Top Speed Of Our Boat?

[LuvBoating]

Anyway, thanks for all of the suggestions/recommendations in this thread, even though, some we can do and others we can't.

Again, thanks!

 

[tpenfield]

It's understood that you cannot do some/most of the recommendations now. . . Until you can, you are stuck and probably will not make any progress in remedying the problem that you are trying to solve until next spring, when your boat is back on the water.

So, what else do you want the folks on this thread to suggest ??? :noidea:

 

[GA_Boater]

I am 74 years old and not in best health. Here is how I drain my tank - I run my tow vehicle down to about a half a tank and park it beside the boat, stick a longish hose down the boat gas fill (I have an outboard with a bulb), stick the other end of the hose in the truck filler and squeeze the bulb until gas flows. I also have a cheap siphon hose with a squeeze bulb I grabbed at Harbor Freight that works, too.

I don't need a tank, don't have to carry any tank and I don't raise a sweat. I don't mix old gas with new gas in the the boat because it runs like your boat - No top end. The truck doesn't care and the mixed gas isn't in there very long.

With 3 year old gas, I would only transfer a smaller amount and do it a couple of times between truck fill ups. How big is your tank?

The only trouble was once a cop pulled up and wanted to know why I was stealing gas.

 

[Rapio]

This could go on and on. What is the objective? Smooth running engine at full throttle, top speed at full throttle,out of the hole quickly or pulling a skier etc.?
Firstly as said, gas has to go. Filter cleaned. carb cleaned or O/H, then try the engine for smooth performance, RPM and speed.. Even if necessary with 1/4 tank of new gas.@ about 1$ a gallon. At altitude the engine should not gasp for air
At Denver altitude every Chey 350 passing thru' didn't need a carb re-metering, but don't expect to get 0 to 60 sea level times. If you want top performance and you' re not a DIY person, it is a tune up shop job. My guess from decades of engine experience; it is the gasoline issue. And after all that, a finer prop will get you more RPM, but it is also somewhat like a lower gear. More pull, but maybe no more speed.

 

[LuvBoating]

I am 74 years old and not in best health. Here is how I drain my tank - I run my tow vehicle down to about a half a tank and park it beside the boat, stick a longish hose down the boat gas fill (I have an outboard with a bulb), stick the other end of the hose in the truck filler and squeeze the bulb until gas flows. I also have a cheap siphon hose with a squeeze bulb I grabbed at Harbor Freight that works, too.

I don't need a tank, don't have to carry any tank and I don't raise a sweat. I don't mix old gas with new gas in the the boat because it runs like your boat - No top end. The truck doesn't care and the mixed gas isn't in there very long.

With 3 year old gas, I would only transfer a smaller amount and do it a couple of times between truck fill ups. How big is your tank?

The only trouble was once a cop pulled up and wanted to know why I was stealing gas.

Currently, we only have 3-year old gas. After our next, and last, trip on the water, we will have approx. 1/2 tank of old and 1/2 tank of new. In 2017, we bought a syphon hose set from Harbor Freight and tried to use it on the boat to put some gas in a 5-gallon container. Don't know what kind of "safety stop" is in our boat tank filler tube, but we couldn't get the syphon tube all the way into the gas. I pushed and pushed, then pulled the tube out and not a single drop of gas on it.

Then I found out that the marine service we took our boat to in Florida, would empty the tank for us. They had a tank on their property for used gas. They didn't charge us anything for doing it. We don't have anything like that here.

Another thing, on our "one and only vehicle", used to tow our boat, that has 169,780 miles on it, I definitely wouldn't put 3-year old gas into it. Vehicle has too many miles on it.

 

[LuvBoating]

Like I've already stated in this thread, we can ONLY do what we can do. When a boater is unable to empty out all of the old gas in their boat, just what can they do??? If a marine service absolutely won't rejet the carb, for whatever reasons they have, and there is no other marine service around that will work on a 1992 boat, just what can be done?

Again, we thank everyone who has given us recommendations, but if some of those recommendations simply can't be done..........

 

[tpenfield]

Sounds like no further remedy can be done until next spring when you re-commission the boat, and can run the remaining fuel out of it, run some fuel system cleaner, and fuel up with fresh gasoline.

I don't think anyone has a 'magic pill' for your last outing of this season.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you cant shove a hose down the filler tube, it will catch on the tank fitting at the top, which is a 90 degree fitting. no way to get the end of a 4' harbor freight hose down an 8' fuel fill hose to a 90 degree fitting into a tank

however you can disconnect the fuel line from the tank and then using a fitting, connect a hose to it and run out your transom drain and then pump it out.

I drained the 45 gallons of gas in my 80 gallon tank by myself during the restoration with the bulb and hose from my outboard boat that way. I put it into two two gallon gas cans and topped off every vehicle we own. it took 2 weeks to get it all as we had to burn fuel in the vehicles to make room to empty the tank

or you can take the inspection cover off over your gas gauge sender and undo the 5 screws taking the sender out, then siphon the gas thru that hole

as GA stated, put the fuel in your vehicle

BTW, taking the sender out is how you will need to clean your tank come spring time when that bad gas turns to sludge this winter. if you have to pay someone to clean the fuel system, expect to pay about $1100 as it will take 8-9 hours to clean it

I wouldnt put good fuel in with your bad fuel. you just will have a full gallon of bad fuel to get rid of.

miles on a vehicle have nothing to do with old stale gas. my last vehicle had 225,000 miles on it. the only reason i quit driving it was because it was damaged in an accident and the insurance company totaled it rather than fixing it over $300 in parts and labor. current daily driver has 147,000 miles this week, and I put 500-600 miles a week on it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

, just what can be done?

.

you find a better mechanic

 

[Scott Danforth]

Well, there are folks that spend their money in many different ways and have different things they no longer use, but keep.

My 1/2 bother has a full-size cabin cruiser at his home in Florida and has never/ever had it on the water. Him and his wife have used the inside for storage. He knows it needs some engine repair, but won't take the time to do it. He has a fully dressed motorcycle, now sitting inside a trailer in PA and only takes it out to start/run it. Other than that, goes nowhere with it. Not any more anyway.

...... "why have it then?"

so its hereditary?

 

[MRS]

Another thing, on our "one and only vehicle", used to tow our boat, that has 169,780 miles on it, I definitely wouldn't put 3-year old gas into it. Vehicle has too many miles on it.

Not a problem I had a 79 4x4 chevy pk with over 200,000 do not remember the total mileage on it but was a lot. Ran all my old boat gas thru it plus use to cut trees down for fire wood and extra money more than once ran out of gas coming home and used the chain saw gas that was a 50:1 mix to make it home. Sold the truck with almost 300,000 miles on it still running
maybe the 50:1 helped it live that long.:joyous:

 

[JimS123]

Like I've already stated in this thread, we can ONLY do what we can do. When a boater is unable to empty out all of the old gas in their boat, just what can they do??? If a marine service absolutely won't rejet the carb, for whatever reasons they have, and there is no other marine service around that will work on a 1992 boat, just what can be done?

Again, we thank everyone who has given us recommendations, but if some of those recommendations simply can't be done..........

When I was a youngin my Dad had a problem with the word "can't". If I were to say "I can't" he would slap me upside the head. He said I can do anything I put my mind to. Other than flying to the moon or getting the cute redheaded girl next door to fall in love with me, he was right.

Go review what you have said...

First you implied that draining the gas cost too much. Then you said your marina would do it but had no place to put it. Do you know that Wallyworld sells gas cans? Now you DO know that you could put it in your car.

Then you said that nobody close will work on old boats and you would have to drive far. They have transporters that can do it for you. Or, you could take a much needed vacation.

Nope, can't aint the problem.

 

[PITBoat]

I was gonna say, for a small fee (say, a new tank of gas), let someone you trust (the mechanic or ?) take it out for a couple of joyrides and burn what's in there out, unless it's already too cold up there.

 

[JASinIL2006]

This is pretty much a replay of previous threads started by LuvBoating. He asks for advice for a situation in which he clearly has a preferred outcome, and basically rejects all suggestions that don’t meet his predetermined ideas of what he will do.

LuvBoating, you’re free to decide for yourself how you want to deal with the situation. No one can make you take everyone’s advice. You can throw as much money as you want at new propellers or rebuilt carburetors or tuneups or whatever. But getting the old gas out of your boat is not rocket science, and if you really wanted to, you could do it. For heaven sake‘s, all it would take is for you to cruise around for a couple extra hours and burn up that gas.

 

[Scott Danforth]

dont even have to take the boat off the trailer. just back the boat into the water at the ramp on a slow day and fire up the motor on fast idle. after a few hours when the motor quits, simply pull it out

 

[Nosrob]

so its hereditary?

My first thought.

OP, it is not that difficult to get rid of that old gas, you have had numerous good suggestions here, from folks that know what they are talking about.
I'm new here, and my first tech question was answered in the very first post from a member.
If ONLY I had listened.

Respectfully, stop making excuses based on your age/.location and just do it.
Putting fresh fuel on top of old/stale/bad fuel will only compound your problem and cost you more in the long run,as has been repeated here, ad infinitum.

Good luck and happy cruising!

 

[LuvBoating]

Ok, just who is thinking of excuses.............definitely not us. At least that's how we feel.

Are there things that you can no longer do or won't attempt to do at your age/physical capabilities or even knowhow? I know much more about photography and computers than I'd ever know about boats. I do very little mechanic work, except take out the boat batteries and take home to keep charged for the winter and then reinstall. I can also take the block plugs out and drain block. Other than that, absolutely nothing! And that includes syphoning out gas out of our boat, that we've tried before and it didn't work.

When we had the boat winterized last Oct., the full tank of gas in it was 2 years old. This past May, when we fired it up for the first time this season, it was somewhat hard to start, but once started, ran very, very well.

As recommended by marine service, we bought a bottle of Quicksilver Engine & Fuel System Cleaner to put into the 1/2 full of gas before we put on the water next week. It appears that we will have two more times to take the boat out, so we will use up a lot of the 1/2 tank doing that.

Now, what I'm wondering is, will the Quicksilver Cleaner work ok in the 3-year old gas, or just wait until next Spring and put it in?? Just try to get as much of the 3-year gas out as we can right now, before putting new gas in. Even though the marine service told us to put the Cleaner in now, I'm not sure about doing that now. Next Spring, and newer gas in the tank.

 

[tpenfield]

The Quicksilver stuff will tend to clean the carburetor and the combustion chamber. It may help the engine, but will not cure 3 year old gasoline.

You might notice some smoke out of the exhaust, but 1 or 2 bottles on a 1/2 tank is not that much, so the effect should be slow and mild.

It is interesting to me that you've had this boat for a while (8 years) and don't know the maximum speed and RPM at WOT. Have you ever run it at WOT?

You got a new engine (longblock) in 2016 . . . was it a larger engine than was there originally? or the same size engine (5.7)?

Have you ever run this (new) engine up to WOT? If not you may be looking at a more complicated situation. :noidea:

Getting rid of the old fuel is about eliminating possibilities and variables. It may or may not be the problem related to the limited speed/power of the engine. It certainly is the first thing to eliminate though . . .

 

[sphelps]

dont even have to take the boat off the trailer. just back the boat into the water at the ramp on a slow day and fire up the motor on fast idle. after a few hours when the motor quits, simply pull it out

This and can’t you hook the hose up at the house and run the fuel out ..
Never owned an I/O so idk ... It may take a while but just run it some everyday til it’s gone ..

 

[LuvBoating]

This and can’t you hook the hose up at the house and run the fuel out ..
Never owned an I/O so idk ... It may take a while but just run it some everyday til it’s gone ..

First, we live in an apartment, not a house. IOW, we rent an apartment.

We will take the boat out this Tuesday, depend on wildfire smoke smell, and run more of the old gas out going around the lake. Plan on doing some trout fishing as well. Then, if we are lucky, we will have another day, the following week, to take it out and run some more gas out. Seriously doubt if we can completely empty the tank, but should be able to get rid of half of that 1/2 tank of gas the left. Then, will fill the tank with new gas (Unleaded Sinclair), add a bottle of ethanol treatment and take it to be winterized.