Is there a general guideline or rule of thumb on buying gas for your boat?

Just curious as there have been some notations on the surveys sent in.

Kristine,

I hope I interpreted your question correctly-
Most manuf recommend 87 for modern 2-strokes. In addition, most also recommend not using ethanol blended fuels. It's probably best to check your outboards owners manual for more specific details. Hope this helps.

Tim

Yes, that's what I was wondering. I'm afraid I kind of do the "girl thing" on boat gas and have always let my husband buy it. sorry :-( Didn't realize there were guidelines on gas and that some brands are ethanol blend and other brands are not.

That's what surprised me on the surveys. Several indicated which brands were okay for boats and which weren't. Wasn't sure about that.

So which brands are ethanol blend and not okay to use?

Brands with ethanol can vary by region. Look for a little sticker on the pump that states the gas has 10% ethanol. Some places have straight 87 octane and have ethanol in the other octanes. It does get frustrating at times but you learn to look before you pump.

Kristine,

Recent tests have been done and Amoco and Super America were two that came out on top for fuel quality. We do not recomend Holiday "Blue Planet" gas for outboards because of the high alcohol content.

There are two reasons gas for outboards matters. Ethonol blended gas breaks down and only has a shelf life of 4 or 5 weeks. With 50 gallon tanks average users do not use the gas up before then. Two stroke outboards, which most of us run, are more sensitive to to the effects of old fuel than autos.

Second, any impurities in the fuel, such as water, can cause major engine problems.

For what its worth I use 89 octane in both my main engine and my kicker because it has additives that keep them running cleaner.I had a very costly repair on my kicker to clean the sludge out of it ,I was told it was the low octane gas that was the culpurt and also that any higher octane would not give me any added benifets. Just my 2 cents worth is it spring yet?

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Jim Dolly Sr. Three-D Tackle Systems