Fuel

[juddmyers]

Is it OK to fill up at a normal gas station with normal fuel? I understand that it contained some small percentage of ethanol..... I guess I'm asking does that matter?

I would like to be able to fill up at a normal gas station on my way to the lake instead of paying double for it at the lake

[Ytmsn]

Never put ethanol in your boat if you have a choice.

[rrfisher]

If you burn through your fuel it's not too big of a deal (like a car), according to the old salts on the Texas coast. I use Sta-Bil ethanol treatment (blue/green not red) since it takes me a while to burn up 50 gallons and never had an issue on any engine I've owned.

Do your marinas only serve ethanol free fuel only?

[juddmyers]

some do.

It comes down to the fact that if I get gas while trailering, then it may be FREE VS I pay to fill up at the marina at probably 3.50 per gallon or better.
oh and I burned through close to 70 gallons over the past week.

[NautiGirl]

Taken straight from the Cobalt manual - amazing what you can find in those things.

Cobalt fuel systems are designed to meet all
current ABYC and NMMA regulations using
gasoline with up to 10% ethanol.

Fuel that contains more than 10% ethanol voids all
warranties and will increase the risk of damage to
the engine, fuel system components and will also
lead to the following:
• Corrosion of metal parts
• Deterioration of plastic, rubber parts or
permeation of fuel through rubber fuel lines
• Leaking fuel resulting in explosion and/or fire
• Starting and operating difficulties
• Potential damage to your engine

Katie ran nothing but 10% in her old 190. 900+ hours no problem. We run the same in the 222, again no issues but we also burn through about 1/2 a tank a weekend. If we are not going to be at the lake for a bit and I know the boat is going to sit I will dump some marine stabil in it. I dont know if the stabil really helps, but it makes me feel good about myself and thats worth $5.

[juddmyers]

Taken straight from the Cobalt manual - amazing what you can find in those things.

Cobalt fuel systems are designed to meet all
current ABYC and NMMA regulations using
gasoline with up to 10% ethanol.

Fuel that contains more than 10% ethanol voids all
warranties and will increase the risk of damage to
the engine, fuel system components and will also
lead to the following:
• Corrosion of metal parts
• Deterioration of plastic, rubber parts or
permeation of fuel through rubber fuel lines
• Leaking fuel resulting in explosion and/or fire
• Starting and operating difficulties
• Potential damage to your engine

Katie ran nothing but 10% in her old 190. 900+ hours no problem. We run the same in the 222, again no issues but we also burn through about 1/2 a tank a weekend. If we are not going to be at the lake for a bit and I know the boat is going to sit I will dump some marine stabil in it. I dont know if the stabil really helps, but it makes me feel good about myself and thats worth $5.

Yea.. but was it a 2001 manual?

[juddmyers]

Thanks for all of the help. I had researched and found all kinds of mixed reviews.

[NautiGirl]

Yea.. but was it a 2001 manual?

Cobalt manual's are available on their site as free downloads - you can go take a look. Ethanol isn't a new thing, I know some older boats had issues /w it, but Katie's 1997 190 didn't mind it at all.

If you can indeed get free gas at an off lake location I dont know why we are even debating it. 70 gallons of free Gas + $5 in STA-BIL is cheaper than 70 gallons of gas at the marina.

[juddmyers]

Yea.. but was it a 2001 manual?

Cobalt manual's are available on their site as free downloads - you can go take a look. Ethanol isn't a new thing, I know some older boats had issues /w it, but Katie's 1997 190 didn't mind it at all.

If you can indeed get free gas at an off lake location I dont know why we are even debating it. 70 gallons of free Gas + $5 in STA-BIL is cheaper than 70 gallons of gas at the marina.

AMEN .. was just wanting to make sure that it wasn't going to do serious damage to the engine. Like you said though, if hers was a '97 then I would think I should be fine.

[thunder550]

I run E10 in my '95 502 since that's all that is available here in the Phoenix area. No issues so far. My dad had a '98 502 awhile back also, no issues there. My mom also had a 2003 Tige with a Merc 350, never had any problems with any of them.

[thunder550]

According to this article, engines built before 1990 are the most susceptible to damage from ethanol:

https://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazi ... ngines.asp

[Big Block Power]

I run non ethanol because it's easy to get here. It costs the same 3.50 or more but I'll pay it. Yes our engines
are designed to be ok with e10 but if I can treat her to no e10 I do. I go through a tank a day. And that's letting Katie catch up.

[Bobo87]

Sure pretty much anyone can run 10% ethanol but unless you burn through the whole tank regularly why risk it? It is definitely a personal decision of which use and amount of time sitting are the main factors for making the right choice. Another key factor is if you keep your tank full or almost empty is best. If you keep your tank half full then you definitely would be better off without the ethical. It is the air that allows the ethanol to turn to water which is the problem. Even stabilizers only work for about 6 months. Again no right or wrong here. This is as personal if a choice as a Merc vs. VP.

[no_rulz25]

It's not an issue as long as you're using your boat. It's when your boat sits for awhile with the ethanol in the gas, that's when it starts to clog up everything up. But if you're still concerned then like others have said, throw a little stabilizer in it when you fuel up. Still a lot cheaper than marine gas. I pay $3.30 for non-ethanol at the Raceway, if you have one around your house.

[jhnmdahl]

There are sites like pure-gas.org, or the related Pure Gas app, that help you find the closest non-ethanol gas too.

It's all I've used in my boat, and I've had far fewer problems with small engines in generators, lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc., since switching to only nonoxygenated gas for small engines.

John