Island Advisor

Pine-Island-Nautical-Mile-Island-Advisor-Ethanol

The Boat Guys @ York Road Marine
With a combined 75 years of experience The Boat Guys at York Road Marine
keep up-to-date on all the latest marine changes and advancements so they
can provide the best service and advice to their customers.

Is Your Boat Prepared for E-10 or E-15 Fuel?

Derived from corn in the U.S., gasoline containing ethanol is a blend of up to
10% or soon 15% ethanol and refined alcohol. The result is an ethanol solvent
that can cause several different problems to your boat engine if proper precautions
are not taken.

Ethanol can hold up to 100% of its volume of water. But it only takes 4 tablespoons of
water per gallon to cause the ethanol to separate, this event is called “phase separation”.

Ethanol fuel can reach this point in just 3 months at 70% humidity. When this happens and the ethanol is at the bottom of your fuel tank and the gasoline is at the top, the gasoline’s octane level can be reduced to less than 87. Most engines won’t run on less than 87 octane.

Since boat fuel tanks are vented, condensation and moisture is likely to occur in fuel tanks – particularly when the fuel tank is not full. When the solvent reacts with water it can create sludge in the fuel tank that clogs fuel filters, carburetors and other engine parts causing poor performance. Also, the ethanol has a corrosive nature that can affect fuel components causing them to fail.

The ethanol damage can be especially troublesome in older boats with fiberglass fuel tanks made with thophthalic resin. The ethanol can react with the resin in these older fuel tanks and create a sludge build up. In some cases, fuel tanks need to be entirely drained to remove sludge filled fuel. Many older vessels must have the fiberglass tanks replaced prior to using E-10 or E-15 fuels, or face certain engine failures.

Yamaha advises that mixing gas with ethanol with non-ethanol gas (containing MTBE) can cause chemical reactions and cause further fuel contamination. Additionally, they advise that fuel with ethanol has a shelf life of approximately 3 months, breaking down sooner than other formulas and can go “stale” sooner.

Protect Your Investment - What You Can Do

Taking proper precautions can help minimize the impact of ethanol fuel on your boat and engine. Here are some suggestions from the professionals at York Road Marine:

• When possible, fuel your boat at marinas. Most marinas do not sell E-10 orE-15 fuel
• Install a 10 micron fuel water separator to minimize the effects of ethanol and to
separate the water from the fuel
• Refuel often. Ethanol fuel should not sit in a gas tank longer than 90 days.
Keep tank full during storage
• Have long-term stored fuel tested and dispose of all fuel if it has separated
• Use of a premium grade fuel stabilizer is recommended at all times

We use and recommend GAS-SHOK a water absorber and fuel stabilizer. Stops phase separation and stabilizes fuel. Available at York Road Marine.

So What’s the Bottom Line?

Purchase a good filter, water/separator, use only ethanol gas or non-ethanol gas, don't mix the two and don’t store more gas than you plan on using. If you don’t have an external fuel filter, add one now, and check it often. For less than $100.00 a good filter may save you thousands in repair bills and ruined boating trips.

York Road Marine keeps up-to-date on all the latest marine changes and advancements so they can provide the best service and advice to their customers.