I know it is early but just scheduled haul-out for November to lock-in date and was wondering what the general consensus is on whether to top off the gas tank or leave as close to empty as possible. First year with the boat, engine is a 225 Opti, tank capacity is 144 gal.
Winterizing Question
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Oh Boy!!!
This subject has been discussed to death in the past. I think you will find a 50/50 split on this. Search for winterizing check out the problem fuel thread in the Boating forum for more on this than you could ever want to read!!!
This subject has been discussed to death in the past. I think you will find a 50/50 split on this. Search for winterizing check out the problem fuel thread in the Boating forum for more on this than you could ever want to read!!!
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My opinion as I stated in a few of the other threads is as empty as possible. The one consensus I think everyone agrees on is do not leave it half full (or half empty depending on how you look at life.) To me practically empty is the way to go especially since I only hold 45 gallons. In the winter due to the wonderful cold air, there is really very little humidity so you really don't get a lot of condensation in your tank. In my case if I do get some and I only have five gallons of gas in there I only end up with about half a gallon of ethanol if if phases out. I can easily syphon it out into a jerry can and dispose of it somehow. Plus I use stabil regularly so basically what I have at the end of the season is five gallons of stabilized gas. Why spend over $100 to fill up a tank with gas that is winter blend so it can sit in my driveway all winter long?
Each engine manufacturer's recommendation is what you really need to worry about especially if you have an active warranty.
Each engine manufacturer's recommendation is what you really need to worry about especially if you have an active warranty.
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Fillt he tank, the nore air you have, the more condensation you will get and more water ends up in your tank. More gas, less air, less water build up. Don't forget to add Sta Bil or the likes.
Makes sense. I'll try to run it as far down as I can. I use Startron all year so whatever is left (hopefully not more than 10-15 gallons) is stable anyway. If there is much more than that I'll siphon out what I can and throw it in my wife's car since it is always empty!
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Syphoning the tank is a good idea. My buddy did that last season whenever his truck was low. FYI to those reading, ethanol is hydroscopic meaning it would rather bond with water over gas. It doesn't take much water in your gas to get the ethanol to phase separate and bond with the water. The water/ethanol mix sinks to the bottom of your tank. Since gas is supposed to be a mix of 10% ethanol, if you have 100 gallons of gas you could potentially end up with ten gallons of water and ethanol mixed together. Worse yet when ethanol phases out you lose about two or three points worth of octane rating. Ethanol phasing out will leave that rusty looking residue. Water bonded with ethanol forms globs of snotty looking crap in your tank. That is why I say leave the tank practically empty. Plenty of people run their tanks bone dry all summer long when there is a lot more humidity in the air and the tank is venting to warm salt water air. Most don't have a problem doing it so why would you have a problem storing the boat that way in colder, less humid air?
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