in a few weeks but ill just be running a bay boat so will probably deal with the price.

We're not trailering the boat to Venice. We're running it out from south Texas. The boat can hold 1,200 gallons. We're planning on fishing there for at least a week so we will need fuel on arrival and departure and whatever we burn throughout the week.

We have rules here. Let's see this boat!

If this isn't a humble brag, I don't know what is.

Not sure if yall are going to fish your way there or take shortest route but Fourchon marina is $4.50 if that helps any.

you could look for local fuel wholesalers that have bobtail trucks with a meter on them, depending on where you are located I would think you could get fuel for less than $3.50 a gallon delivered

I witnessed the filling of a boat like this. In Venice. Talking to the owner while the fuel bill ticked away, I eventually just asked if the fishing fun outweighed the pain at the pump.

The man pulled out his wallet, stepped away from the fuel, pulled out a 100 bill, and lit it on fire, tossing it to the floor to finish burning.

Then he said: If that bothers you, then don't consider getting into the deep water game.

That was probably the first time I understood there was a whole other gulf/southern boating culture out there.

justnobody79 said:

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you could look for local fuel wholesalers that have bobtail trucks with a meter on them, depending on where you are located I would think you could get fuel for less than $3.50 a gallon delivered

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Maybe, but I doubt it. At the ranch when I order diesel and gas I basically pay somewhere between the going wholesale and retail rate for both minus the fuel tax for the diesel and I will normally order around 600 gallons. When you add in delivery charges and fees I end up paying over premium gas prices for regular unleaded.

I always heard that one as tossing $100s off the tower of the sportfisher when showing it to potential buyers.

Seriously, the grady canyon 456 holds 600gal, freeman 42lr holds 800. What gas sportfisher holds 1200 gallons!?
Edit: i see that the valhalla v-55 holds 1200 gallons of gas... which is a good thing because it's rated for 3000hp. Wow.

https://www.valhallaboatworks.com/main/V55.asp

$5/gal sounds like a steal!
I paid $6 this weekend dockside in SW Florida

CS78 said:

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I always heard that one as tossing $100s off the tower of the sportfisher when showing it to potential buyers.

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Version I heard was pulled out a $100 bill while underway, held it up in the air, and let it go. The other fella flinched and instinctively reached for it and the guy just grinned and said, "You're not ready."

So what's the reasoning for these massive offshore center consoles vs a traditional sport fisher?

You might check state transport laws too.

In Texas, if you trailer more than 300 gallons not directly hooked up to an engine you can be fined $14,000 for not having hazmat certs.

Going fast

this seems like a business opportunity

AgsMnn said:

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If this isn't a humble brag, I don't know what is.

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*****ing about $6k in gas for a $3M boat.


Yep. This post has nothing to do with saving a $500-$1k on gas each fill up!

Problem with ordering a fuel truck is finding a dock that will allow it.

Don't know if you can buy from them, but there's a Martin Midstream terminal in Venice. We bought roughly 20,000 gal of diesel from them recently and it was under $4/gal. No clue if they're account only or if they'll do private sale. Worth the call.

jrrhouston98 said:

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Don't know if you can buy from them, but there's a Martin Midstream terminal in Venice. We bought roughly 20,000 gal of diesel from them recently and it was under $4/gal. No clue if they're account only or if they'll do private sale. Worth the call.

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That's how you one up someone with a boat that holds a measly 1,200 gallons of fuel.

Reminds me of the SR-71 airspeed check story.

I used to work for a ship repair company and no one loaded fuel at our facility. Not really what we did, but often after repairs people would want to resupply their boats before leaving. Most things like groceries and parts were fine, but fueling was not. There was something you had to have from the coast guard(I think) to be able to do so.

Damn, you south Texas cotton farmers have blown up down there!! LOL

You may consider going into Fourchon and filling up there. It may be cheaper and minimize the fuel purchase requirements in Venice. If you are running day trips out of Venice, or even a single offshore, you most likely don't require the boat to be full of fuel when you depart as you probably are not burning anywhere near 1,200 gallons/day. I fish on a big center console that holds around 800 gallons and we rarely fill up the boat completely because of all the additional and unnecessary weight.

TikkaShooter said:

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I witnessed the filling of a boat like this. In Venice. Talking to the owner while the fuel bill ticked away, I eventually just asked if the fishing fun outweighed the pain at the pump.

The man pulled out his wallet, stepped away from the fuel, pulled out a 100 bill, and lit it on fire, tossing it to the floor to finish burning.

Then he said: If that bothers you, then don't consider getting into the deep water game.

That was probably the first time I understood there was a whole other gulf/southern boating culture out there.

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Just imagine his net worth today had he been smart with his money….

In for the rule 1

Has anyone heard any reports about trolling the rip? The river is down and clean water in close. Some summers, the mahi get so thick, you cant hardly pull a marlin lure. Hoping to get the bay boat on some blue water action when we go. Internet scouting seems a lot harder than it used to.

Charismatic Megafauna said:

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Seriously, the grady canyon 456 holds 600gal, freeman 42lr holds 800. What gas sportfisher holds 1200 gallons!?
Edit: i see that the valhalla v-55 holds 1200 gallons of gas... which is a good thing because it's rated for 3000hp. Wow.

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Did some investigating and it seems OP has a 47 ft freeman. However, it only holds 1000 gallons unless there's an option for more. Or he sold the freeman and got the Valhalla

Courtesy Flush said:

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Damn, you south Texas cotton farmers have blown up down there!! LOL

You may consider going into Fourchon and filling up there. It may be cheaper and minimize the fuel purchase requirements in Venice. If you are running day trips out of Venice, or even a single offshore, you most likely don't require the boat to be full of fuel when you depart as you probably are not burning anywhere near 1,200 gallons/day. I fish on a big center console that holds around 800 gallons and we rarely fill up the boat completely because of all the additional and unnecessary weight.

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This informative post combined with the handle just fascinates me.

Furlock Bones said:

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So what's the reasoning for these massive offshore center consoles vs a traditional sport fisher?

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Also in for both sides of this argument. 54 ft Viking convertible is $3.4 million. 55 ft Valhalla CC is $2.8 million. Valhalla only about 10 mph faster at top speed with 4 600s. Of course with 5 it's substantially different.

Considering the viking tops out at 46mph and the Valhalla around 70mph, that's not exactly correct.

https://www.marlinmag.com/boat-reviews/valhalla-55-small-craft-advisory/

https://www.vikingyachts.com/main/54C.asp

I can't seem to find fuel burn and no one will know reliability and maintenance for a while. But you can fish 360 on the Valhalla. Interior is bigger and nice on the Viking, but does that make up for a half million dollars more?

Something I'll never have to worry about.

Sorry it's 64 with quads I was wrong. So 16 mph. Viking 54 has topped 48

Fuel burn is almost equal at cruise (mid 30s on Viking and mid 40s in Valhalla) at around 0.4-0.5 mpg

GinMan said:

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We're not trailering the boat to Venice. We're running it out from south Texas. The boat can hold 1,200 gallons. We're planning on fishing there for at least a week so we will need fuel on arrival and departure and whatever we burn throughout the week.

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You can get a fuel bladder that holds 300 gallons usually stored on front of boat.

mAgnoliAg said:

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Charismatic Megafauna said:

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Seriously, the grady canyon 456 holds 600gal, freeman 42lr holds 800. What gas sportfisher holds 1200 gallons!?
Edit: i see that the valhalla v-55 holds 1200 gallons of gas... which is a good thing because it's rated for 3000hp. Wow.

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Did some investigating and it seems OP has a 47 ft freeman. However, it only holds 1000 gallons unless there's an option for more. Or he sold the freeman and got the Valhalla

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Winner winner Chicken dinner…or a Rooster Burger at The Bird.
I'm just happy to put my feet on the deck when given the opportunity. Top speed is over 70+

I'm looking into scheduling bobtail loads and locations.
Also looking into Couvillon Dock and setting up an account.