Imagine thinking you did everything right to winterize your boat only to find that your engine has major problems when you go to commission her in the spring. Or reeling in your lines as the sun goes down only to realize that your outboard won’t even hint at starting. Ever since ethanol has been used as an additive to fuel in the US, the blended fuel has wreaked havoc on boaters, reducing overall performance, causing safety concerns and costly engine repairs.The Environmental Protection Agency has delayed its anticipated decision to increase the percentage of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent (AKA E10 to E15). But the change may still be coming, perhaps in less than a year.
What can you do to make sure your boat can handle the current ethanol blend and to prepare for future changes to the cap?
A good place to start would be Suite101, where Alan Sorum has been advising boaters on the Ethanol issue through his Boating & Sailing blog since 2006. Also, Southern Ski Boats in Virginia has tips for winterizing your boat in an ethanol world on their blog.
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