Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

A lot of Newbies and Oldies still have this question...including me. I am a big tipper while traveling both on business and pleasure. Still don't have a handle on tipping the Marina Gas Station attendant that fills my boat up with expensive gasoline. Can someone help me with the proper etiquette? I like the folks at the gas station and they know me by name. Just don't know if I should be tipping them after filling up?

I tip them 4 to 5 dollars each time we gas up; I can't see tipping them a full 10 to 20 percent as I would if we were eating out....

I tip only if they help tie up. A couple places, the gas "gals or guys" just stand there until you are tied up. Them don't get a dime from me. Others go out and help and actually know how to help, so they get a cash tip.

OldePharte wrote:I tip only if they help tie up. A couple places, the gas "gals or guys" just stand there until you are tied up. Them don't get a dime from me. Others go out and help and actually know how to help, so they get a cash tip.

Thats a good formula

I don't want any help filling up my boat.

I once had my family in our inboard outboard boat. After we filled up and paid, my father calmly told me to not start the boat. I looked down and 22 gallons of gasoline was in the bilge coming out the engine cover. The gasoline head had poked the hose off the filler neck (held on by a radiator hose clamp.) Had I started that engine, they would have been reading about us in the next day's newspaper.

Now, I'm very careful refilling my boat. I seldom ever purchase any fuel on the lake--using a fuel buddy to haul 14 gallons at a time down to my boathouse. And I'm saving $21 for each fill up over buying lake gasoline.

I always fill up at a land-side gas station. I don't keep it in the water, and there's no way I'd pay the gouged on-water price, unless I absolutely had no other choice.

It's bad enough paying $2.89 (current price) on land. But $5.25 (the going price at the fuel docks) is ridiculous.

35 gallon tank pushing a 90 HP, I can go all day, and never burned more than 9 gallons.

I always tip when at LotO, how much depends on the service. A lot of these guys and gals are starving college kids who go out of their way to make sure you are happy. Kelly's Port, Osage Beach... Good prices and great service.

Bryden24shp wrote:I always tip when at LotO, how much depends on the service. A lot of these guys and gals are starving college kids who go out of their way to make sure you are happy. Kelly's Port, Osage Beach... Good prices and great service.

Yep. That and at the end of the year, you can get a refund of all the road taxes paid. Can't get that at a land-based filling station.

OldePharte wrote:I tip only if they help tie up. A couple places, the gas "gals or guys" just stand there until you are tied up. Them don't get a dime from me. Others go out and help and actually know how to help, so they get a cash tip.

I agree with this.
Can someone answer this for me?
Why do some marinas ask ME to remove the gas cap? They will pump the gas, but want me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.

smltooner wrote:

OldePharte wrote:I tip only if they help tie up. A couple places, the gas "gals or guys" just stand there until you are tied up. Them don't get a dime from me. Others go out and help and actually know how to help, so they get a cash tip.

I agree with this.
Can someone answer this for me?
Why do some marinas ask ME to remove the gas cap? They will pump the gas, but want me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.

If you drop it or break it you buy it not them?

BoatCop wrote:I always fill up at a land-side gas station. I don't keep it in the water, and there's no way I'd pay the gouged on-water price, unless I absolutely had no other choice.

It's bad enough paying $2.89 (current price) on land. But $5.25 (the going price at the fuel docks) is ridiculous.

35 gallon tank pushing a 90 HP, I can go all day, and never burned more than 9 gallons.

Yep, and the fact that early spring gas at marinas sits for months and is like playing Russian roulette. I have always gassed up on the road and carried tanks to the marina when we were slipholders.

I have several 5-gallon cans that I fill up in town where I can get non-ethenol. 4 cans for the boat, 2 cans for the riding mower and log splitter, 1 can for the weedeater, blower and chain saw. All of the cans are labeled so I know what additives I have in each can.

teecro wrote:

smltooner wrote:

OldePharte wrote:I tip only if they help tie up. A couple places, the gas "gals or guys" just stand there until you are tied up. Them don't get a dime from me. Others go out and help and actually know how to help, so they get a cash tip.

I agree with this.
Can someone answer this for me?
Why do some marinas ask ME to remove the gas cap? They will pump the gas, but want me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.

If you drop it or break it you buy it not them?

Good point, I hadn't thought of that.
Except, in my case, the cap is attached to the side of the boat and it is plastic.
Guess they don't know that it is attached though.

Before moving up in life to my pontoon, I kept my fishing boat in a hurricane barn on the Gulf and over time, got to know dock hands well. I'd tip when one went over and above normal dock chores. One of them did some first class line braiding once, and another dove under the fuel dock and retrieved a stainless gas cap that had become unchained and fell overboard. I peeled off a few bill for help like that.

I preferred to step up at year end with a couple hundred bucks to the dock master for their annual Christmas party to say thanks to everyone that worked the marina. He'd let everyone know which boat kicked in money.

smltooner wrote: Can someone answer this for me?

Why do some marinas ask ME to remove the gas cap? They will pump the gas, but want me to remove and reinstall the gas cap.

Some boats also have water tanks in addition to fuel tanks. By having the owner remove the cap, they are removing any liability from mistaking the water tank fill for the gas tank fill.