Which fuel?

Bottom Line

Bottom Line

Well-Known Member
Oct 6, 2006
1,809
Table Rock Lake(Branson MO)
Boat Info
2003 360 DA
2002 Sea Doo GTI (sold)
2002 300 DA (sold)
Engines
Twin Mercruiser 8.1L
Westerbeke Generator
They 2 marinas I get most of my gas from, say there is no ethanol in the gas they sell. So I have been asking them more questions. One marina say their gas is Valvetect and is 87 octane. The second marina says they only pump premium and the octane is 91. So is one gas better than the other? The price between the 2 marinas is generally pretty close.
 
Most of our local options use the Valvtect and I have to say I have never had an issue with old gas, and it can be months sometimes in between outings for me, so my gas can get pretty old. The gas in my tanks right now is probably from last season. Added bonus I don't feel the need to add stabilizers when I fill up with VT.

I would take the 87 non ethanol VT over the 91 , are you sure the 91 is non ethanol? Are they both VT? We only have 87 VT here.
 
Dsybok said:
Most of our local options use the Valvtect and I have to say I have never had an issue with old gas, and it can be months sometimes in between outings for me, so my gas can get pretty old. The gas in my tanks right now is probably from last season. Added bonus I don't feel the need to add stabilizers when I fill up with VT.

I would take the 87 non ethanol VT over the 91 , are you sure the 91 is non ethanol? Are they both VT? We only have 87 VT here.
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The 91 octane is not the Vavletect brand, but they claim there is no ethanol. Most "road" gas stations around here slso promote their premium, 91 octane, as ethanol free.
 
As long as there is no ethanol I don't care. Most of the on-the-water pumps here are premium (either 92 or 93) non-ethanol. There is one location that has 91 non-ethanol. I buy from all and have no problems with any of it, but I also burn through the tanks fairly fast. Of course I add stabilizer over the winter, but that is the only time.
 
Use the octane level required by the engine manufacturer. Do not use anything with ethanol in it except as last resort. If available, use a Valvetech product or an untreated fuel of sufficient octane that does not contain alcohol. Always buy from a marina that sells lots of fuel so you know it is fresh. Stay away from gas station gas.
 
Your boat has a 8.1 L engine - that should run perfectly fine on 87 octane. If you notice pinging while using the 87 you need to use fuel with a higher octane.
 
All Mercruiser engines I've seen since about 1997 are made to run on 87. If you are paying for more octane, you're wasting your money.


Don
 
Southpaw II said:
All Mercruiser engines I've seen since about 1997 are made to run on 87. If you are paying for more octane, you're wasting your money.Don
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Not if you are doing it to avoid e-10. We burn premium because it is alcohol free. Your argument is penny wise, pound foolish.
 
Why do you say "stay away from gas station gas"? Down here in FL, there is a reasonably high percentage of gas stations that have a marine gas pump which purports to contain no ethanol and has added stabilizer. Lots of trailered boats gassing up. I note on line that the #1 state with registered boats is FL with MI close behind so I would have guessed that is available to you. Do you not have that option at some gas stations?
 
Michigan does not require retailers to post what is in the fuel. In our town we had a customer fill up at a name brand station and her car stalled within a block due to improper mixing by the wholesaler. The fuel she purchased was MOSTLY alcohol. You really do not know what you are buying at a gas station. Two days ago we watched our teen aged neighbors fill their nice ski boat up with portable cans from a gas station. Twenty minutes later they got towed back into their slip and went skiing behind the can boat that towed them. It may not have been the gas, but why take the chance?
 
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That's unfortunate. I completely understand your point of view now.
 
Where do you fill up, sbw1?

I seem to remember you being in Spring Lake. To my knowledge there's more than one marina in Spring Lake/Grand Haven selling Valvetect fuel in 87 octane.
 
Mercruiser customer support claims their engines are compatible with a 10% ethanol mix. How many boats are out there that run perfectly fine on 10%. Mine's 1 of them, what I have noticed is that the ethanol is slowly eating my SeaRay tank to pump fuel lines. Nothing in the mercruiser is dissolving.
 
I use non-ethonal which happens to be 91 octane. I get it from a local service station that has non-ethonal. I save about a $1 per gallon, per fill-up. Although my sleeping quarters and head is considerably smaller than most of you - that is my one silver lining.:grin:

edit: (silver lining meaning - trailering my boat)
 
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Venmous28 said:
Where do you fill up, sbw1?

I seem to remember you being in Spring Lake. To my knowledge there's more than one marina in Spring Lake/Grand Haven selling Valvetect fuel in 87 octane.
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We buy fuel all over Lake Michigan/ Huron but have stopped going to some places like Chicago because the marinas there all seem to sell only e10. I believe North Shore, Barrett's and Grand Isle sell 87 octane in the SL/Grand Haven area. They are alcohol free as are the marinas we use on the west side of the state. I've not seen a marina in Michigan that sells e10, although there may be some in the southern portion closer to Gary and Chicago. Not sure what is sold in the Detroit area of the state. Large metro areas seem to have the e-10 fuels probably because of EPA regs.
 
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