Boating In The Age Of Ethanol
Boating In The Age Of Ethanol By Frank Sargeant There are a fair number of stories floating around the docks these days of motors that have become ill-tempered and undependable-or even unrunnable--after an extended period of using the gasoline/alcohol blend known as E-10-a mix of 90 percent gasoline, 10 percent ethanol alcohol now found at most service stations nationwide as part of the mandated effort to reduce air pollution. But according to the makers of most major outboard brands, there should be few issues with using fresh, clean gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol in any modern outboard. A proposal to allow 15 percent ethanol mixes in pump gas would be totally another matter-ALL manufacturers say this stuff would be poison to current outboards, and the NMMA is handing out warning stickers by the thousands to boat dealers to help them make their customers aware. How bad is E-15? Very bad based on tests concluded in 2011 by Mercury Marine for the U.S. Department of E