Misfueling is one of the most common mistakes when it comes to boating. If the wrong fuel is used, it could lead to hazardous conditions for both the boater and the engine. Continue reading below for more on ethanol blend and information on how to prevent misfuelling to maximize the safety and performance of your boat.
What Is Misfueling?
Simply put, boaters can’t assume that every fuel sold at gas stations is compatible with marine engines. In fact, boats can only run on fuel with 10% or less ethanol (aka E10 fuel). And many boaters prefer to use ethanol-free fuel (E0) whenever possible.
Unfortunately, federal ethanol fuel mandates have made it difficult for boaters to find E0 fuel. And with more E15 (aka gasoline with 15% ethanol) being funneled into the fuel supply, the threat of accidentally misfueling is growing.
Common Misfueling Errors
As we mentioned, the federal ethanol mandates (also known as RFS) required increasing amounts of biofuels to be blended into the fuel supply each year. And that growing mandate forces higher quantities of E15 into the marketplace, often at the expense of ethanol-free fuel.
Fuels containing more than 10% ethanol are illegal to use in marine engines, motorcycles, outdoor power equipment, and cars model year 2000 and older.
However, common misfueling errors occur when boaters accidentally — or unknowingly — fill their tanks with E15.
An estimated 95% of boats are refilled at gas stations. However, a Harris Poll found that over three in five Americans assume that any gas sold at fueling stations is safe for all cars and other non-road engine products, like boats and mowers.
The same poll revealed that roughly two-thirds of Americans believe higher ethanol blends of gas (aka E15) are safe to use in any engine. And only 25% of Americans notice the ethanol content at the pump. Instead, 69% of Americans choose the least expensive fuel whenever possible.
Using fuels with higher ethanol blends in boat engines is illegal in most places. However, only 7% of Americans know that using E15 for boats, mowers, chainsaws, snowmobiles, generators, and other products is illegal.
In addition, roughly one-third of Americans place their equipment into long-term storage without draining the leftover fuel first. It’s also a bad idea to use fuel that is over 30 days old or to store gasoline in an unsafe container.
What Happens If a Boat is Misfueled?
So, what happens if a boat is misfueled? Well, research shows that the price of accidentally misfueling a boat includes the following:
- Stalling
- Corrosion
- Fuel leaks
- Damaged valves
- Complete engine failure
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Original article published on discoverboating.com