Frequently Asked Questions

No. Blue Gas Marine (BGM) enables existing engines to run on natural gas in addition to gasoline. This is called a hybrid. In fact, the boater can switch between fuels by simply pressing a button installed at the helm.

The same boat can run on different modes: Hybrid (both gasoline and CNG), CNG Only, and gasoline only. The BGM system does not require gasoline and the engines can start on CNG or gasoline

Yes, in a positive way! Natural gas will combust at a lower temperature than in a gasoline engine, meaning your engines run much cooler on CNG than on gasoline. The combustion of CNG produces zero smoke and that keeps your engine parts working without the associated carbon buildup caused by gasoline. These clean properties of CNG extend the life of your engines. In addition, the BGM fuel system (fuel tank, fuel lines, engine components, engine computer, and even the injectors) is completely independent from the gasoline system, adding another degree of safety to your boating. If you get bad gasoline or a gasoline component malfunctions, simply crank the engines on CNG and come home safely without expensive towing bills.

Gasoline is a liquid commonly measured in gallons, but natural gas is not a liquid so it cannot be measured in gallons in its compressed form. To simplify the use of natural gas as a fuel that commonly replaces gasoline, the US federal government created a unit of measurement called the gasoline-gallon-equivalent or GGE for short. All commercial CNG pumps in the US are therefore required to list the price of natural gas in GGEs and measure it that way when you fill-up your boat. This simplicity allows you to compare the price of natural gas directly to the price of the gasoline without any complicated calculations. If you fill-up from home, you generally pay $1 for a GGE of natural gas compared to $4/gallon of non-ethanol gasoline.

CNG is 130 Octane. This means that it can release energy during a longer time than gasoline. The BGM system takes advantage of the higher octane so there is no significant performance difference between the two fuels. In fact, our tests show a fuel efficiency increase of up to 60% while running on CNG. Additionally, CNG is 33% lighter than gasoline for the equivalent energy. All of this means that your boat will go much farther on an equivalent measure of CNG than on gasoline.

BGM’s fuel system consists of six major modules: engine components, helm controls, fuel receiving panel, fuel tank, pressure reduction module, fuel lines and command cables. These are assembled in our factory specifically for your boat and engine combination. The tank size and mounting location determines almost half the cost of the system. Since there are so many combinations of these factors pricing will vary, but start at $4,000 for a smaller boat. Ask us for a quick estimate that is specific to Sales@BlueGasMarine.com

Blue Gas Marine sells, installs and maintains its fuel systems through qualified and authorized dealers. All BGM dealers’ primary businesses are Marine Service Centers that have the facilities, tools and experience received from our training to provide high quality installations of our plug-n-play CNG fuel systems. Our network of BGM dealers are also certified repair centers for the engines on which the fuel system is installed.

BGM  natural  gas  fuel systems  provides  a  one  year  warranty for  an  engine  that  is  out  of  warranty. BGM  matches  the engine  warranty for  an  engine  that  is  new  or  is  still covered  by  the  original  manufacturer’s  warranty.

Compressed Natural Gas is a fuel in a gaseous form that requires a tank to hold it and special valves to dispense it. Your gasoline tank was made to hold a liquid fuel and not a gas, so that is why we add a CNG tank to your boat in addition to your existing gasoline tank for hybrid boats. Customers that only want to operate on natural gas can request that the gasoline tank be removed to provide maximum CNG capacity, although the hybrid configuration provides the most flexibility. CNG tanks are at a pressure of 3600 PSI when full. This pressure will go to almost zero as the engines consume the fuel. Gasoline tanks vent fumes and may potentially spill into the water during fueling.
CNG tanks are self-contained and do not vent or spill any fuel. Additionally CNG tanks may be mounted either horizontally or vertically, providing more flexibility for installation.

Due  to  the  demand  for  CNG  for  both  personal  and  fleet usage  for  businesses there  are  many  options  available  for CNG.    Blue  Gas  Marine,  Inc.  has  multiple  fueling  options including:

1. On-site fixed fuel station with piped natural gas provided by the utility company at a Marina or Marine Service Center. If your marina does not offer CNG fuel, please send us their contact information so we can contact them about offering CNG at their marina.
2. Mobile fuel stations to dispense fuel at a marina or Marine Service Center for those marinas that do not have natural gas piped to their facility.
3. “Fill-at-home” compressors for homes with natural gas, which take advantage of the lowest cost natural gas directly from the utility provider. This is actually the most economical way to fill your boat with natural gas. The system could also be used to fill CNG cars and trucks at home!
4. Many locations are already served by public CNG stations and private CNG stations that share their facility with Blue Gas Marine customers with boats trailer able. There are many search tools available on-line to find CNG fueling stations. See the website below for current locations of Public CNG stations: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/natural_gas_locations.html Specific for Florida please see: http://floridagas.org/ForVehicles/FuelStationMap.aspx . With so many different types of fueling options and locations, Blue Gas Marine, Inc. is making it easier for boaters to adopt natural gas as a marine fuel and open the market for boaters to get access to this cheaper and cleaner fueling option.