Boat Carbon Footprint

Carbon Monoxide is formed when fuel does not burn completely. Much of the automotive emission work in recent years has focused on reducing Carbon Monoxide emissions. One early approach was injecting air into the exhaust to burn the remaining fuel (sometimes called a smog pump). Today, Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) is used to reduce CO emissions by burning fuel more completely. Catalytic convertors are another tool for reducing Carbon Monoxide. Just a few years ago, Carbon Monoxide was identified as a deadly hazard on houseboats, especially when people swam or floated near the stern swim platform when the generator was running.

Carbon Dioxide is a direct product of the amount of fuel burned and the only way to reduce CO2 emissions is to reduce consumption of hydrocarbon fuels. U.S. automotive fuel mileage standards have remained relatively flat for many years. Much of the fuel combustion and exhaust gas work has focused on reducing emissions of the smog causing gas, Carbon Monoxide. In recent years, Ethanol has come on strong in the automotive industry and is currently making a push in the boating industry, but having a few problems (like dissolving fiberglass fuel tanks, mixing ethanol and MTBE of standard fuels, ethanol attracts water, etc. ). Alternative power sources (fuel cells, hydrogen, hybrid engines) are making noise in the automotive industry but just being discovered by the boating industry.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

Carbon footprints can be calculated for certain activities (flying from here to Washington DC on a commercial jet, driving 20 miles in the family car, boating the afternoon away in our family boat, and other activities). Our total impact on the environment is the sum of all those events, plus the utilities in our home, the food we eat (farmed), the impact of shipping many of the goods we consume, and the packaging of those goods. Several studies place the average American's CO2 emissions at about 20 tons a year (110 pounds a day). With some thought and careful choices we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

What is Boat Carbon Footprint

Yes, we know many boats eject their exhaust under water through the prop, but the gasses still rise from the water to the atmosphere.

Calculating Boat Carbon Footprint

How does one gallon of gas that weighs about 6.3 pounds create 20 pounds of Carbon Dioxide?
When gas burns it combines with many times its weight in oxygen and becomes much heavier. See fueleconomy.gov for the scientific explanation.

To calculate the Carbon Footprint of Your Boat you need to determine how much fuel it consumes in a year. There are several approaches.

• Write the number of gallons purchased on your fuel purchase receipts and and add them up at the end of the year.
• Keep good records for one typical boating outing and multiply the gallons consumed by the typical number of boating outing you make a year.
• Identify your boat motor and use average fuel consumption estimates for it (or twice it if you run twins)

We are currently working on some tables for average boat motor fuel consumption by manufacturer and model number. See our work on the Boat Annual Fuel Consumption Page

Minimizing My Boat Carbon Footprint?

Directly reducing boat fuel consumption can be accomplished by:

• Taking it a little easier on the throttle (don't be a jack rabbit, at least not all the time)

• Pull the throttle back from WOT (wide open throttle) to Cruise at least twice more per boat outing.

• Lighten up your boat. Go over it with a fine tooth comb before the season and throw out everything you don't really need. Then do it a again at least once a month during the boating season. Excess weight drastically effects fuel consumption.

• When buying a new or used boat, make sure the engine is properly sized and one of the new more efficient models.

• Do not buy a carburated motor. They are much less efficient than the newer generation motors.

• Get on plane quickly with planing boats. Don't keep slugging through the water with high resistance when the hull is fully in the water (except in no wake zones, manatee zones, or other posted areas).

• Learn to use power trim (trim in for getting on plane and out for cruising)

• Eliminate unnecessary idling.

• Make sure your boat is properly propped and your propeller is free of dings

• Consider installing a stainless steel propeller (usually thinner blades resulting in same speeds at less rotating drag meaning less fuel consumption)

• Install an electronic fuel meter if you do not have one. Use it to monitor fuel consumption and establish your optimum cruise speed.

• Follow the engine manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule.

• Don't carry excess fuel and water. (Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon and gasoline weighs about 6.3 pounds per gallon)

• Keep your hull clean - spray wash it and re-paint it as necessary to reduce drag

• Invite some friends to go boating with you (just like carpooling, more people to split the emissions among - others are able to participate in the boating experience without adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere).

• If you have a larger boat making longer runs, consider installing an autopilot. Keeping closer on course will save fuel.

• If "speed" is your thing, get a smaller boat. Smaller boats can go much faster on less fuel.

• Consider a pontoon boat. They offer a lot of space and fishing opportunities and generally don't burn a lot of fuel.

Other Boating Choices Offset Boat Carbon Footprint

• Avoid spilling gasoline.
• Use a funnel or a spout with an automatic stop device to prevent overfilling the gas tank.
• Close the vent on portable gas tanks when the engine is not in use or when the tank is stored.
• Transport and store gasoline out of direct sunlight in a cool, dry place.
• Use caution when pumping gasoline into a container at the gas station.
• Use an efficient tow vehicle if you have a trailer boat.

• Keep your vehicle and boat trailer tires properly inflated or they will reduce your gas mileage.

• Buy food and other products with less packaging (less waste) that come from local destinations when possible (reduce trucking emissions)

• Prepare your own meals and eat out a little less while boating.

• If you choose to bar-b-que grill a meal, it seems uncertain whether charcoal or propane is the best environmental choice per a 13 June 2007 AP article in Lower Hudson Online titled, Green Grilling - Gas vs Charcoal

• Reduce your use of battery powered products. If you have to use electronics, plug them in when you can to reduce use of batteries.

• Keep your boat battery properly charged and maintained to increase its life.

• Buy one of the new super insulated ice chests and keep it in the shade to reduce your use of ice.

• Be sure to turn up the thermostat on your home air conditioner while your family is gone boating.

• Minimize use of on board air conditioners. Use fans when you can instead.

• If your tow vehicle is a pickup, leave the tailgate down when you can to reduce drag (fuel consumption) or get one of the "tailgate nets" or one of the new tube type that can flip up)

If you have any other boating related tips to reducing your boat carbon footprint, please email them to use and we will post them here if appropriate.

Life Style Changes Offset Boat Carbon Footprint

• Increasing your use of public transportation
• Turning your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer
• Driving efficient vehicles, especially if you commute considerable distances to work
• Making sure your home uses Energy Star efficient appliances
• Switch your home's light bulbs to the new energy saving fluorescent ones
• Turn the lights off when you leave a room
• Turn the TV off when you leave the room
• Make sure your home is well insulated
• Bike, walk and carpool
• Cut down your consumption of goods in general
• If you are considering buying a new vehicle, check out EPA's Green Vehicle Guide
• Become active in community affairs and try to protect trees remaining in your area when they can be saved from developers without undue hardships being placed upon those developing the land.

• Get out in the countryside now and then and breathe the fresh air. It will motivate you to better manage your carbon footprint.

Offset Remaining Boat Carbon Footprint

• Plant a tree. The average tree absorbs about a ton of CO2 over its lifetime.

• Several tree planting organizations (plant trees for you) are listed on AmericanForests.org

• Purchase carbon offsets from companies who use the money for projects that trap carbon dioxide or reduce its generation. These projects include helping wind farms get up and running (vs. less costly coal fired plants), rescuing huge acreages in South America (it doesn't matter where it happens, gasses eventually equalize around the globe), Control methane emissions on dairy farms by burning it and producing energy (methane is said to be about 22 times more "potent" than Carbon Dioxide as a greenhouse gas), setting up landfill methane gas flaring operations, and encouraging the growth of Plankton in the ocean.

To minimize your impact on the environment we suggest you try to approach boat carbon neutral, meaning you minimize the Carbon Dioxide emissions of your boat, then reduce other Carbon Dioxide emissions during your boating activities, make some lifestyle changes to further reduce your Boat Carbon Footprint, then offset the remaining carbon dioxide by planting trees, participating carbon offset projects, or other similar actions to neutralize your boat carbon footprint.

Boating allows us to experience the environment, lets take good care of it so our children and grandchildren can too.

Catalytic Converters Create Carbon Dioxide

The big point here is that catalytic converters actually create more Carbon Dioxide.

Recently, the use of catalytic convertors on stern drives has been in the press. Indmar is now selling stern drive engines with catalytic converters and others will not be far behind in order to meet upcoming emission regulations.

We are certainly not saying catalytic converters are bad, we just fear some people may feel they are also reducing their Carbon Dioxide emissions by the use of a catalytic convertor, when in fact they are actually increasing them. The chemical equation in play in a catalytic converter is:

2 molecules of Carbon Monoxide plus 1 molecule of Oxygen = 2 molecules of Carbon Dioxide

or

2CO + O2 = 2CO2

Plus the catalytic converter also similarly converts unburned hydrocarbons into Carbon Dioxide and water.

Yes, many boats have high levels of carbon monoxide and catalytic converters can bring these levels down, but they are accomplishing this at the expense of producing even more Carbon Dioxide greenhouse gasses.

Attempts to Regulate CO2 in Automobiles

On 24 October 2007 the European Parliment has adopted by a non-binding vote, a report calling for capping average CO2 emissions from all new passenger cars by 2015.

California is currently suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a Clean Air act waiver that would allow it to enact a 2002 law regulating green house gasses.

On 19 December 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Califorina and the 16 other states that joined them in the lawsuit cannot set their own carbon dioxide emission standards for automobiles. Stephen L. Johnson of the EPA said the rules proposed by California are pre-empted by Federal Authority. Governor Schwarzenegger says the states will move the case on to federal court. (see E.P.A. Says 17 States Can't Set Emission Rules. New York Times 20 December 2007).

The EPA is promoting its mileage improvement program as the solution. Some suggest they ruled in the industry's favor in the California issue in exchange for industry accepting the mileage improvements which allow the industry longer to respond.

Its obvious this is coming. Is it not finally time for the boating community to look ahead instead of looking behind and begin to address this issue in the currently proposed emission regulations?

Carbon Disclosure Project

Interestingly, Life Fitness, a Brunswick Company, has a report promoting indoor exercise due to high levels of emissions and other pollutants outdoors.

References

• Boating Pollution Prevention Tips EPA

• Mobile Source Emissions - Definitions EPA

• Calculating Fuel Consumption by Brett Becker. Boating Life. Dec. 1998.

• Evaluation of Carbon Monoxide Concentration With and Without Catalytic Emission Controls From Gasoline Propulsion Engines U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Report # EPHB 289-12a. April 2007.

• Marine Spark Ignition Engine Certification Data EPA

• California Air Resources Board Spark Ignition Marine Engines Certification Database

• Environmental Labeling System Bluewater Network explains the eco-star labeling system (often called energy star labels) used by marine engines. (Note these labels tend to focus on hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions and may not reflect Carbon Dioxide emissions)

• Predicting Fuel Economy by Paul Dawson. Automotive Engineer. March 1999. (same outboard on two boats).

• NONROAD Model EPA boat population and fuel consumption models

• Fuelish Facts Southern California Marine Association (SCMA)

• Transportation and Climate EPA.

• Average Carbon Dioxide Emissions Resulting from Gasoline and Diesel Fuel. EPA Emission Facts. EPA420-F-05-001. February 2005.

Some Other Polson Enterprises Web Sites

• Outboard Motor Manufacturers Directory

• Stern Drive Manufacturers Directory

• Marine Diesel Engines & Marine Gas Turbines Information Center

• Recreational Boat Building Industry

• Power Boat Manufacturers Directory

• Yacht Manufacturers Directory

• Boat Propeller Calculator

• Propeller Guard Information Center

FEEDBACK Please let us know how we are doing at answering your questions, if you like what you see, if you have any suggestions, or if you would just like to drop us a line. E-mail us at polsong@virtualpet.com.

Copyright

© 2007, and © 2008 by Polson Enterprises. All rights reserved.