Fuel/Water Separator

Hi..I'm new to this boating scene. I just bought a used 25' fishing boat with a yamaha 85hp engine. I'm not sure what year it is. My question is I've read a lot about fuel/water separators. What are those actually is ? Are those only for 4 strokes ? Would my 2 stroke engine benefits from it if I fit one ? I'm sorry if this topic have been covered before. Thanks in advance.

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

Good question. Yes, with todays gas you should use one. Your 2 stroke should have one. Use a 10 micron filter. Several companies make kits. Even Yamaha has a pretty good filter although it's a bit more expensive but is a larger filter. Most replacement filters are about 9-10 bucks. The Yamaha replacement is 24. Still cheap insurance.

Especially important if you're using ethanol fuel. Ethanol attracts water. If you use the boat a lot you'll have less issues. If the boat sits a lot you'll have more water issues. Seems like you'll have more issues if you live in a humid climate.

Replace the filter every year. Check the filter 3-4 times a year. Some kits have a clear bottom on the filter with a drain. Some filters are clear themselves. Makes for a very easy visual check.

We sell a lot of kits with the composite head, no rust or corrosion.

Welcome aboard!

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

Yes!, the best preventive maintenance item so far. Yamaha and Racor make really good units, but I use the Walmart filter($27), easy 2 screw installation, works like a charm! Good Luck!

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

With the nature of the beast, all boats should have water separators on them. With all the water around the boats, a splash here and a wave there and condensation it is pretty easy to get some water in the fuel. AND very few motors like to run on water. Pretty cheap insurance to get a filter. Depending where you boat at a filter costs quite a bit less than a tow.. Welcome to iboats... Have fun boating...

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

While the Walmart unit is just fine for a lot of applications, you might want to explore the Racor web site, since they're really the "filtration people" with lots of styles and sizes for various motors and fuel systems. Good Luck!

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

Thanks for all those feedbacks guys. I really appreciate them. Reading them I know I came to the right forum. Where I come from there is only sun and rain all year. So I guess it's very humid. And I planned on saltwater fishing once a week. Well I'll head to our local dealer to see what separators are available. But definitely I'll be fitting one. Thanks again.

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

Here is an article on fuel filters that was posted before:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/fuelFilter.pdf

Re: Fuel/Water Separator

Remember, we're addressing a question about a specific motor. To say that ALL boats should have one is incorrect. There are some motors that have run quality issues with a filter in line in the boat.

In this case a filter for a 2 stroke Yamaha is a good idea.