Marine Gas Watch

Posts Tagged ‘marine engine’

Ethanol free marinas have become the Holy Grail for boaters with gasoline powered marine engines.  This is because experienced boaters know that the ethanol that is found in most gasoline – including the fuel at many marinas – can wreak terrible damage on your marine engine over time.

Many boating forums across the web contain threads specific to finding ethanol free marinas.  Searching through many of these discussions, however, you’ll soon realize that ethanol free marinas are becoming more and more difficult to locate.  By using a resource like the Fuel Dock on MarineFuel.com, you’ll be able to make your search for ethanol free marinas a lot easier.

Another point of concern for many boaters is whether or not marina owners can be believed when they say that they are using ethanol free gasoline.  The best way to deal with this situation is to be sure to use the treatments available for marine engines regardless of whether or not you are told the gasoline you are using is ethanol free.

The reality is that almost all gasoline has some trace of ethanol in it due to the use and reuse of the gasoline tanker trucks.  One load may be ethanol free and the next load might not be.  Marine mechanics often tell their customers to test the fuel they are using for their boat.  Test kits are inexpensive and take only a few minutes for results.

Ethanol free marinas seem to be more available in certain parts of the country.  Due to recent changes in fuel laws, being able to find ethanol free marinas could become even more difficult, too.

One thing to consider is that ethanol free marinas may have prices that tend towards the more expensive side because of the difficulty of obtaining ethanol free fuel.  The best thing you can do when you locate ethanol free marinas is to share that information with other boaters.  MarineFuel.com offers a “fuel spotters” program that would allow you to help spread the word.  These marinas need to be sure that business is booming to help them continue to offer ethanol free fuel to their customers.

If you are looking for ethanol free marinas in your area, or planning a long voyage and want to know where the ethanol free marinas are along your route, be sure to check out MarineFuel.com for all your marine fuel inquiries.

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.