You have a reference for that Dave? That is something I could have a issue with very easy.

i cant recall, i think it was in an issue of Professional Boat Builder. I will see if i can find it.

Ethanol empty, ethanol free full. Use stabil in both.

By far have more experience winterizing boats in which many of those boats have sat for years and years untouched because of complete drought. Way more time involved on the marine end with 1 or 2 or even 5 year old fuel that has sat in marine gas tanks for that long compared to anyone who writes stories or where ever especially for guys who just winterize their own boat or possible a few friends boats. Most marine service problems are fuel and or cooling related so I see it on a daily basis year after year even with NON ethanol fuel. Plus I professionally flow test and clean fuel injectors about 1000 to 2000 per year for the past 7 years going on 8. So I see fuel related problems all the way to the end of the line. ( the fuel injector) and the start of those problems as well ( the fuel tank ) .

Before youtube and bilge heaters became the standard for boaters winterizing their own boats - 400 boats was about the norm for winterizations. then 200 boat winterizations became the norm and currently for a one man band shop 40 to 100 is about the norm depending how cold winter starts out in the South.

best results for fuel additives / stabiizers

1. Lube control fuel additive - old man use to make this in Dallas out of his garage. A company bought him out. the best I have seen but not sure about the product currently.

2, Driven Carb defender

3. CRC fuel stabilizer but its a certain one and believe it or not if I recall has a chemical base of anti freeze or the base is close to it.

4. Pink Sta bil that has been used by more engine manu's threw out the years and still is for Lawn, small engine, motorcycles, karting and so on. The blue marine stabil forms sticky deposits in long periods of sitting. Even in its own container.

5. Phazer made Dallas

Keep in mind most fuel additives and stabilizers have alcohol into their mix. The first 4 I listed do not and I know for a fact they have ZERO alcohol, I can not speak for Phazer for any alcohol content in it.

the 2 stroke oil you are looking for is Citgo or Mystik premium plus. Same product just different price. The soup mix in your fuel system and gas tanks provides the best results for any storage. Drain the old gas out if 6 months or older, fill with fresh fuel. Do fuel samples and check for water in the fuel along with related fuel system maintenance first timeframe of boating season and threw out the year with proper fuel system lay up. Use quality fuel stabilizer 365 days per year. Best solutions for turn key boating. No brainer.

here is the main reason the EPA and other info sources does not recommend mixing E 0 and E 10, it really has to do with RVP differences of the 2.

https://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/advs/advs315.pdf

Keep in mind, many cars travel on the road today running across country mix E0 with E 10, including myself - Oklahoma is filled with E0 gas and my area is all E 10 - I have mixed the 2 without any problems including boats as well.

Matter of fact just filled the wifes car with E0 from outside the area with a half tank of E 10, Runs the same without any problems.

E 10 been in the fuel supply since 1979 and you can not tell me that it has never been mixed 1000 s of times from one gas station to the next- watch the vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYHoeIvb8I4

I gotta find the article i read. Actually i think they were referring to E10 land gas being mixed with something like Valvetech E0 marina gas. I will dig it out . . . . think it was an issue of ProBoat

Dave this one, I get the Professional boat builder magazine as well. Are you going to IBEX ?

http://www.proboat.com/professional-...-issue-no-160/

Texas is under 150 land gas station for finding NON Ethanol but 90 miles North in Oklahoma has 620 land gas stations to buy NON Ethanol fuel. Actually it is easier to find E0 in Oklahoma that it is to find E10.

Here is the list in Oklahoma below and actually I bet it is more than that listed

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=OK

Yep, just found it after I posted. I have every issue I ever received just had to go through the last few. Gonna re read it later tonight and report back. Would like to scan it but not sure if I can.


No gonna make IBEX this year, you?

The engines in all of my boats have never remained stock for more than one year. The engines in my Scarab would run come spring on old gas. The old fuel would foul out the plugs.

Dave - I have that same issue in my hands as we speak. A lot of writing about the E 15 but just skimmed the article. Yes I go to IBEX every year.

There was some good points about the empty tank and gas fumes that can cause problems. Also the topic how your boat is stored. I will agree if it is damp climates then most likely a full tank will cause less problems. Like I said fuel samples are important no matter what. And IMO very hard to get a boats fuel tank 100 percent completely empty by pumping it out however. .

Also says Volvo Penta recommends if boat sits for 2 weeks use fuel stabilizer - as I said use stabilizer 365 days per year as how do you know when 4 sure next time you can take your boat out. Here with lake levels that is impossible to know your next boating day. Like wise for others - busy life styles, boat mechanical issues and so on.

I swear in the past 6 years I have pumped out more gas from boat fuel tanks than anyone I know. Most likely 1500 to 2000 gallons of fuel this year alone.

I know "James" and his word is good. I never saw that old thread though; will have to go back and read it.

Yes

Left my boats stabilized and near empty for as long as I can remember, no problems. Shrink wrapped and sitting in my driveway. Not much moisture in winter air in CT so I've never worried about condensation. No science behind this, it's just worked.

Stabil is old news fill it up and dump startron in it. Try to get non-ethanol fuel if available. I've been using ST for years. My brother called me as asked what to do about a buddy's mustang that had sat and the fuel smelled bad and the car wouldn't run. Told him to pick up a bottle of Startron. He did and the car started right up and ran like a top. I use it in every tank in my boat, whether or not it's sitting for long periods.

He dumped it in the bad gas and then was okay ? Really ?

I left a full tank (55 gal.) of untreated $4 ethanol fuel in my boat for three years. The boat was stored in my garage the whole time in a fairly controlled environment. 500EFI, topped it off and blew through the whole tank without any issues.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ne-levels.html

fuel additives will not bring back the life of old gas once the lite ends of the fuel evaporates leaving mostly the dark ends hence why fuel turns dark as it sits like the color of ice tea. This is caused by oxidation and evaporation, once that has taken place the fuel is way to stale and 100 % should not be used. Also RVP of fuel plays huge parts of what time of the year you bought the fuel. Fuel degrades overtime regardless from unstable temps, heat, moisture, UV, oxidation, evaporation.

Can not say it enough to take fuel samples and examine them closely especially at the beginning of boating season and just before lay up bare min. - and the tests to look for from your fuel samples - smell, color, water, dirt, aluminum oxide, and any form of contamination. 85 % of fuel stabilizers only last up to one year anyways, and most of them will mention that on bottle "good up to one year".

The gasoline test I have performed previously were test for octane. This included many types of unleaded gasoline with ethanol and without. Octane is an indicator of the fuels resistance to detonate. Gasoline I have tested including one batch for 3 years, still had the original octane rating, the gasoline was also dark brown and smell like chit.

I have tested lots and lots of gasoline looking for low or improper octane and have never seen less than advertised on the pump. And out of 100 + test all but 2 were a full octane higher than what was posted on the pump, none were less than posted minimums.

As BUP said fuel additive have their place and can do a good job of cutting off air/ oxygen from the fuel. One way a fuel additive will work is with a light oil or wax the floats to the surface and acts as a protective layer. If the boat is in the water and sloshing or subject to vibrations on the trailer from winds etc.. then the additives are less like to be as effective and a fuel source that is at rest.

All fuels are subject to condensation including 100 LL on aircraft and for this reason a pilot will sump each tank before take off.

What do I do ? I run as much fuel out of the tank to reduce risk of fire, leaks etc.. I no longer worry about octane. I also could not prove that the water in the fuel on outdoor test came from condensation or other sources. The ethanol percentage remained the same or very close @ 6-8% .

So what is the currant concensus with 10% ethanol? Full or empty or whatever your mechanic suggests?

A consensus will never happen on this subject, lol. I'd leave it low/empty and treated with seafoam. That's just me.

Give it a try for yourself. I have nothing to gain other than helping out fellow enthusiasts.

Have been winterizing my boat & a friend's on Cape Cod since 1987 (10/1 till 5/15) and never had an engine/fuel issue:
add stabilizer, fill tank (E10), run engine off small fuel container with E10, 2 stroke oil & stabilizer mix. Stored outside.
Now I live in N.C as of this year and will probably do the same procedure.

In bold above, that has been what is working well.

Makes absolutely no difference..