boat fuel additives
 

Why does everyone in the lakes region use fuel additives in boats for ethanol problems? Don't you just need a water separator, and a stabilizer for the winter?

Ethanol laced gas will go bad in about three months from phase separation if not stabilized. Stabilized fuel will stay good for at least a year.

A good water fuel separator as well as using fuel stabilizer especially when storing your boat is crucial.

I use stabilizer at very fill up unless the marina that supplies the gas has already added it.

Dan

X2 Dan. Ethanol is bad. Modern fuel injected boats with ethanol separation can lean out injectors and do bad things to heads.

Wynn, it seems that most, if not all marinas add startron or similar to their fuel. If you get fuel on land , add treatment before your last outing to get it mixed and into your fuel system.i

A quality Stabilizer also adds a lubricant for start up. Some people fail to realize that ethanol is a type of alcohol as well as a cleaner and degreaser that cleans your cylinder walls of necessary lubricant. This lubricant is especially important during startup when the most damage can occur. You don't want dry cylinder walls during starting up.

I use the blue marine "stabil" brand in every gas engine I own specifically for its extra lubrication properties. It's the best I have found.

Dan

Stabil
 

Ok, Thanks
Since i use my boat 3x a week, I guess I don't need stabil over the summer.
My boating friends in Pa. & NJ don't have it in their marina gas; or do they ever use it except for storage.10% ethanol is not ONLY in NH.

From what I have heard...

Stabil Red is for storage.

Stabil Blue is to protect your system from ethanol.

I use Startron on every fillup all year long. I put a little extra in before I pull out for the winter.

I even use it for my lawnmowers, etc. at home.

The manufacturer says you can't 'over use it', so there is no concern about using too much (vs. using too little).

This is good practice. I do the same. Ethanol stinks and doesn't even burn as clean as pure gas.

This is misleading information.

Blue and Red Stablil, or both used for storage and to protect your system from ethanol.

The Blue Marine formula is just altered to help deal with the extra moisture situation present in a marine application...

I find that you run your last tank of gas out with marvel mystery oil or a good two stroke oil pour in 32 fl.oz to 50 gals. to the point of almost empty and fill it up next spring with fresh gas. This has been working for years for me.:coolsm:

This is of course somewhat subject to opinion, but leaving an empty tank over the winter time can encourage condensation inside the tank with the temperature changes. This is the very thing you want to avoid especially with ethanol which assists in the attraction and separation of moisture in your gas. Much of that depends on the situation, where the boat will sit and if the tank is poly or metal. I always error on the side of caution and fill mine before I store it.

Far as the MMO or 2 stroke oil, neither does anything to stabilize your gas which in the long term can be problematic. Products such as Stabil have anti-oxidents which are used to prevent oxygen from attacking and breaking down the fuel molecules. In fact MMO in particular contains "non-hindered phenolic" which over time can turn acidic over time doing more damage than good. MMO is intended to be a cleaning and lubrication agent not a long term stabilizer. I've seen pre-mix 2 cycle gas go bad and gum up over the course of a single season. That was with a very good full synthetic 2 cycle oil too.

you need to read MMO WEB SITE. Can I use MMO for winter storage as a fuel stabilizer?
Yes, you can use MMO as a fuel stabilizer. Use 4ozs of Marvel for every 10 gallons of fuel, and the same is for two stroke oil these products was way before stabil name brand was even out and :eek:Yes! Marvel Mystery Oil is completely safe in today’s high-tech cars and provide the same benefits as it has since 1923-cleaner engines, upper cylinder lubrication, reduced acid and sludge build up, improved fuel economy, clean and lubricated fuel systems and many more!

http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/inde...iewthread/505/

OK MMO's lead chemist on the subject. You may find his answer interesting. It's worded I think rather carefully. If it were that good he would have said so.

Two different products for two different purposes.

Also 2 cycle oil has anti-oxidants in it for the purposes of assisting in it's dispersant properties as well as it aids the detergents in the breakdown of any buildup over time. While the mere presence of anti-oxidants may be true they are neither formulated or in the quantity to provide any level of long term protection. Like MMO it may provide some short term help but certainly not to last over the winter.

FYI neither have the properties that Stabil or Startron to curb the effects of Ethanol.