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Afternoon gents,

Getting the boat ready to go back on the water and usually get last years petrol taken out when it’s serviced as there’s not usually a lot in the tank. This year however there’s nearly a full tank so thought I would empty it myself and stick it In the wife’s car. But do I really need to ? the boat came out the water in October (i think I filled it up in august)  and I always use premium fuel not the E10 crap and I did put stabiliser in. Or is it just best practice to change it  regardless ? 
 

tia 

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7 hours ago, Herbs73 said:

Afternoon gents,

Getting the boat ready to go back on the water and usually get last years petrol taken out when it’s serviced as there’s not usually a lot in the tank. This year however there’s nearly a full tank so thought I would empty it myself and stick it In the wife’s car. But do I really need to ? the boat came out the water in October (i think I filled it up in august)  and I always use premium fuel not the E10 crap and I did put stabiliser in. Or is it just best practice to change it  regardless ? 
 

tia 

 

I use E10, mainly because my engine is designed to use it, and I do a lot of Nm, so it is a bit cheaper. Also, I use my boat all year round, there is some good fishing to be had in the winter months !

However, I also treat the fuel with Mercury Quickstor, just in case the boat is laid up for any length of time. Quickstor maintains the octane and also stops the Ethanol from separating in the fuel. Another advantage is its lubrication properties for the fuel system and injectors.

With E5 in your tank after just a few months, then just get on and use it, the engine will be fine

Edited by GPSguru
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From what Ive been told by a specialist outboard tune centre (JB mechanical) who's dyno tunes are used all over the world, is that the octane level reduces after time, which can cause knock. Octane boost additives can be used but his is often more for engines which have been dyno tuned to run on 95 or 98 octane, not so important on small outboards.  Though most new outboards have the sticker station they can run on e10, you will not find any dealership that recommends using it.

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2 hours ago, JDP said:

 Though most new outboards have the sticker station they can run on e10, you will not find any dealership that recommends using it.

Most of our local dealers recommend using an additive like quickstor all E10 motors. This is due to the drying properties of the ethanol, which over time reduces pump and injector life.

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47 minutes ago, GPSguru said:

Most of our local dealers recommend using an additive like quickstor all E10 motors. This is due to the drying properties of the ethanol, which over time reduces pump and injector life.

Ethanol attracts water, which obviously is bad news for any modern high pressure fuel injection system, at least old carby motors can normally be drained and fixed. Water separators are a must on any boat if you use ethanol blends or not. Simply temperature variations can cause condensation in fuel tanks, which is why it's a good idea to keep tanks filled after a day out rather than leave until the next trip.

In regards to additives, the only one recommended to me by a good fishing friend who's an oil and fuel expert who works for many of the worlds largest oil companies has been Castrol fuel doctor. This is more of a water and fungus cleaner. According to him, the fuels we buy from fuel stations already have all the necessary cleaners and lubes needed for vehicle and marine engines, all meeting an industry standard. These big fuel companies invest millions into research and development unlike these small additive products. 

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It’ll be fine 🙂 Keep a spare tank with you if you’re worried but once you’ve used say half a tank, top it up and all will be well 🙂 

I’m struggling to get out on mine….. life is getting in the way 😞 

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