NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Is fuel included in the charter price
Usually not. You settle it under the rule in the offer, which means you return the yacht with a full tank, pay at the home port for what you used, or pay a flat fee. You refuel at one of five waterside stations or from a jerry can where the marina allows. A houseboat with a 50 hp diesel burns a few litres an hour at a steady pace, so a week means a few dozen to well over a hundred litres.
Roughly, that comes to a few hundred PLN a week. The fuel clause, where the owner has entered one, sits next to the yacht and in the booking summary, for example when you browse houseboats in Masuria. If there is none, ask the owner before booking. You can work out the cost yourself by multiplying engine hours by consumption and the price per litre.
Three ways to settle fuel
- Full-to-full. You take the yacht over full and return it full. The typical clause for houseboats and motorboats. Return it short and the owner tops up and charges the difference, usually from the deposit, sometimes with a refuelling surcharge.
- Settled by consumption at the home port. After the cruise the harbourmaster fills the tank and you pay for the litres added. No hunting for a station on the last day, but the owner's price per litre is often higher than at the pump.
- Flat fee. A fixed sum for the whole cruise, no counting litres. On NaCzarter some owners offer it as an option, about 200 PLN (as of autumn 2026). It pays off with many engine hours.
You will rarely see "fuel included", which means the owner has built fuel into the charter price. "Starter fuel" only means there is something in the tank at handover, and whatever you burn goes on your bill.
Fuel is one of the items outside the charter price, alongside cleaning and harbour fees. At handover ask the harbourmaster to enter the tank level in the handover report and photograph the gauge. You compare the same entry when returning the yacht.
How much a houseboat, a motorboat and a sailing yacht burn
Consumption depends on engine power, revs and hull weight. A houseboat weighs several tonnes and does not plane, so it runs at displacement speed on low revs. The table gives medians of what owners declare on NaCzarter.
| Boat and drive | Power (median) | Tank | Declared consumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sailing yacht, petrol outboard | 6 hp (4–20 hp) | 12 l | approx. 2 l/h |
| Sailing yacht, inboard diesel | 21 hp | 45 l | approx. 3 l/h |
| Houseboat, inboard diesel | approx. 52 hp | 110 l | approx. 3.5 l/h |
| Houseboat, petrol outboard | approx. 30 hp | 75 l | approx. 3 l/h |
| Motorboat, diesel | approx. 52 hp | model-dependent | approx. 4 l/h |
| Motorboat, petrol | 15–500 hp (usually 140–250 hp) | model-dependent | varies with power and speed, ask the owner |
Data from owners' listings on NaCzarter (as of autumn 2026). Consumption figures are owners' declarations, so treat them as a guide.
Work out your week
Take a diesel houseboat and 3 engine hours a day. Over 7 days that is 21 hours, and at 3.5 l/h about 74 l. At the e-petrol average of 28 October 2026 diesel cost 8.15 PLN/l, so the week comes to about 600 PLN. At a waterside station add about 22 PLN, because in summer 2026 fuel there was about 0.30 PLN a litre pricier. A houseboat with a 30 hp petrol outboard burns about 63 l in that time, which at 6.55 PLN/l for petrol 95 is about 410 PLN. If you cruise longer or faster, count on up to double. You can estimate engine hours from the yacht speed and cruise time on the legs you plan.
Where to refuel on the water
According to Orlen's 2026 station list, five waterside stations operated on the Great Masurian Lakes trail during the season. They are in Giżycko on Lake Niegocin at the canal entrance, in Mikołajki by the main quay in the centre, in the marina at Sztynort, in Węgorzewo by the ZHP scout centre and in Ryn by the Ekomarina. Each has petrol 95 and diesel, but do not count on petrol 98. You pay cash, by card or with the app.
The stations open daily in season, but only in the daytime, so check the hours and the current list before the cruise. On Saturday, when crews change over, there is often a queue at the pump, so with a full-to-full clause it is better to refuel on Friday afternoon.
The station at Piękna Góra on Lake Kisajno closed in 2024, though old lists online still show it. South of Mikołajki do not expect a pump on a pontoon. The marina on Lake Bełdany sends you to Mikołajki for fuel, 10 km away, and for Ruciane-Nida and Pisz the nearest station is also Mikołajki. For Wilkasy it is Giżycko.
When a jerry can makes sense and how not to spill fuel
On a sailing yacht with a small outboard a jerry can is the norm, while on a houseboat it is more of an emergency top-up. The marina rules we know do not ban can refuelling outright, but they ban anything that may pollute the water, and spilt fuel does. So refuel at the quay, never under way. The engine should be off and cold, nobody smokes, a rag lies under the filler, and you pour through a funnel with a strainer or from a can with a flexible spout. If you bring fuel by car, road rules allow a private person 60 l per container and 240 l in total.
How much fuel a sailing yacht uses in a week
A typical charter sailing yacht has a petrol outboard of about 6 hp with a 12 l tank. Owners quote about 2 l/h, and you use it mainly in the canals, leaving port and when the wind dies. At an hour a day the tank plus a 5 l can lasts the week and the cost stays under a hundred PLN. If the owner leaves only a few litres of starter fuel, buy the rest before setting off, from the owner or at a roadside station. On yachts with diesel heating its fuel is sometimes settled separately, so check the offer.
Nothing from the engine goes into the lake
Masuria is a protected area. The Water Law Act (art. 77) bans discharging waste into waters, and the Waste Act (art. 93) explicitly bans dumping waste oil into water and soil. So you soak up spilt fuel with a rag and hand the rag in at the marina. Used oil, filters and empty cans stay at the marina too, and the harbourmaster will tell you where. Report an oil film in the bilge to the owner and do not switch on the bilge pump, because it would push the oil into the lake. If a slick does reach the water, tell the harbourmaster at once.
Frequently asked questions
Is fuel included in the price of a houseboat charter? Usually not. Most often you return the yacht with a full tank or pay at the home port for the litres added.
How much does a 30 hp motorboat burn? At full throttle a 30 hp four-stroke outboard burns about 9 l/h, and at displacement speed a few litres an hour. Houseboat owners with such an engine declare about 3 l/h.
What fuel goes in the yacht, petrol or diesel? Ask the owner before the cruise and check the label at the filler. Outboards usually burn petrol 95, inboard diesels run on diesel. A mix-up ends in an engine repair paid from the deposit.
Are waterside stations more expensive? Yes, usually by about 0.30 PLN a litre. At 74 l for a week's cruise that is about 22 PLN.
What if you run out of fuel on the lake? Call the owner, the number is in the contract. Before the cruise check how many hours the tank lasts, and refuel when the gauge reaches half.
Cover photo: NaCzarter.pl
