Havasu Cig

We don't have the long storage periods you guys do that are in the colder parts of the country, but when I was getting my pilots license I was taught to keep the tanks full so there was less room for water. I would think the same would apply to boats.

bucky

Hell, after I filled it up today I just had to go for a ride. Only one other trailer in the lot at the ramp and he pulled in right after me. Damn water was 63 degrees, two weekends ago at Lake Gaston it was 80 degrees. What a difference. I thought me and my buddy Ed would put overboard at Cambridge and ride to the boat show, but winds were forecast at 15-25 knots, screw that. I'll just have to fill it back up again tomorrow and then it's time for it's winter sleep.

Jana

Stabilizer, fill it up and take it for one last short ride. That way there's room for expansion, but not much room for moisture.

Dean Ferry

What layover?
We don't need no stinking layover here in Fl.!

J/Kidding, fill her up to 95% and stabilize.
Good luck,
MD

CJC

OK guys, this is just my $.02 - so you can do whatever you want with it. But, I would feel bad if I didn't at least share this with you.

Seems as though it is unanimous, but I have to go against all those who say "fill it". Typically, that is what everybody does and you all survive the winter. But..............this is what the Mercruiser Tech's at Lake-X say. Their advise is to store it bone dry. YES......you will get condinsation in the tank. BUT, it is less harmfull than bad gas. They said the additives and the quality of the gas are so bad now a days, it won't last more than a couple months. They state the gas in the Southern regions is worse yet. Yes, it will start the boat and run. But what is the first thing people (that have to winterize) do on the first run of the year?? They go balls to the wall with it (after paying on it for the last 6 months). The octane level is so low, this is what will typically pop the engines. They say to fill up with good gas in the spring, then change the water separator after the first tank.

H2O separator : $6.95
New engine : $ ????

Makes sense to me.

Just passing along what I have been told.

CJC

formula31

What you said may be true if the pickup is totally at the bottom of the tank and you can get everydrop of water out in the spring. I know the few tanks I have seen the inside of are not like that. There is quite a bit of area in the tank below the low point of the pickup. It seems to me that every time you were running in rough water you would be getting water from the bottom of the tank. Ill stick with full and stabilized. Not to mention what water does to bare aluminum.

Flyinbrian

CJC,
I totally agree with this, especially if you don't have a metallic tank prone to corrosion.
I posted this exact question on another board, not knowing someone did here too. It seems that most people fill them up and put Sta-Bil or similar in their tank. I am emptying mine into the truck and leaving it dry.

The only other problem I could see was brought up by someone else. He had a fuel level sender rust from the condensation.

So add a $10-$20 fuel level sender and I would say that is a rare problem anyway.

I asked a Sunoco race fuel rep. the shelf life on race fuel and was told two months maximum if stored out of direct sunlight in a cool dry place. That would make you think pump crap gas has an even shorter shelf life.

In the summer months, I try to never let fuel get older than three weeks. I have heard from reputable engine builders that one month is all you have by the time it reaches the pumps.

Chris288

My jet-ski needs to run on 92 ocatane (high compression) and I have debated whether to fill up or leave empty. I am hesitant to leave 15 gallons of fuel ( even with sta-bil ) in it for 5 months and risk loosing those precious octane points.

The last thing I need is sour fuel running through my ski at 7,000 rpm.. can you say kabooooom...

As for the Baja, leaving 80 gallons over 5 months doesn't make much sense to me either, I would rather run it down, drain it and leave it dry, then fill up with 80 fresh gallons in the spring..

Still un-sure..

CJC

Like I say - to each his own.

I would always top mine off before winterization and add the stabilizer. Never had any problems.

For the last two years, I have left only enough fuel to get me on the trailer. Didn't have any problems in the spring.

My friends got into this debate last year. Half filled them, the other half left them empty. We all made it out on the water.

Just thinking about some of you big dawgs out there with some serious power. If you fill it in the fall, you might want to take it easy on the sticks until you get the good stuff flowing back through.

CJC

Flyinbrian

I would empty that jet-ski out. It has a plastic tank in it anyway. Hell, you could probably empty and pull the tank from the ski and keep it in your basement to prevent condensation.

I have always filled and sta-billed with my I/O's in the past. Now with the outboards, my buddy grenading both of his from gas left over the winter, (Sta-bilized), and talking to people in the petroleum industry, I am going empty for the winter.