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I was thinking about getting 90 octane gas at a local station instead of buying gas at the marina. My 17' Whaler only holds 12 gallons, so if I get a couple of 5 gallon cans it would be pretty easy to do. I did not know what if any difference there is between what you buy at the marina besides paying a higher price. I know Capt. Juls talks about buying gas at the gas station before her trips out on the lake.
Thank you for your input.
Most (not all) marina gas is ethanol free. Marine gas also has different additives than regular automotive gas. Running regular gas with 10% ethanol is OK but you can get phase separation if you don't put a good stabilizer in there and don't use a lot of fuel. Storage is a bigger risk with ethanol fuel. As long as you are burning it off at a good clip it should be fine.
I buy most of my boat gas at marinas on West Harbor. My experience is that most of the pumps are 10% ethanol. Some of the marinas have a pump with ethanol free gas. I know of one marina that is only ethanol free. So it's a mixed bag.
I have used both in my boat and have not had any problems. I also use a fuel stabilizer for all the gas I put in the boat. (85 gallon capacity)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky Duck
However, I buy non ethanol gas, in 5 gallon cans for my small engines at home. A small engine repair mechanic told me the ethanol in the gas is not the best fuel to use for the small engines.
Right now Marina gas costs $2.89 a gallon in Port Clinton and is usually $1.00 more than the car gas.
I use regular octane and have not noticed any performance issues when using the automotive fuel.
I think if you use it up in the smaller can's you should get away with not having to use the fuel stabilizer and at the end of the season use some fuel stabilizer for storage.
~Water Dog
They sell Rec gas at Circle K, I-280 and Navarre. It's 90 octane and ethanol free. It's usually about a dollar a gallon more than their regular but still cheaper than the marina.
Make sure you check the rules for the marina you are planning on using. Most of them won't allow you to use gas cans on docks.
I was having issues with the motor in '18 and '19 with difficulty starting, sputtering, and losing RPM at all speeds. Last August I was pulling the kids on a tube, and it really was giving me a problem. As we were coming back to the dock, the motor died at about 35 feet from the dock but we had enough momentum to get us in. It would never start after that, so I took it to Clemons Boats on Sandusky Bay. I had clogged carbs from the ethenol eating away at the fuel lines and getting stuck in the carbs. Expensive task. My fuel tanks were old so I put a new fuel tank in too. They kept telling me too much ethenol in marine fuel, and use the ethenol free which I have done. But as you al know, the Marine grade is about $1.00 more per gallon. I keep the boat at my place on West Harbor, so it would not be an issue of filling up at my own dock. I just did not know if there are additives in marine fuel that I should be using in the outboard versus the formula you buy at the has station. Thank you all for all your help and comments!
I use gas shock additive. I fill up at the gas station on our way to the lake. just put the amount in for what it says on the bottle for how many gallons of fuel you pump. (knock on wood) I have never had a problem
The BP right when you get off of 2 onto 53 has ethanol free gas as well. I typically fill up at Catawba Landing on West Harbor and they have ethanol free fuel. It's the furthest fuel dock in.
Thank you all for the advice and help!
I've been using regular 87 octane gas from a regular fuel station (always use Shell) for many years, ever since I've owned a boat which has a 200 OX66 Yamaha and my Dad did the same for decades with his Grady White and other boats. I use Startron Enzyme fuel treatment. You can buy it at Wallyworld in an 8oz bottle for $10 but it treats up to 128 gallons (1 oz per 16 gallons). I prefer this over Sta-bil as it prevents phase separation and keeps the fuel fresh for up to 2 years supposedly. Watch out if you buy it at an auto parts store as they sell two different concentrations...one treats at a 1:16 ratio and the weaker one treats at a 1:6 ratio - you think your saving money but you're not. My boat has a 140g fuel tank so filling it at a marina is something I never even considered. I use this in all my yard equipment and Harley too before storage to prevent fuel problems...it works.
I never heard of that but thank you for the tip! It sounds like you have years of good outcomes using the product. They sell it at Walmart too. You cant beat that at all.
No problem. And if you're in doubt it's always better to put too much in than not enough (like maybe at the end of the season and you have a partial tank). Supposedly over dosing this stuff will cause no harm so long as you don't get too carried away. If you want an even better deal buy the 16:1 concentration formula on Amazon in a larger bottle...that's usually what I do.