No more fuel burps, useful gadgets to prevent spills
Most boaters have had an accidental spill moment when refueling, hopefully minor and kept onboard, but oil and fuel spills can be serious. Discharging even small amounts of fuel in the water can have detrimental effects on sensitive marine life and can violate federal laws. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the Clean Water Act make it illegal to discharge petroleum products into the water. Any oil or fuel spill that leaves a sheen on the water is supposed to be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at 1-800-424-8802. The use of detergent or other chemicals on a spill to disperse the oil or sheen is also prohibited. The reason is these products can cause petroleum to sink into the water, presumably causing harm to marine animals and bottom sediments.
Since you are responsible for environmental damage caused by your fuel or oil spill, what do you do if a spill occurs?
Stop the Leak
The first thing is to stop the leak. If a bilge pump is pumping oily discharge turn it off and address the problem. Oil absorbent pads and rolls placed in bilges and under engines keep oil onboard while allowing water to still be pumped overboard. If there really is a fuel tank leak or something substantial you may need containment booms which most marinas and fuel docks have. Stop the spill, contain it, notify the marina, call the Coast Guard, and contact your insurance company.
Luckily, for both boaters and the environment, fuel spills from recreational boats tend to be small and, in many cases, are preventable. Most are minor spills that occur when refueling and sometimes the fuel doesn’t even leave the deck of the boat. Those same oil absorbent pads used in our bilges should be kept on hand whenever refueling. They are good at soaking up fuel that may spill on deck or leak from a vent when fueling. Many fuel docks provide oil absorbent pads to use when fueling and if they don’t you should always have one or more on hand just in case of minor spills.
Preventative Measures
Boaters don’t want to be polluters, and no one wants to break the law or get fined, so preventing fuel spills is probably the most important thing as it benefits both you and the environment. There are a variety of products available to help boaters prevent fuel spills. What I found is that which one is best depends on the boat and how it’s fuel system is configured.
One of my boats was a Cutwater 26 with a single diesel engine and one fuel tank. What I found on that boat was that if you weren’t extremely careful when filling, the tank would burp slightly when full, spilling a small amount of diesel around the deck fill which was on the cockpit combing. Oil absorbent pads could typically prevent any fuel from reaching the water but even small amounts of diesel in and around the cockpit is not ideal.
I purchased an original 12” Cleanway Baffle Kit. This ingenious product consists of a clear plastic sort of funnel looking thing and several rubber fill plugs so you can match it to your boat and to the size of the fuel pump nozzle. When fueling, you place the Cleanway in the fuel fill and then fill as you normally would. When the pump shuts off or you stop it, any back pushing fuel runs up into the baffled plastic cylinder and then drop backs into the tank and no fuel is spilled. I found the Cleanway worked well especially at pumps that had aerated diesel and/or fast fills that tended to send fuel back up the fill tube. The Cleanway eliminated spilling any diesel around the fill hole and effectively prevented any overboard discharge. I still used absorbent pads but mostly to handle the device and the rubber fittings when I stowed it. There are different versions of the Cleanway product available to fit different styles of boats and that can be used for either gas or Diesel. You can check out their lineup here.
When I purchased my current vessel, a Sabreline 36, the previous owner cautioned me to be careful when filling the tanks (the boat has two engines and two separate diesel fuel tanks). He said that if you overfilled the tanks, fuel could spurt out of the vent. He pointed me to a device onboard that looks like a little plastic bottle with a hole in it and suction cups. This device is placed over the vent along the gunnel. If fuel burps from the vent, it is contained in the bottle and can then be poured back into the tank at the fill or soaked up with oil absorbent pads and properly disposed.
I believe the brand of the fuel vent catcher that I have aboard is a Davis No Spill (which has been discontinued) but I found a very similar product online that is marketed as a Barnacle Flush Fuel Catch and it looks like someone may be still selling the No Spill product. Aside from using this product, what I found is that if you listen carefully when filling, you can hear the fuel start to come up the fill tube when full and stop pumping before any fuel spits from the vent or the fill. Because of this the Fuel Catch is great as a preventative, but the Cleanway is not really necessary on this particular boat.
At the Miami Boat Show in February 2025, I was introduced to a new product called Clix that is designed to help prevent fuel spills. I got both the diesel and gas versions to try them out. They basically look like a rubber funnel. Green is for diesel and red for gasoline and the funnels fit into your deck fill securing the pump nozzle and forming a better seal. When the fuel gets to the nozzle the Clix trips the pump, so it stops pumping and keeps any fuel from coming back out the deck fill. I tried this on my Sabre and while it did stop the fuel, a little bit did spurt from the vent into my Fuel Catch. I contacted the manufacturer and they were very pleasant and helpful. They said that to prevent fuel venting an inline check valve like the Attwood fuel vent line surge protector would stop fuel from coming out the vent and allow the Clix to work properly.
I discussed this with a knowledgeable customer service rep I know, who has first-hand knowledge of these inline vent check valves. He said that while they did work that they sometimes got stuck which could cause other issues that might include trouble filling fuel tanks and/or vapor-locking the engines. Because of this I have decided not to install one of these.
As for the Clix what I found is that while it doesn’t work as intended on my boat because of the vent issue it is still helpful. It holds the nozzle firmly in the fill hole and prevents any deck splashes. Also, because I try to listen for the fuel starting to come up the fill hole the cone shape of the device projects the sound so I don’t have to lean down as close to the fill to hear it. It seems to make it easier to hear the fuel sound which is nice.
I also tried the Gasoline version of Clix aboard a new Cutwater C-288 Coupe that I was aboard on a recent cruise. The newer twin outboard powered Cutwater doesn’t have the fill on the gunnel like my other Cutwater did but instead has two fills on the transom, one for each tank. These newer fills have built-in vents which help prevent spills too as any fuel that comes back out of the vent goes back into the fill hole. The Clix worked well on this new Cutwater and provided a nice snug fit for the pump nozzle.
Fuel and oil spills can damage the marine environment we all cherish. Luckily, they are usually preventable. I was able to try several relatively inexpensive products that can help avoid even minor spills that can happen when fueling. If you ever have fuel burps when filling, you may want to try out one of these products and keep those absorbent pads on hand as they can help in so many ways. Keeping onboard fuel safely contained makes boating more enjoyable for all of us including the fish and birds 😊.
