Find fuel. Verify the price. Tie up.

Fuel-dock playbook

A working directory of marine fuel — and how to use it

Marina fuel is the single largest variable cost on most cruising and sportfish budgets, and it's also the line item with the least price transparency at the dock. A single fill on a 50-foot diesel cruiser can swing $300 between the highest- and lowest-priced fuel docks in the same harbor. WetSlipFinder's fuel-dock directory exists to close that gap: live operator-submitted pricing, verified hours, depth and length constraints, and a click-to-call number for every dock we cover, across the U.S., Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii, and Bermuda.

How fuel planning works

Range, reserve, and corridor

Fuel planning is three numbers: vessel range at cruise (gallons-per-hour × cruising hours), a hard reserve (most offshore captains lock in 20–30% before consumption math even starts), and the corridor of fuel docks along the planned route that can deliver your fuel type at the volume needed. Sailboats motoring at hull speed burn 0.5–1.0 gph; cruising trawlers 3–6 gph at 8 knots; sportfish boats 30–90 gph at 30 knots. Plan the reserve first, then back into the fuel-stop sequence.

Stop selection beats stop count

One well-chosen mid-passage fuel stop with calm-water approach, deep channel, and current pricing is worth three sketchy stops chosen because they were closest to the rhumb line. Our route fuel planner sequences candidates along the corridor and surfaces an AI-recommended primary plus backups based on fuel type, distance from start, dock depth, and posted hours.

Marine fuel types

Marine gasoline (regular and ethanol-free)

Most U.S. fuel docks sell 89-octane non-oxygenated marine gasoline. Ethanol-free fuel (sometimes labeled "REC-90") avoids the moisture absorption and rubber degradation problems associated with E10 — important for boats that sit between uses, two-stroke outboards, and older carbureted engines. Expect a $0.30–$1.00 per-gallon premium for ethanol-free.

Marine diesel

U.S. marine diesel is ULSD (ultra-low sulfur diesel) since 2014. Off-road tax exemption in many states keeps marine diesel priced below highway diesel. Watch for bio-diesel content (B5–B20) in some Pacific Northwest and Northeast docks — most modern marine engines tolerate B5, but check the engine manual before bunkering B20.

Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda

Outside the U.S., expect 50–100% price premiums and higher minimum-fill requirements. Bahamian diesel quality varies by island — the major settlements (Nassau, Marsh Harbour, George Town) generally carry clean fuel; outer-island docks can have moisture or sediment issues. A Racor filter and a polishing system pay for themselves in the islands.

Fueling safety

Pre-fuel checklist

Shut down engines and generator. Extinguish all flames (galley stove, pilot lights, smoking). Close all hatches, ports, and companionways to keep fumes out of the bilge. Disconnect shore power. Verify the nozzle matches the fill (diesel pumps have a larger nozzle than gas pumps for a reason — never force a fit).

During fueling

Keep the nozzle in metallic contact with the fill to avoid static discharge. Listen to the vent — overflow at the vent means the tank is full. Stop a half-gallon before the auto-shutoff to leave room for thermal expansion. Never fill above 95% of nameplate capacity.

Post-fuel checklist

Wipe up any spill (a single quart of gas in the bilge is enough to start an engine-compartment fire). Open all hatches and run the engine-room blower for at least four minutes before starting engines. Sniff the bilge. Reconnect shore power only after engine start confirms ventilation.

Spill response

Any oil or fuel sheen on U.S. waters is reportable to the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802) and your local Coast Guard sector. Carrying absorbent pads and a small spill kit aboard is required by some marinas and is good practice everywhere.

Reading a fuel-dock listing

Each dock card on WetSlipFinder shows fuel type, current per-gallon price with freshness timestamp, dock depth at mean low water, maximum boat length, posted hours, phone number, and access status (public vs private vs yacht-club-only). Verified prices are submitted directly by the marina through the owner portal. Estimated prices from Google Places are clearly labeled and intended only as a planning reference — always call before arrival.

Pro tips from dockmasters

Call ahead during off-season — many secondary fuel docks reduce hours or close entirely from November to March. Plan large fills for early morning when fuel is cool and you'll pump more gallons per dollar. Carry a 10-foot fuel hose extension on larger vessels — some older docks have short hoses that don't reach center-line fills. Never accept fuel from a tank truck on the dock without a fresh sample bottle and a quick visual check for water or debris.

For weather planning around fuel stops, see our marine weather pages. For docking risk at a specific fuel dock approach, run the docking difficulty score. For full-route fuel planning, use the route fuel planner.

Frequently asked fuel-dock questions