Stabilized fuel storage

[rkearn]

I have a boat I've been trying to sell since last July 2012. There's about 40 gal. of fuel in it. I stabilized the fuel last year for the winter & it's still good but if I don't sell the boat this month it looks like it'll be another Winter of storage. Will the fuel last? Should I re stabilize?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

Adding more stabilizer at this point will not help from what I have read.

It will either be good, or it won't come springtime.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

Take combo on it's last wot outing and burn all remaining fuel, useless to keep fuel for that long...

Happy Boating

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

This is a little against the grain with my own practice with fuel, but it works for me and I have very few fuel related issues.

I have an Echo weedeater that has its own gas can (air cooled two stroke oil), 1 gallon. Since I have a smaller yard, I don't through that gas quick at all. My current record for gas in that can was 4 years (filled in 2007, completely empty in late spring 2011), and kept in an outdoor shed. It was filled with E10 and a bottle of Echo oil for a 50:1 mix.

Funny thing is that weedeater always starts easy and ran well even with the old gas. Spark plug doesn't show any wear or any abnormal amount of deposits. That gas can is about half full now (filled in 2011), and the weedeater is still going strong.

I go through outboard gas ( E10 and Evinrude XD50, mixed 50:1) a bit quicker but I've used gas nearly 2 years old with no ill effect.

I think keeping the carbs dry is more beneficial than worrying how old the gas is. I always run my carbs dry if the motor is going to sit around more than a week. The weedeater makes it easy for me, diaphram carb that drains back to the tank when it's not running. The outboards I have to run with the fuel disconnected until it dies.

Also, whenever I fill any of my gas cans, they get the proper dose of Marine Stabil.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

Here's a thought! Why not pull the fuel and burn it in your car or truck. You paid for it once, why give it away. If someone is interested in the boat, put in a few gallons of fresh and the buyer is good to go and so will the boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

I think you are risking a blown sale and an embarassing paddle back to the dock if you run that old gas on a sea trial.

Anecdotes aside, I wouldn't give treated E10 more than a year. Untreated, 4 months.

 

[kahuna123]

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

Can't you buy non E10? We can in Florida.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Stabilized fuel storage

Can't you buy non E10? We can in Florida.

well that doesn't do much for the OP who already has a tank full of E10.

Here, there are some marinas that have no ethanol* fuel but they are few and far between and expensive. Land based stations are hard to find, too, but there seem to be more of them out in the country but not in the city. My hunt club keeps a 500 gallon gas tank filled for the boats and tools and we can have it filled with no ethanol gas--one of the smartest things we've done and it's mad we big difference on the boats, especially since many of them go a few months between uses. It's not cheap, usually $0.50 -.75 more a gallon than street E10 nearby, but that's about what you'd pay extra at a marina.

*all gas has some E in it, I understand, and other additives, but not up to the problem-causing level of E10.