Strange subject heading I know. But, many of us spend a lot of extra money to buy products that we believe are friendlier to the marine environment. For example, a bottle of 303 is ten or more bucks whereas a bottle of Armor All is three or four dollars.
Its frustrating to spend the extra money on a product and then see this…
As I was getting back to shore the other day, near the boat launch, I saw a guy fueling up his motor boat’s outboard motor while his boat was essentially in the water. Anything he spilled was going right in the lake.
It made me wonder why I bothered spending the extra money when I see things that.
I should have probably nicely suggested that he fuel up before being on the ramp-where a spill would be less damaging. But, I didn’t.
??? How do you handle situations like this, suggest or keep quiet?
-Happy paddling.
was he actually spilling?
Was he actually spilling in the water or was there just potential for it?
Large boats always fill up at the dock. I don’t see much of a problem.
I Think
that anything that each of us can do to reduce trash and pollution left in the environment will help. We can not afford to allow what others do to let us be less friendly to the environment.
I used to own a marina and the marina had a fuel dock. The fuel dock was self service before I purchased it and that is how I started out. I was dismayed at the number of boats that spilled fuel and the amount of fuel that was spilled into the water. I hired dock folks shortly into my first season primarily to reduce the fuel spillage.
Interesting to note. Most boats manufactured until just a few years ago with inboard permanantly affixed gas tanks had outboard tank vents. If you filled up the tank all the way fuel would come out the vent. In fact that is how many people would determine that the tank was full, by watching the overflow drip into the water. The USCG changed the regulations a few years ago and spec’d the tank vents to not allow vented fuel to go into the water. The EPA, USCG, and my state environmental folks, (CAMA), can and do fine operators for any spillage.
Long winded but each time we reduce our contributions to pollution we help irregardless of what anyone else is doing.
Mark
But even more depressing
is that a 2-cycle enging discharges about 25% of it’s fuel through the exhaust UNBURNED. I amsure that the 4-cycle outboards are much better, but there is still a lot of old technology out there.
Jim
That Is True
for most older 2-cycle outboards. That is also part of the reason that we have seen a lot of 4 cycle outboards hit the market over the past half dozen years or so, they are cleaner burning.
Again, (I am not sure which gov agency), the regulations have become more stringent over the past several years and outboard manufacturers have had to redesign their products to become more environmentally friendly, just as auto makers have had to do. I am not up on the levels or percentages, but some of the trade journals are pointing out that the life of 2-cycle outboards may be short in light of the more stringent standards that are due to come into affect.
That does not address all of the motors that are all ready in use, as correctly pointed out.
Mark
If you paddle any of the lakes or rivers
in the south and you want to live to paddle another day I would suggest that you bite your tongue and say nothing.
You will accomplish nothing but ticking the guy off and then he will take it out on other paddlers.
It is just like the power boaters in the Florida water ways that speed through the no wake manatee zones.
They know what they are doing, and could care less what you or anyone elses says about it.
Cheers,
JackL
Gotta love those Southern Rednecks
You are right about the good ole boys and their boats. An ignorant bunch of hooligans. I’m sure that we have some up in Yankee territory too but I think that they are a little less flamboyant about their hot tempers.
JackL
Yep,
JackL is pretty much right on target. Lots of traffic in this area, and getting busier each day with the new season.
I do know that not all motor boaters are clueless or toatally selfless, but there are more than enough who are.
Jack is right in that saying something will accomplish little positive and has the potential of resulting in getting your yak swamped, (or at least I could be).
Mark
Life is not fair
We have to live with 2-cycle exhaust (air and water pollution), put up with clueless crackers who do not understand the concept of a no-wake zone, and to add insult to injury we have to be politically correct when speaking to them lest we offend their sensibilities and provoke a hostile retaliation.
Mama told me there would be days like this.
Jim
Flip a match his way and run.
No doubt
Some people are just plain “Ignant!”
I’ve seen this same thing numerous times in Michigan, plus, last summer, a few idiots were tooling around in their boat and their fuel tank was leaking severely! I rode up next to them and pointed it out, but they really didn’t care as they were tipping their “bud lights”…their fuel trail throughout the lake was unbelievable.
I can understand the debate over keeping quiet and that they may take it out on other paddlers, but I don’t care…I’m not going to sit around and accept their stupidity and just paddle on my merry way…if it is truly a bad situation, I wouldn’t hesitate to at least point it out, politely.
Is that still true?
A buddy of mine who’s active in local fishing tournaments says that modern two-strokes make no blue smoke and leave no visible oil slick. No “rainbow” of refraction patterns on the water would suggest that the amount of unburned fuel put out by the new engines is pretty minimal. I’m the first to point out that four-strokes are cleaner, but I understand that the manufacturers have gone to tremendous effort to reduce pollution by two-stroke engines (not that it’s due to any degree of corporate concience - they’re just preserving their future share of the market by making engines that are more fuel-efficient and more likely to stave off laws that would outlaw two-stroke outboards).