Ontario - Georgian Bay - 91 Octane Marina's???

[pwc_brick]

Good day,

Wasn't sure where to post this. Anyone here ride in the Georgian Bay area (Midland area)???

Was just wondering if any one new of any Marina's in the area has 91 Octane??

Phoned a few and most just offer marine grade 89 without ethanol.

Could very well affect a purchase decision. Only one I can think of is in Honey Harbor.

Please and thanks

[K447]

This is my solution. Carry extra fuel on longer trips.

http://greenhulk.net/showthread.php?t=289097&p=3095115&viewfull=1#post3095115

[moparguy]

This is my solution. Carry extra fuel on longer trips.

http://greenhulk.net/showthread.php?t=289097&p=3095115&viewfull=1#post3095115

100lbs of fuel on the back, or 3 bottles of Torco in front bin weighing 3lbs. 16oz Torco or Boostane bottles to top up to 93 when you can't find it. OP is asking about octane not extending range, we know your very knowledgeable and super proud of your fuel carrying ratchet strap system. But I don't believe that was his question.

[Mr. GP1800]

Iseem to remember buying 91 octane fuel on the water there last summer when I was there

[K447]

100lbs of fuel on the back, or 3 bottles of Torco in front bin weighing 3lbs.
16oz Torco or Boostane bottles to top up to 93 when you can't find it.

OP is asking about octane...

We have ridden fairly long distances in portions of the Georgian Bay Area, mostly Waubashene to Parry Sound, also Port McNicoll and around Nottawasaga Bay. There are only a handful of fuel docks scattered along the routes, sometimes with big gaps in between. As the OP posted, most marine fuel docks have either 89 or 87 octane fuel. There may be a few with 91 octane gasoline but I have not encountered them.

Georgian Bay riding is one of the reasons I created the rear deck auxiliary fuel carrying arrangement. I do not need to plan my travel routes to match with fuel dock locations and I do not have to manage sub-91 octane fuel considerations.

Sometimes I will carry 93 octane auxiliary fuel and mix it 50-50 with 89 from the fuel docks. That effectively creates 91 octane (which is what my engine is tuned for) and doubles the travel range per fuel can on the back deck.

Each fuel can carries around 5 gallons and I normally carry only one or two cans per machine, at maybe 40 pounds each. A single full fuel can on the back deck has no noticeable effect on ride, handling or performance.


Octane booster is not the same result as using gasoline of the required octane level. I do not use the product but I recall reading about side effects ranging from spark plug contamination to tune incompatibility.

Torco contains MMT. Unclear whether that is compatible with marine use, from a water pollution perspective.
2,2,4 - Trimethylpentane
Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl


Given the beating that gear stowed in the front storage compartment sometimes endures, potential leakage from flammable fuel additive cans might be a concern.

[K447]

Good day,

Wasn't sure where to post this. Anyone here ride in the Georgian Bay area (Midland area)???

Was just wondering if any one new of any Marina's in the area has 91 Octane??

Phoned a few and most just offer marine grade 89 without ethanol.

Could very well affect a purchase decision. Only one I can think of is in Honey Harbor.

Please and thanks

What models are you considering? How far might you ride during a typical day on the water?

Will you be refueling roadside on the trailer after a day on the water or always buying fuel from marinas?

[pwc_brick]

Wow, thanks for all the comments. It's a cottage so more like park at the dock for the weekend kind of thing (fuel dolly if desperate) as opposed to loading/offloading all the time. Came from a heavily modded gp1300r so naturally wanted to go with the gp1800 SVHO to "get back in the game" so to speak. Typical trips are around 50km (destination and back) aside from just going out into the open bay for a bit. I may hold off of purchasing until next year now, will do more investigating on the water this year to see what I can find (phoning marinas in winter, surprising how many don't know what type of gas they have on the gas dock).

Anyway, thanks again... Got a long wait for the spring summer now!!!!

[K447]

... It's a cottage so more like park at the dock for the weekend kind of thing (fuel dolly if desperate) ...

... wanted to go with the gp1800 SVHO ... I may hold off of purchasing until next year now, will do more investigating on the water this year to see what I can find (phoning marinas in winter, surprising how many don't know what type of gas they have on the gas dock).

...

I have been reading reports of Yamaha dealers in southern Ontario having already sold out of their 2021 allocations for GP1800R. Might want to ask around, see if any of the smaller dealers have nay available, look to the north and also farther east/west

Many ontario marinas do not know what octane gasoline they have at the doc. Sometimes neither the gas dock staff (summer) nor the front desk/office know off the top of their heads. Some have the octane posted near the pump, but many do not.

One option is to call/message the consumer relations desk at each fuel brand. Ask them if they know what octane gasoline they supply to their marina customers.

Last time I spoke with Shell Canada they told me they only supply 91 octane no-ethanol gasoline to their marine locations. Because only Shell 91 has no ethanol. And ethanol can be troublesome for marine locations.

[YYZ]

I run two NA FX HO machines which require only 87 octane. When I trade these I'll also question if I should go with the SVHO that some of my friends run. When long distance riding at 55 mph + the SVHO can consume almost double the fuel not to mention the added cost of 91 octane.

I think that your choice of engine should also be the type of riding that you do. Long distance all day riding HO all the way! SVHO does get you get bragging rights, better acceleration and top speed but higher fuel costs and long term potential SC repairs. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[K447]

... two NA FX HO machines which require only 87 octane.

... long distance riding at 55 mph + the SVHO can consume almost double the fuel ...

What is the source for this data?

[YYZ]

Real world riding with other SVHO skis on the same ride. Are you able to get the same consumption as a NA ski with your SVHO both running 50-60mph

[K447]

Real world riding with other SVHO skis on the same ride.

Are you able to get the same consumption as a NA ski with your SVHO both running 50-60mph?

The fuel consumption varies depending on the hull, the water conditions and the rider.

The SHO engines seem to be thirstier than SVHO.

FX hull models tend to burn more than the lighter and smaller current generation 2015 onwards VX HO (now called GP1800R HO). I do not have any experience with the new-for-2020 FX hull models.

The HO engines seem to consume noticably more as they push closer to wide open throttle while cruising. So the chosen cruise speed can really affect the HO consumption. Running the VXR close to redline to 'keep up with' a fast crusing SVHO seems to bring the overall fuel demand fairly close.

The GP1800 SVHO, as we typically run them in a group ride, does burn a little more than the VXR (HO 1.8 non-supercharged). The delta is maybe 10-20% more fuel burn, not double. A friend has both GP1800 SVHO and 1.8 VXR (same 70 litre capacity fuel tank in all). We have ridden alongside them mutliple times.

The common scenario is to return to the launch point with the SVHO machines showing a low fuel warning, while the VXR has one bar remaining. Refilling them at the gas station, the VXR will require a few litres less to refill to the top.

All our SVHO have Stage 1 Plus tunes, aftermarket Solas impellers and ride plates. The net effect is to marginally improve our SVHO fuel economy at mid-range throttle and cruise speeds as the SVHO engine turns less RPM for the same speed.

With heavy throttle of course the SVHO fuel consumption is higher. But we are also going ~130Km/hr.

[YYZ]

Good to know your experience, I know that some of my friends are very trigger happy maybe that contributes to the difference.

So as a long distance rider not a racer what would your recommendation be HO or SVHO?

[K447]

...

So as a long distance rider not a racer what would your recommendation be HO or SVHO?

Recommending a PWC for someone else can be tricky. Our preferences and priorities are probably different from someone else.

For ourselves we chose the 2017 GP1800 SVHO. We still like them very much. Almost perfect for our uses. This is the story.

We already had years of experience riding distance on older non-Yamaha PWC. Those machines were capable (barely) of 100Kph GPS speeds and had rather good cruise range due to relatively large fuel tank capacity. We would often group ride with supercharged Seadoo riders. We could keep up, but our throttle was wide open a lot of the time while they were cruising along mid-throttle.

Often the supercharged Seadoo riders would be thinking about finding a marina to refuel while we still had over half tank. It was not unusual for us to return to the launch ramp after a full day group ride with fuel remaining (having purchased none during the ride) while the Seadoos with us not only had refueled mid-day, the low fuel warning buzzer was sounding when they got back. Yes, those Seadoo have somewhat smaller 60 litre fuel tanks, but they also seemed to burn significantly more fuel over the same distance.

For us the top priority was choosing a hull (the wet part) that would be 'quite good' in medium-rough water and with trustworthy handling. Consistent, competent ride characteristics and not fatigue inducing. An expectation of mechanical reliability, of course. Appearance, colour and 'looks' were well down the list.

Why did we not choose the Yamaha FX, with the larger hull, more weight and is generally regarded as the best rough water hull Yamaha makes? Well, we wanted hulls that would respond readily to rider input and body english - generally still have the ability to be 'playful'. The lighter weight of the GP1800 appealed along with the more compact overall hull size.

Having ridden for years with many other Seadoo riders on various Seadoo models and reading many other Seadoo owner experiences on these forums, Yamaha became my preference. For several years we had been looking for our 'next' PWC, but none of the offerings seemed 'just right'. We liked the Yamaha VXR but wanted a bit more.

In January of 2017 the current Yamaha VXR hull had been in use for two years with good reports. The Yamaha SVHO engine was already regarded as one of the best engines in a PWC, used in the FX and FZR.

Yamaha announced the new-for-2017 GP1800 SVHO, with a lighter NanXcel 2 hull material and the 'big' engine. Seeing the pre-production samples on the floor, they looked good. Sitting on the seat the ergonomics felt good. At the Toronto Boat show in January 2017 we ordered two GP1800 SVHO without having seen one in the water, let alone ridden one.

Our first ride on the water, we knew we made the right choice. The GP1800 SVHO feels like a modern, upgraded and all around better watercraft. We like the handling, the responsiveness, and the power. *

We have always ridden standing up with legs flexed. This was mandatory when we were riding flat bottomed early generation hulls that would abuse a seated rider at speed. Standing, we could ride at speed on quite rough water while upper body and head stayed fairly stable. When we bought larger models with more power and speed, but still relatively flat bottomed, riding while seated would be hard on one's back and neck.


* Since 2017 Yamaha has upgraded multiple aspects of the GP1800 SVHO, including the ride plate, intake grate, jet pump and some aspects of the engine. A number of the things we upgraded on our 2017 are now included in the 2021 factory product.

[pwc_brick]

Thanks for all the info, it’s much appreciated and enjoyable to read while looking at the cold dark and dreary outside. Good news, I pulled the trigger on a 2021 GP1800 SVHO, even managed to find one in Ontario. The 91 may or may not be a hassle (I’ll definitely be cruising around and post info on what I find on here when I do in terms of Marinas) but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Started with a waverunner 3, then GP1200, then GP1200R, then GP1300R and sold for kids bedroom set. Kids are older and for my 40^th, its time to get back into the game!!!! In the future another ski will be in order for the wife kids but for now I’m thrilled to be able to grab the 1800 SVHO. Do most of my riding in southern Georgian bay (midland and honey harbor area) but this year hope to venture out to the port severn area a little more. If we cross paths at some point that would be great, all the best!!!

Now for accessories and mods ��