Fueling my boat

girtgist

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
30
Hey guys, i was wondering should i use gas with ethanol or drive down the road a little further and fill the tank with ethanol free gas? Is one type of fuel better than the other for the outboard? Bye the way its an 88 evinrude 70hp.
 
Joined
Apr 11, 2011
Messages
29
Re: Fueling my boat

If it isn't too far away, I'd get the gas without ethanol in it. I've read up on this and talked with several people on the subject. Ethanol combines with water, and it thins the oil out. (just what I have been told) My boat seems to have better throttle response when I run straight gas in it. But I really don''t see a problem if you plan on buring all the gas out of the tank, but if it was going to sit in the tank for a while I'd get the non ethanol gas. There is alot of info on the internet on ethenaol and 2 cycle engines. take a look at it and decide for youself.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,847
Re: Fueling my boat

Chickencrap... E10 is fine for usage. It will tend to loosen any dirt that is already in the fuel system, if this is the first time you are using it, so be sure the filters are clean and the fuel lines are in good shape. Actually, it is probably better to use the E10 immediately and get the fuel system cleaned up while on land. Otherwise, one day you will buy some fuel from a marina, and the E10 will clean your fuel systems right then and there, potentially clogging your filters.
 

girtgist

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
30
Re: Fueling my boat

Thank's guy's, both responce's helped, i'll use e10 for most of the season and then switch to no e10 in the late fall incase i have to store the boat with fuel left in the tank. (Mixed with stable additive of course.)
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Re: Fueling my boat

Thank's guy's, both responce's helped, i'll use e10 for most of the season and then switch to no e10 in the late fall incase i have to store the boat with fuel left in the tank. (Mixed with stable additive of course.)

It doesn't matter if you store the engine with E-10 or regualar gas. Add stabil, run the engine long enough to get the treatment into the entire fuel system and put it to bed. You and a gazillion other people make fuel selection and boat storage way too much of an issue. My personal boats have run on E-10 since 1997 and up here in the tundra they are stored for six months of the year (as are our collector cars for that matter). It isn't a problem if you prep for storage properly regardless of the fuel.
 

Sixmark

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
890
Re: Fueling my boat

Silvertip......I'm thinking it may be 7 months this year...lol. Anyhow I have to second your comment, far to many people are making a mountain out of a mole hill on this issue. People can get bad gas from a place and the first thing they do is scream "ethanol poisoning" regardless of whether it had ethanol content or not.
 

Cofe

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,883
Re: Fueling my boat

I like to use regular gas in a outboard just for this reasoning.

Ethanol does have less potential energy (measured in BTU?s) than gasoline. SAE (Society of Automotive
Engineers) data indicates gasoline has about 18,500 BTU?s per pound, where
ethanol has only 11,500 BTU?s per pound. Being 9 parts gas and 1 part ethanol,
E-10?s formula reads like this: 90% of 18,500 =16,650, and 10% of 11,500 =
1,150. Add 16,650 + 1,150 = 17,800. Therefore, a gallon of E-10 gas has
17,800 BTU?s per pound, versus gasoline?s 18,500 BTU?s, which is a tad over a
3% loss of potential energy.
 

girtgist

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
30
Re: Fueling my boat

Again thank's, didn't mean to ruffle any feather's with this question this is my first big boy boat, and want to take good care of it. Again thank you for great info.
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
2,598
Re: Fueling my boat

I totally agree with Silvertip on this. I've run my '81 Johnson 90 on nothing but E10 for 5 years with no problems whatsoever. I use a filter/separator and always use fuel treatment. As far as storage, my boat has never sat for more than 4 months, but I have a generator that sat for a year with treated E10 and started on the first pull when I needed it.
 

girtgist

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
30
Re: Fueling my boat

Thank's metricwrench, I am going with what you and Silvertip have suggested.
 
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