Steve Bullman

For marine engine specialist Peter White of Swordfish Marine, carburettor issues caused by extended periods of storage and inactivity are a thing of the past since the discovery of aspen Alkylate fuel. Having extensively tried and tested aspen 4 in his workshop, at home and in his own 4-stroke outboard engine, the family-run firm became stockists three years ago to make the ethanol-free fuel more accessible for their customers. Established by Peter in 2007, Swordfish Marine cover all areas of servicing and support for small leisure and commercial boats – based at the Holy Loch Marina in Dunoon, Scotland. With the vast majority of Peter’s customers being ‘seasonal boaters’, issues with expired fuel and component failures due to water ingress were a common occurrence until the team were introduced to aspen Fuel. “A friend recommended we look at aspen Fuel maybe eight or nine years ago” he explains. “You often hear that once you try it, you’re hooked… and from just using it in our own petrol engines, we really were. The main difference is that the engine starts first time, every time, no matter how long it’s been in storage and knowing how much that would benefit the vast majority of our customers we knew we needed to offer it.” After their original stockist ceased trading during COVID, Peter became a stockist himself in late 2020. As an alkylate petrol, aspen 4 contains no ethanol and a vastly reduced harmful hydrocarbon content when compared to traditional petrol. Its greener, cleaner credentials make it an ideal option for those working in ecological and sensitive environments such as waterways, with Swordfish Marine selling aspen 4 with all boats up to 6hp. “There’s nothing more frustrating for people than pulling the boat out in April and finding the engine won’t start after a winter spent in the shed. The shelf-life of aspen reduces the anxiety and risk of engine-related failures which ultimately gets people where they want to be, on the water.” Peter continues, “While the initial expenditure may be increased, this is negated by the vast savings in servicing and repair bills, and most find that one can will last them the whole season if not longer.” “Ultimately when you think about it, we’re losing business! But morally aspen has proven to be a fantastic decision and seeing everybody enjoy their boating, reliably and without horrible repair bills is what we’re all about.”