What octaane fuel should be offered in South HAven, Mi
 

a friend / co worker is a member of a yaght club in south Haven. the are installing a new tank and need to decide what octane to offer. I said I wodl post the question on OSO
Here's their comments:

"........Rob

We are putting in new tanks at the club in South Haven and we are deciding what octane rating to sell. (only 1 tank)


What do the boat owners you know want to purchase and what premium would they be willing to pay for higher octane. The only other source in town offers 89...."

- Jeff




So, should they offer 89 octane and catch most boater, or offer higher octane and take advantave of the "higher consumption" of the high performance crowd.

their competitior offers 89. no higher octane is currently available in South Haven.


they did their research understanding octane requirements though:

".........Keep in mind, we're targeting all (or most) boaters, not just those that don't require a higher octane rating.

I did some research this morning and found it's difficult to get a straight answer from the engine manufacturers.

Mercury Racing Engines - require 91 octane posted rating.* I don't know exactly how much fuel a twin 502 ci V8*(the "race" boats you see around the river - and on the Poker Run) uses in an evening of proving the owner can spend money fast, but it must cost a lot - that's part of our market.

Mercury OptiMax 200XS - 91 (some less, depends on the model)

Mercruiser
Base (all except those below) - 87 or*premium w/o alchohol
Black Scorpion - older - 91 or premium w/o alchohol
Black Scorpion - newer - 87 or premium w/o alchohol
Supercharged - 92 or*premium w/o alchohol*

Yamaha V6 Four Stroke High Power Outboard - 89
Yamaha 300 3.3L V Max HPDI Outboard - 87
Yamaha Four Stroke Jet Drive - 87
Yamaha F225TLR "Sport Model" requires 89 (this is a high performance fish-n-ski outboard)
Yamaha 350hp V8 Outboard - 89 (even with a compression ratio of 9.6:1)

Nissan Marine designs their engines to run on 87 but recommend 89.

It seems that newer naturally aspirated engines are being designed for 87.* HIgh performance and forced induction engines (supercharged) require higher octane ratings (89-92).

Seems to me that if we offered 89 we'd cover most boats (the ones that only need 87 will be fine with 89).* If we offer 91 we'd cover most, but not all (and not hurt the ones that need only 87).

If we're offering 91 for only 4¢ over 87 can we still offer our gas at a price no higher than All Seasons 87?........."


so... any suggestions

Rob
Ramb

most places sell 89, I need 93 but trailer so most fill-ups are on road. If they can sell 91 for 4 cent more than 89 I would go that route....usually it's more like 20 cents and that would push boaters to the competition.

I go to South Haven alot during the summer. I do not see a need for anything above 89. I know somebody will disagree, but there are only a handful of performance boats there, maybe 3?? Just my opinion.

Also, since there is no Smoke on The Water this year, you probably won't even see a stray high performance boat.....

Whatever dude! We'll be straying there this weekend! :D
But I only burn 87!

Seems to me that 91 for only .04 more than 87 is a no brainer. That would cover nearly everyone.