Right now, do this:
- 1Drop anchor.Even on calm water, drift can push you into rocks, swimmers, or other boats. Anchor first, troubleshoot second.
- 2Verify it's really empty.Fuel gauges fail. Tap the gauge, check the on-board pump if you have one, look at the tank visually if you can. A stuck float can read empty when there are still gallons.
- 3Call for help.Your options, ranked by speed:
- Call us at (877) 257-FUEL — we serve 10 lakes in Southwest Michigan and can often get fuel to your dock or a nearby launch within hours.
- Flag down a passing boater. Most lake people will tow you back to your dock or share a few gallons from their portable tank. This is fastest on a busy weekend day.
- Call BoatUS or Sea Tow if you have a membership. They'll deliver fuel or tow. Both have apps that speed up the call.
- Call 911 only if you're in danger — drifting toward a hazard, weather rolling in, someone needs medical attention. Out of gas alone isn't a 911 call.
What Dockside Fuel Services can actually do for you
We're a marine fuel delivery service operating across 10 lakes in Southwest Michigan — Austin, Crooked, Diamond, Eagle, Fisher, Gull, Indian, Paw Paw, Pretty, and the Schoolcraft Township cluster. Our standard product is weekly scheduled delivery to your dock for $30 a trip plus fuel. But if you're reading this on your phone from a dead boat, that's not what you need.
What we'll try to do when you call:
- Tell you whether one of our routes is on your lake today or tomorrow (and slot you in if so).
- Tell you the nearest public launch ramp where you could meet us — usually faster than a delivery to your dock if you're already mid-lake.
- Connect you with the right neighboring marina or boater if that's faster.
- If you're a customer of ours and the route hits your lake within 24 hours, we can usually wedge an emergency top-off in.
We're not a tow service — we don't pull boats out of the water. But we're local, we know the lakes, and we can get you fuel faster than a gas-station-and-car-can run in most cases.
Once this is resolved — never let it happen again
The cleanest fix for "ran out of fuel" is "never let the tank get below a quarter." That requires either driving the boat to a marina or trailering it to a gas station every 2-3 weekends — neither of which is realistic for most lake people.
Dockside's weekly delivery route was designed for exactly this. Once a week we're on your lake. You get a text ahead of time — reply Y if you want fuel, ignore if you don't. We show up, fill the tank to whatever level you want, send a receipt, and you're ready for the next weekend. $30 per trip plus fuel at the current REC-90 market rate. No subscription. No minimum gallons. Skip any week you don't need fuel.
Cheaper than a Sea Tow membership over the season. Faster than the gas station. And the truck the fuel comes from is named the Mule, which is fun.