MacGregorSailors.com

I know that many of you cruise a lot using motor, so gas deterioration over time is not a problem; however, for some of us who do not go on long passages gas deterioration might become a problem sooner or later.

I live in Utah where summers are very hot, I got Honda 50HP four stroke, which is very efficient and we probably use only 1 gallon per weekend at the most. We added a fuel stabilizer to the 12 gallon gas tank.

I would like to know if there is anything else I should do, such buying only highest grade gasoline, fill up the gas tank only half or full all the time.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

One more question. Someone on this board has bought two six gallon tanks which fit exactly in a place of the 12 gallon tank. If I remember correctly they were around 60$.

Thanks,

Jacek

Jacek

For this usage pattern I would take out the 12 gallon tank and just use one 6 gallon portable Tempo tank (or other equivalent)

Take it off the boat once a month, dump remaining gas into the car, and fill fresh.for the next month.

I have a siphon that makes draining tanks into a standard gas can a snap - this would be even easier.

I run an 8 gallon reserve tank portside and a 12 gallon cruising tank on starboard. When I day sail/motor on the Hudson, I just fill the 8 gallon tank. Headed down for 5 days on the Cape, everything gets filled once I reach destination.


12 gallon tanks are not "portable" by CG regs, so if you dont have a bona fide "marine install" you can get hassled about these technically. Has not happened to me.

have a singe 12 gallon tempo (removed the second tank). After a couple seasons use, with gas left over from the previous season, never had an issue. It was put away with maybe 6 gallons with staibil.

I topped it off the other day....started it in the yard (in a tank of water), fired up first turn of the key..ran the entire weekend a lot (3 whole gallons used) , didn't skip a beat.

Been doing this since 92 or so with our power boat, never an issue. always did use fuel staibilizer though. Nothing else.

Sure swapping the gas out on a regular basis is probaby 'better' but I have not seen any issue with using old (6 month or so old) gas. Especially when diluted with fresh gas. I just use 87 or the cheapest I can find, for a gas station that can fit the boat

I think Jacek is fine as is. Just top it off between uses and go for it...maybe some fuel staibilizer for good measure.

You could always drain the carbs as a preventative measure..only takes a few seconds each.

I wouldn't sweat it. it's a Macgregor.. I am sure there are other issues that require your attention

Paul

Thank you for the responses. You right about other issues which require my attention; however, I hate to come to the point when my new Honda 50HP will stop working because I did not do something simple I should have done. I am new to sailing so I read messages on this board almost every day. Your experience is invaluable for "new sailors" like me.

Thank you,

Jacek

I have the dual 12 gallon tanks and only use the motor to move from the marina to the main lake, just a few hundred yards. So I have the same issue with gas sitting in the tank.

What I am thinking about doing is getting two 6 gallon tanks to replace a 12 gallon, and then remove the 2nd 12 gallon tank to make room for a cockpit storage area.

I like the idea of still having two tanks (1 spare) in case one of them gets clogged or something. 12 gallon tanks are not handy for taking to a gas station, or taking home for the winter.

Here is a good post to read for more ideas:

http://macgregorsailors.com/phpBB/viewt ... t=gas+tank

Maybe a 4 stroke is different, but here's my story. I used to have a 30 gallon tank on a Crealock designed sailboat with a 15 hp two stroke outboard. When I got the boat, I added an electric fuel gauge and filled it, then added fuel saver, I think it was Stabil. Anyway, when I went to sell it, I still had half a tank of SIX YEAR OLD 87 octane gasoline in it. The interested buyer wanted to know how well it ran at wide open throttle so we did for for over 30 minutes. NO problems. It reached the same speed it always did.. about theoretical hull speed for a 30 footer.

Based on that experience, I don't worry about the age of my fuel in my X. I have used without any problems at low or high speed, fuel from my third six gallon tank, that was over a year old. It too was 87 octane with fuel saver in it. I trust it now for normal use. If I had to idle all day long, I don't know if it would do as well, but then two strokes aren't madr for that anyway.

I have a lot of money tied up in a 90 horse motor and so to me, making sure I have fresh gas is a small preventative measure when avoiding potential expensive problems.

I'd rather burn the old fuel in my riding lawnmower. Stalling that in the backyard is no big deal compared to rowing the sailboat back to the marina.

Just buy a big funnel and put the leftover gas in the car's tank. "Problem" solved.

RandyMoon wrote:I have the dual 12 gallon tanks and only use the motor to move from the marina to the main lake, just a few hundred yards. So I have the same issue with gas sitting in the tank.

RandyMoon,
I had to chuckle when I read your post and saw you had a 90hp. You must motor that few hundred yards pretty quick though;)

Don't rub it in.

The Admiral wanted to be sure to be able to ski (I'm not holding my breath for that to happen). I would have been happy with a 50 horse. We were chuckling about having the 90 horse last weekend. It was an overkill.

BUT, when a big storm rolls in fast, you can bet your bippy that those 90 horses will be screaming all the way back to the marina, passing all those guys up with 50's.

BUT, if we pull down to the Gulf, it will come in handy.

I do see the humor though. I can cover those 200 yards faster than any other sailboat.

The best advice on this thread is PaulS' about learning how to dump your carb fuel bowls...thats the spot that stale gas will give you trouble.

Yea its not rocket science to drain the bowls..if it sits for a while...

I decided to make the other compartment into a storage area for the grill, propane, and a spare 2.5 gallon can of gas.

I made a cover out of wood (maybe make it out of filberglass at some point). It works quite well. actually attached it to the tank holders I installed (with 2 more small angle brackets at the top). I figure between 12 gallons (that I always keep full) and a 2.5 backup..we should be good to go.




Paul

Who wants to buy 'marine' gas if it can be avoided. Six gallons x 2 is all I can carry. That is, a six gallon tank at the bottom of each arm. I can't carry a twelve gallon tank, I would tip over.

Anyway, changing it out depends on your weather. Full to the brim tanks probably wouldn't be a problem. Three quarter empty tanks collect a lot of condensation where I am. The exhaust becomes 'white' rather than clear. That's time to change it out before it extinguishes the spark.

So several months usually not a problem, but several years?

I have a woods pickup used solely for deer season that sits for nine months out of the year. The guys who talk about gasoline being blended differently for different seasons get me nervous.

Here's another take. Gas will store pretty well when cold. I can leave gas in the tank, or even the Honda 50 in the winter (up north) with no problems. The same fuel does not store well at higher temperatures. And, the smaller the quantity, the faster it degrades (like in the carb fuel bowl). Gas stabilizers do not prevent the deterioration of the fuel- they just reduce the tendency to gum up carburetors. So the best off-season practice is to add stabilizer and then run the engine dry before storage. For summer non-use just make sure the fuel is not more than about a month old. Another option is to go to a nearby airport and buy aviation gas. It's a much higher refinement and it will go all summer without gumming anything up. It burns clean and has much less odor, just costs more.

You are right about AVGAS, it is very clean. You get some on your hands when checking the tanks and it just evaporates right off, hardly leaving any smell at all compared to the dirty auto gas (which I expect is exactly the same as what is sold at Marina's for 50% higher prices) which you have to wash your hands 3 times to get the smell off.

However, AVGAS is also much higher octane (I think around 100) so that means our outboards are probably not designed to run with it and maybe it could cause damage without engine modification.