A clean ride: Inventors find way to make fuel refills safer on the water
Goodbye funnels. So long, small spills.
Boaters now have an option for refilling their motors with fuel that is easy, clean and environmentally safe, with a pair of central Newfoundland inventors finding a business opportunity in the middle of a mess.
Northern Arm resident Steve Brent and Botwood's Cody Taylor are the inventors of the Jerry-Buddy, an adapter which allows the use of any fuel can to supply an outboard engine.
"The idea for the Jerry-Buddy came from spilling gas and seeing the expense of having multiple tanks on the boat," said Brent.
"This gives you an easy to use, money-saving option." Brent said.
The product was developed over two years and is now on the market, selling 900 units through just one vendor.
The pair have ambitious plans, and intend to make waves at a large boating show in Toronto in the New Year.
Brent and Taylor recently received $34,000 from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation's business development support program to help with its trade show pitch, as well as displays and packaging.
Brent said he is still testing the original version of the Jerry-Buddy in his own boat.
"It has no faults and everything has exceeded our testing criteria all along," he said.
Brent and Taylor devised a simple system that anglers and other boating enthusiasts can use to keep a jerry can or fuel container attached to an outboard motor.
It is designed so anyone familiar with a boat motor can use the system easily, and contains clear and concise instruction for new boaters.
How does it work? Jerry-Buddy produced this instructional video:
The system eliminates the need to use a funnel to fill a gas tank, which can be a considerably messy part of the process, especially on the water, for boat owners.
Although it isn't considered a permanent replacement for a motor's fuel tank, the Jerry-Buddy does include an inline filter to keep sediment from entering the fuel line and a one-way check valve that hampers spills when changing the fuel source.
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