Two brothers that I went to high school with and am friends with on FB have a boat towing company

[underpants]

I see them posting about late night tows and such. Last night was a cold one here in Virginia.

I was curious as to the typical customer who needs a tow. So I asked.

Mechanical breakdown?



Scroll down for the answer.


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For sailboats it tends to be groundings.
For motorboats it is.....

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Bad fuel. Not out of fuel but bad fuel.
So I followed up - is it from old tanks and pumps that you see at a lot of marinas and fuel stations on the water (from my limited time on such crafts).
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Ethanol - it gums up the boats' system just like it does to weed whackers, blowers, etc.
CORN!!!

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Interesting...

...I never thought of that when I fueled my own boat.

[underpants]

2. I have looked for non-ethanol stations around here

and there are none. Being on the water would necessarily limit the availability of finding one to...I would think.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. There are some stations around here that have signs on the pumps

that say their gas has ethanol. Do they have to post it if they sell gas with ethanol? I don't buy from the stations that have the signs.

[underpants]

16. The gas stations in Virginia do have stickers on the pumps saying that the gas contains ethanol

It may depend on the state

[arthritisR_US]

3. Corn does the same thing to my intestines, it's

one of those GMO crops I avoid like the plague!

[Orrex]

5. What is it about GMO versus non-GMO corn that gums up your guts?

[LuvNewcastle]

6. I've hated corn since I was a kid.

I won't eat anything made of corn, not even grits or corn flakes. I have no use for the shit.

[arthritisR_US]

8. It's a horrible grain for me and it not only

kills my entire gut but it causes my arthritis to flare up. I'm with you, no use for the stuff!

[Laelth]

7. Corn is food, not fuel.

The whole "subsidize ethanol production" project has been a failure as well as a huge waste of money though, as usual, it has made a few people very rich.

-Laelth

[Octafish]

11. Well, they did express thanks to those who made it possible.

And they don't forget to thank the executive branch and the courts.

[Enthusiast]

22. as usual, it has made a few people very rich

[rurallib]

9. what I had always heard was that the alcohol

doesn't create the gum that fouls the engine. The gum is a residue left by old fashioned regular gas. The alcohol used after running regular gas through an engine will loosen that gum and then it goes through the system.

So I stick with 10% ethanol all the way.

[HappyMe]

12. I think you're right.

The gunk that the ethanol cleans up clogs the fuel filter.

I don't think old engines fare too well with ethanol either.

[Travis_0004]

10. I'm suprised this isn't well known

Obviously if you don't own a boat, then you probably wouldn't know, but I have an ATV, and I won't use ethanol in it.

When I go by gas stations in popular 4 wheeling spots, there are often signs advertising the fact that the gas is ethanol free, since a lot of other people feel the same way I do.

[Historic NY]

13. But were consistantly told its good......

just like corn syrup.

[Duckhunter935]

14. ethanol is hydroscopic

water and engines do not always like each other. Especially after sitting for a month or more.

[NightWatcher]

15. I get E-Free when I fill my truck. It's a little more expensive

But it's worth it. A few marinas around here will sell the ethanol free, but a lot of mariners refuse to pay the additional cost.

[underpants]

17. I was just not aware of this

the water is a whole other world (from my few times sailing on a friend's boat).

[uncle ray]

18. it gums stuff up because people don't maintain their equipment.

do you see dozens of cars broken down on the side of the road during rush hour because of "bad gas"? no? that's because the fuel is constantly being used and refilled. in mowers, boats, atvs, etc. people use them for a short while, then typically leave them sit for long periods of time, allowing the fuel in them to evaporate, leaving gummy residue which clogs passages up, and the higher ratio of additives left after the fuel evaporates is more corrosive to metal and rubber. on top of that, the fuel that was in the tank has absorbed moisture, because as stated above, ethanol is hygroscopic. the problem is not the fuel, it is the way it is handled and stored. you should run dry and drain any seasonal equipment.

[Oilwellian]

19. Here's a great site that lists ethanol-free stations in the US

http://pure-gas.org/?stateprov=VA

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Gasohol sucks.

Because it has fewer btus per gallon, it drives aggregate fuel economy down. Motorists have to burn more of it to go the same distance, thus negating any positive effects it may have had.

[Enthusiast]

21. I always use Marine Sta-Bil in the boat tank.

I hope it helps.

Sta-Bil does a good job in the motorcycle tanks. They have NEVER failed to start except from a dead battery.