Biodiesel Boat Tours In The San Juan Islands
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 09.14.06
The same journey that had the new hubby and I cruising by the Andy Warhol exhibit in Jackson, WY took us up to the San Juan Islands of Washington state. While visiting the islands, we discovered the presence of several biodiesel-fueled charters and whale watching tours. To my knowledge, only one of these - the Bon Accord - runs on 100% biodiesel, while the others use a mix of bio and petroleum products. The Bon Accord is used to serve kayak tours, bringing guests to quiet spots where they can explore the islands with minimal impact and maximum enjoyment. Given that biodiesel is a much healthier fuel option for marine and freshwater environments, shouldn't it be more prevalent in the boating world?
Apparently, the state-operated Washington State Ferries, which operates in and around the San Juan Islands has experimented with B20 biofuels, but experienced some challenges which lead to the suspension of the program. It seems that the biofuel mixture was clogging the vessels’ engine filters and fuel system. WSF is working with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to design a research study to determine the cause of the ferry system’s problems with biodiesel.
I'm a whalewatching naturalist and for several years I've felt horribly guilty about going out on the water in a stinky diesel boat with dozens of children breathing the fumes (and of course all that pollution ending up there on the ocean).
I would love to go to the sportfishing company that runs the tours and show them that there are companies out there that have made the conversion ... it really might help them to get some press and of course preserve a little of that which they're highlighting.
cybele, i totally agree. i love the thought of biodiel used in commercial boats, ferries, and anything else that floats. great post!
I wonder if it's too much of a niche market for there to exist programs to help with the conversion, similar to ones that exist now to help homeowners install solar power in their homes.
The reason why
"It seems that the biofuel mixture was clogging the vessels’ engine filters and fuel system"
Is because BioDiesel is an astringent (a cleaner). What the BioDiesel was doing is cleaning all the built up gunk out of the engine that was built up from years of using petroleum diesel.
The gunk was then going out of the engine and clogging up the filters.
This is a common transitional problem when changing from petroleum diesel to biodiesel.
IF the diesel engine was run with biodiesel from the begining and no petroleum diesel was used, they'd never have any problems!
Note: A diesel engine run with 100% biodiesel (it's whole life) will last twice as long the same engine run on 100% petroleum diesel between engine rebuilds
RacheLyra - that's an interesting question about programs to help with the conversion. I'd say for coastal/lakeside/river communities with a large number of pleasure boats and small commercial boats it should be doable. The first cities to make the conversion will have some powerful bragging rights about their harbors.
My guess is harbors with large numbers of tourists would likely make the switch first. However, Los Angeles Harbor has been making HUGE plans to clean up the air at the harbor including converting to cleaner diesel fuels. I haven't checked to see if biodiesel is on the list.
Lil Hugger,
Your comments are highly insightful. They help highlight that normal diesel is the problem, not biodiesel.
And your comments further reinforce my beliefs that the vast majority of 'green' products are not just better for the environment. They are better period - anyway you look at it.
One of the problems encountered by the WA state ferries was the proximity of the fuel tanks to the cold waters of the Puget Sound led to fuel gelling and clogging the fuel filters. Read more about the Clean Fuel initiative here: http://tinyurl.com/h7kz9