Can I use biodiesel in my sail boat?

Question

My boat has a 40 gallon tank and a 29HP diesel to get it in and out of the harbor. Because I sail as much as possible and therefore don't use the engine that much, a tank of diesel lasts me about 2/3 of the sailing season. I usually only fill up only once or twice a year. Does biodiesel go bad or rancid? If so, can I put in a bit of regular diesel or anything else in there to stop that? Anything else I should watch out for? I heard rubber dissolves in biodiesel, but my boat is a 2002 model and I don't think it has any rubber in the fuel line or gaskets or anything. Does the wave action stir up any problems?

Answer 1

you can thin the diesel w/ veg oil, waste or new. filtered well. up to 50% in the summer. also use an algicide. i would not recamend it though, without inline warmers and such, because your not using much, and you need it to start on a dime. if you were using alot, it would be worth the 2-3 hunderd in mod's

Answer 2

Most likely you can, but I would check with the engine manufacturer as the best source of information.

Answer 3

YES

Answer 4

Biodiesel needs to age a minimum of 5 weeks prior to use.

In this case, carry some extra large replacement fuel filters, anti-water fuel treatment, and use D50 -- thats 50% regular fuel.

Answer 5

the biodiesel that's sold at the filling stations is still mostly petroleum based, it's only been "watered down" with a vegetable base diesel. Bottom line is you aren't going to have any problems whatsoever using it in place of regular diesel. You might want to put some additive to it regardless of which type you use, regular or bio. because all diesel sold today is ultra low sulfur diesel, and your 2002 engine might have problems with the new formula that came out this year.(that's why diesel's a dollar more than gasoline) My 2005 Freightliner is going through fuel filters a lot more often because of the change , so you might want to keep an eye on your  fuel filter.

as for johnhass' answer, there is no freaking way I'm putting used french fry grease into my $30,000 truck's fuel tanks.