SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-portable-tank-ashore

Where should you fill a portable fuel tank for your boat?

Fill it ashore, off the boat.

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  1. Low in the boat, to avoid spills
  2. Ashore, off the boat ✔
  3. At the bow, so wind clears fumes

Why: Most boat fires and explosions happen during or shortly after fueling. Filling a portable tank on the dock or shore keeps spilled fuel and vapors out of the boat.

Huh, didn't know that: The Coast Guard's one-third rule: a third of the fuel to go out, a third to get back, a third in reserve.

The dad joke
Why did the gas can get off the boat? It needed some fill time ashore.
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References

Answer: Ashore, off the boat. Most boat fires and explosions happen during or shortly after fueling. Filling a portable tank on the dock or shore keeps spilled fuel and vapors out of the boat.

  1. U.S. Coast Guard, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf
    Refuel any portable tanks ashore.
    Checked 2026-10-09.
  2. U.S. Coast Guard, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf
    One-third held in reserve.
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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Test yourself in the game

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