Fueling up boat on trailer.

Kwik said:
Have to agree. Filled up at the marina last month at $4.24/gal because I didn't want to pull out. Filled up two weeks later at the gas station outside of the park for $2.80/gal. Both stations are owned by the same guy. The marina station and station outside the park are physically 1.5 miles apart.
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I do not know the marina or station you refer, but, if reputable why would the gas be the same? The marina gas should have marine water treatment added like Valve-Tec or similar. It should also be ethanol free and higher octane, usually 90 or 91. Plus, since it is ethanol free there is the added tax your politicians put on us scofflaws that do not want ethanol.

Look at https://www.pure-gas.org to find ethanol free gas.

Being from the Midwest, our mechanics see lots of trailered boats. They say the volume of fuel system repairs went through the roof after the introduction of ethanol in the auto gas most trailer boaters use.

My old Suburban gas gauge stopped showing full in 2011, about a year ago I decided to only run ethanol free for a few tanks. It runs way better, and by the third tank the gauge was working properly. Will not run ethanol gas in it or anything older than 2010.

I pay $3.70 for 90 octane ethanol free at the same pump offering $2.40 87 octane e-gas...

MM
 
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MonacoMike said:
Yep, and you can buy a Focus for less than a Porsche. I'm sure they are the same...

MM
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Unless your comparing eth to non eth,yup it's the same. Marina will dump in some Valvtec after the delivery, but who needs that crap.

Your dilutional if you think the non-eth fixed your float assembly. It's the other way around, the ethanol does the cleaning. Non-eth creates varnish
 
Blueone said:
What does that mean?... gas on the water is better than gas at a gas station
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Absolutely! In most cases. But, my home port is the exception that proves the rule. Oselka sells low octane 10% ethanol at marina pricing. (They do put Valve-Tec in it.)

We go to Michigan City for high octane ethanol free fuel when we need to fuel up.
 
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scoflaw said:
Unless your comparing eth to non eth,yup it's the same. Marina will dump in some Valvtec after the delivery, but who needs that crap.

Your dilutional if you think the non-eth fixed your float assembly. It's the other way around, the ethanol does the cleaning. Non-eth creates varnish
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No, I am not. And on other forums others have experienced similar.

I do believe that ethanol is "dilutional"...

MM
 
MonacoMike said:
Absolutely! In most cases. But, my home port is the exception that proves the rule. Oselka sells low octane 10% ethanol at marina pricing. (They do put Valve-Tech in it.)
We go to Michigan City for high octane ethanol free fuel when we need to fuel up.
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I get it.... I have relatives that are farmers who grow corn for ethanol... they are adamant about the harmful effects and wont use it in their own vehicles and farm equipment. (It's like being a vegetarian pig farmer)..I have been using it for years and years in boats and never had a problem from a performance or damage perspective... so I think to each his own...
Here is an article talking about myths and truths....it's a west marine article but there are a ton out there.... It's like global warming you believe it or you don't :)

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Busting-Ethanol-Fuel-Myths
 
scoflaw said:
OMG, so now non-eth cleans your tank ? LOL
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I understand the cleaning properties of the ethanol, and the issues in older fuel systems are primarily ethanol eats rubber, and it cleans years of old varnish off of sending the cleaned debris into the fuel system.

Maybe the ethanol cleans too good and offers no lubrication to the float assembly??? I just know the result...

MM
 
Blueone said:
I get it.... I have relatives that are farmers who grow corn for ethanol... they are adamant about the harmful effects and wont use it in their own vehicles and farm equipment. I have been using it for years and years in boats and never had a problem from a performance or damage perspective... so I think to each his own...
Here is an article talking about myths and truths....it's a west marine article but there are a ton out there.... It's like global warming you believe it or you don't :)

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Busting-Ethanol-Fuel-Myths
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I saw nothing in the article I disagree with. They just failed to point out that almost NO boat prior to 2008 had a fuel system designed for even low amounts of alcohol fuel and into the teens many still were not ethanol ready.

You most likely have had newer boats, and now have diesels, so you have not had the fight many have had. I can tell you this, take a 85 like my Monaco, 35 years later UV and ozone have been affecting the rubber in the fuel system that is covered in varnish. Ethanol, in continued use, would be an expensive death sentence for that boat.

Alcohol powered engines have stainless fittings, lines, etc. because alcohol eats rubber, just slower in 10-15% concentrations.

MM
 
scoflaw said:
OMG, so now non-eth cleans your tank ? LOL
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I don't know about that but I've been using regular gas for parts cleaner since I was a kid. I'm 70yo now, have no arthritis in my hands and my skin looks good...dob a little on your neck and it keeps the mosquitos away too.

I gotta check into MMs lubricity claim...maybe if rubbed on my knees I could run again.:)
 
E10 has caused me a lot of grief. My '01 Merc dinghy engine suffered the worst. It destroyed the ext tank hose, and forced me to tear-down the carb more times than I can count. I can now also tear down the carb in my mower just about blindfolded. My chipper has survived, but my golf cart struggles. It can be hard to predict. If there is a theme though, small jets, e10 and storage just don't play well together. Heat may be the 4th whammy.

I'd consider putting e10 in a towable boat IF I planned to burn most of it quickly. I'd then refill with non-e (marina) before storing the boat.
 
I used to get gas at a station near our lake house, not many marinas on that small lake - the station sold non-ethanol but then one summer quietly switched to ethanol only. I kept using it but always added Stabil so I though I was ok. Eventually I had problems - had to replace the fuel lines and rebuilt the carburetor. After that problem I started just getting gas at the marina that had non-ethanol. Mercruiser says in the manual of my 1999 that ethanol upto 10% is ok. I think my problem was partially the ethanol and partially just 15yr old rubber fuel hoses.

The biggest reason ethanol causes problems in marine engines is 1. The fuel does not used as fast as a car so it sits and eventually the ethanol separates from the gasoline (phase separation) and 2. Until recently all marine fuel systems were vented vs a closed system in a car.

Given your boat in a 1989 - you might have some problems with your old fuel lines and like others have said, the ethanol is going to give your fuel system a good cleaning. I think on a boat that old I would go ahead and change out the fuel lines. You may end up having to do some work on the fuel system, but on a 30yr old boat you can't totally blame ethanol fuel. Thousands and thousands of trailer boats get fuel at the gas station and have few to or no problems.
 
RollerCoastr said:
E10 has caused me a lot of grief. My '01 Merc dinghy engine suffered the worst. It destroyed the ext tank hose, and forced me to tear-down the carb more times than I can count. I can now also tear down the carb in my mower just about blindfolded. My chipper has survived, but my golf cart struggles. It can be hard to predict. If there is a theme though, small jets, e10 and storage just don't play well together. Heat may be the 4th whammy.

I'd consider putting e10 in a towable boat IF I planned to burn most of it quickly. I'd then refill with non-e (marina) before storing the boat.
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I have read that going back-and-forth between the two is the worst. The E10 has chemicals to maintain the alcohol in suspension that are diluted if you mix it with non-ethanol gas.

MM
 
RollerCoastr said:
I've never heard that. The ethanol would be diluted too though, so wouldn't it just balance itself out?
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Just repeating what I have read, the chemical keeps the alcohol from absorbing water. The alcohol molecules without adequate chemical to the gasoline still absorb water.

MM
 
Just checked the link that was posted above. A total of three stations on Long Island that sell gas with no ethanol in it. None of them are on the water.
Long Island is about 90 miles long.
Not 100% sure, but I think at least one of them sells 100 octane race gas for off road use. Some of my car enthusiast friends buy it and I think that’s where they get it. That’s probably why it has no ethanol in it. Good chance that’s the case with the other two stations listed too.
Last time I looked that stuff was about $10.00 a gallon at the pump
So realistically speaking. Ethanol free gas isn’t an option for boaters around here.
 
If you are driving the boat to burn the gas over the next few days, I would fill up on the way to the ramp and not worry about it. Then refill at the end of the trip with marina gas that is non-ethanol. Short term use and not storing ethanol gas should not be an issue.

The problem with ethanol gas is a few things:
- can damage old fuel lines and seals not designed for ethanol (so you don't want to do it all the time)
- ethanol absorbs water so it pull in moisture from the air into the gas. The water stays in suspension for a while until it hits a saturation point (or the additives break down) and then it comes out of suspension and pools at the bottom of the tank as a gummy milky mess. Big issues for fuel injection. A pain in the a$$ for carbs that accumulate and gunk up as well.
 
JVM225 said:
Just checked the link that was posted above. A total of three stations on Long Island that sell gas with no ethanol in it. None of them are on the water.
Long Island is about 90 miles long.
Not 100% sure, but I think at least one of them sells 100 octane race gas for off road use. Some of my car enthusiast friends buy it and I think that’s where they get it. That’s probably why it has no ethanol in it. Good chance that’s the case with the other two stations listed too.
Last time I looked that stuff was about $10.00 a gallon at the pump
So realistically speaking. Ethanol free gas isn’t an option for boaters around here.
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Not surprised it is not available in your area. More of a rural thing, for off-road vehicles, chain saws. Many of the landscape contractors use it here.

MM
 
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