Ethanol Free gasoline on Lake Winnipesaukee, 2009

[Airwaves]

I have read on this forum that ethanol has made its way north.

What marinas in the 2009 boating season are still pumping ETHANOL FREE gasoline on Lake Winnipesaukee?

[robmac]

I think everyone is selling fuel with ethanol in it, some have the additive in it already so you don't need to add any.

[LIforrelaxin]

I think everyone is selling fuel with ethanol in it, some have the additive in it already so you don't need to add any.

After a conversation with the manager at Anchor Marine, it is a state mandate, non-ethanol fuel can no longer be sold. Here is what I know about Marina's putting additives in:

This with addatives:
Channel
Melvin Village

Those with out:
Anchor --- according to the converstion I had with the manager, the do have additive available to buy.

[Sman]

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7768

I also was told all lakeside gas has ethanol

[Airwaves]

In addition to attracting mosture and desolving the resin in fiberglass fuel tanks, ethanol is a wonderful cleaning agent. The problem with that is that it cleans all the gunk built up in your fuel tank and sends it through your engine!

I thought I had read that one or two marina were selling Valvetec Non-Ethanol gasoline at the lake? No?

[robmac]

Valvetech is an additive already put into the fuel they are selling so no need to add another additive.

[BroadHopper]

I bought my boat last year in Virginia. I was told the gas tank, fuel lines and all the gasket in the carb had to be replaced because of ethanol. The boat was built in 1988 and ethanol eats the rubber and plastics that was formulated that year. I am told newer boats are formulated for ethanol. I am also told, I shouldn't have any problems.

Check with your owner's manual for the engine and see if the engine is OK to run on ethanol. A local mechanic told me that the ECU may or may not sense ethanol presence in the fuel. Ethanol tends to burn differently. There is a service bulletin out on most engine makes that the ECU can be reprogrammed for ethanol. Check with your dealer.

[Airwaves]

The Feds are looking at increasing the ethanol in gasoline to 15% up from the current 10%. E-10 is already creating issues so there are a number of boating organizations trying to head that off since they claim no boat engine has been designed certified or warrantied to run on anything higher than E-10

CLICK HERE (http://capwiz.com/nmma/issues/alert/?alertid=13199386) for a link to NMMA's campaign complete with sample email to send to the EPA before their public comment period closes July 20, 2009.

[AB_Monterey]

When I was picking up my boat at Shep's a couple weeks ago, I thought I heard that they were going to also have the additive in their gas.

[hancoveguy]

I gased up at Melvin Village twice this weekend. They add valvetech to their Ethanol gas when the truck delivers it. While I was adding Stabil Marine formula I asked if many people were adding additional additives and Matt said almost everyone was, certainly the smart ones. He recomended Startron enzyme or Stabil Marine (blue) with every fill up. They are a Four Winns dealer and they said the Ethanol is wreaking havoc on fuel filters and everything else in the fuel system.

P.s. I don't think they sell either additive so he wasn't trying to sell me anything.

[Dave M]

Trexler's is using ValveTek with there gasoline.

Dave M

[LIforrelaxin]

So I keep reading and hearing about the havoc Ethanol is having. Often the issue with Ethanol in the fuel system is that people switch back and forth. I heard from several Marina's last year that there where lots of issues, because most of the gas station had ethanol and people where filling up their boats, and then getting non-ethanol fuel once on the water. The two don't mix. Once you start using ethanol you need to keep it that way, don' t switch back and forth... Of course I don't think you can get non-ethanol anymore so this isn't a problem. From what I was told combining the two tends to cause moisture build up.

Now here is another things that I have become aware off. If you are using your boat constantly, the gas has less time to start seperation. In short the more you use your boat the better. However if you let it sit, then you need to be more aware of additives etc. because the longer the fuel sits the more seperation that goes on.

[AC2717]

Would not the rocking of your boat, if it is moored or docked on the lake, keep the gas swishing around and therefore keeping it mixed?
I have not run the boat since memorial day and will not again until July 3rd, but it is out on a mooring, Did not add stabalizer to it, but it was filled up before the end of last year for storage with a additive and have not put anything in it since

[LIforrelaxin]

Would not the rocking of your boat, if it is moored or docked on the lake, keep the gas swishing around and therefore keeping it mixed?


This unfortunately would not help with the seperation that occurs with ethanol gas.... that is what you need to additive for, it helps control moisture content, and also help alter the chemistry so as not to allow phase seperation........

[Meredith Marina]

Once the fuel and water start to seperate they won't mix again. It takes roughly 3 weeks for the process to occur. We add Star-Tron to our tanks so our gas is already treated as well.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Just spoke with Andrews Marine in Minge Cove. They think everyone has ethanol this year. They do not currently put an additive in but are considering doing so. I asked if they would put a sign up if they started and was told yes.

[Kamper]

http://reelboating.com/forums/?showtopic=2038

http://reelboating.com/forums/?showtopic=2032


These two threads describe an effort to start a law-suit tofight ethanol mandates. I am not involved with the effort but will send them a contribution once they get up and runing.

FYI - "Reel Boating" is the new site put up by "Wiley" the founder of "THT/The Hull Truth," after his non-compete agreement expired.