Marine Gas Watch

Posts Tagged ‘boat gas’

Boat gas is fairly similar to automobile gasoline, with a few exceptions.  While it’s not a terrible danger to the performance and durability of your marine engine to use regular auto gas from your local corner store, it benefits your marine engine to use marine boat gas whenever possible.  Plus, choosing the right boat gas for your marine engine helps guarantee optimal performance and engine longevity.

The number one major difference when it comes to the gasoline used by marine engines versus auto engines is the presence and levels of Ethanol.  Ethanol is a common additive in auto gas.  When used in too high of quantities in marine engines, however, the ethanol can ruin the fiberglass, plastic and rubber parts of a marine engine.  Be careful when choosing your boat gas – you should never use a fuel that has more than 10% Ethanol content.

The other common type of fuel used in marine engines is diesel.  The diesel used in boats is fairly similar to that of auto diesel, however, the use of additives helps to ensure that the diesel fuel used in your marine engine helps your boat run at its best.  Generally speaking, larger boats use diesel boat gas because it is the best choice of fuel for prime performance.

The choice of which boat gas to use is also dependent upon the type of engine you have on your vessel.  Polyethylene tanks (also known as plastic tanks) are common and usually require gasoline fuel because diesel often cannot be stored in this type of tank.  Aluminum tanks can be used with both gasoline and diesel fuel, however these tend to be a bit more pricey and also run the risk of corrosion.  Fiberglass offers a sort of middle option, but they aren’t very common and can be affected by the ethanol in gasoline.

The best suggestion for choosing the right boat gas for your boat is to check your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s marine fuel recommendation.