Full or Empty - Winterization

R

redman

New member
Am in the middle of getting C-Tour underway for the new season on the Potomac... cleaning the hull (1st time, thats another story), starting the engine with the "ear muffs", empying the water tank, etc.) Engine started just fine. At full choke, it kicked over quickly... and I backed off on the rpms.

To prep for winter, I filled both tanks and put in a bottle of stabil in each tank. About 2-3 days after I did this, there were a few posts on whether or not to store the boat with full or empty tanks. Had some concern that I made the wrong decision.

So, quick survey... for those that filled your tanks for winter storage:
a. Did you have trouble starting the engine the first time this season?
b. Would you store with full tanks again?

My answer:
a. No trouble.
b. Yes. Given all the articles written (Boat US/posts here) my take away is if you have clean tanks it is likely you won't have a problem with the Ethanol based fuel while in storage - If you use a stabilizer.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Mike on C-Tour.
 
redman":2e1z0qwm said:
Am in the middle of getting C-Tour underway for the new season on the Potomac... cleaning the hull (1st time, thats another story), starting the engine with the "ear muffs", empying the water tank, etc.) Engine started just fine. At full choke, it kicked over quickly... and I backed off on the rpms.

To prep for winter, I filled both tanks and put in a bottle of stabil in each tank. About 2-3 days after I did this, there were a few posts on whether or not to store the boat with full or empty tanks. Had some concern that I made the wrong decision.

So, quick survey... for those that filled your tanks for winter storage:
a. Did you have trouble starting the engine the first time this season?
b. Would you store with full tanks again?

My answer:
a. No trouble.
b. Yes. Given all the articles written (Boat US/posts here) my take away is if you have clean tanks it is likely you won't have a problem with the Ethanol based fuel while in storage - If you use a stabilizer.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Mike on C-Tour.
Click to expand...

Full tanks are happy tanks :mrgreen: less room for condensation. Old fiberglass tanks & old fuel lines can have Ethanol Problems. Full & Sta-Bil is the way to go.
 
Mike,
For the winter layup, fuel tanks are filled but carbs are run dry then drained.
This is the fourth season and no problem with restart after winter layup.
Yes, next layup, the tanks will be topped, stabilzer added, and carbs emptied.

It is consistently recommended by knowledgeable persons that stabilizer be added at each fueling.

Although others do it successfully, I am not comfortable with emptying the fuel tanks annually. It sounds like a difficult job to do thoroughly, is messy, and due to the volitility of gasoline fumes, exceeds my risk tolerance.
Mike 'Levity'
 
Levity":1jqvhnne said:
Mike,

This is the fourth season and no problem with restart after winter layup.
Yes, the tanks will be topped and fuel stabilzer added next layup.

It is consistently recommended by knowledgeable persons that stabilizer be added at each fueling.
Although others do it successfully, I am not comfortable with emptying the fuel tanks annually. It sounds like a difficult job to do thoroughly, is messy, and due to the volitility of gasoline fumes, exceeds my risk tolerance.
Mike 'Levity'
Click to expand...

In my neck of the woods EMPTY = WATER! :beer
 
Just finished our 4th full winter.

Twin Honda 40's. Each fall left with tanks full, recommended amount of stable, carburetors ran empty. Following spring motors have always started immediately and ran smooth. Do this with all winter stored motors and have never had a problem since starting this procedure. Learned my lesson years ago with a motorcycle. Cleaning the varnish out of the 3 carburetors was enough for me.

Jay
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback... Still going through the "1st time-itis", good to get the feedback from a knowledgeable group!

Lucky Day - You will enjoy James Creek... I was there the first season... nice folks that run that marina. See you on the water.

Mike on C-Tour.
 
The October 2010 issue of Boating Magazine had a one page article on winterizing rules for ethanol. They contacted Sta-Bil, Star-Brite Star-Tron, Evinrude & Yamaha. A synopsis in the order of the article:

Yamaha: "...we recommend our fuel stabilizer/conditioner be run through the entire fuel system, and then store the tank 7/8's full to leave room for expansion..."

Star-Brite & Sta-Bil: Both advised to store w/ it full [tank]. Their reasoning seemed purely based on local fire-marshall laws since it keeps volatile vapors/fumes from forming in tanks, which lowers the risk of fire.

Evinrude: "It's a debate that will never be settled. Different regions & regs do not allow a pat answer. Cold environments slow the deterioration process, while hotter climates accelerate the deterioration of fuel."

So there you have it. Not much help, but I figured WTH. To quote the author Randy Vance: "I guess that settles it. Or not."
 
My first tactic against ethanol is to not have it in my tanks. even here in the seattle area you can find gas stations with out ethanol. the Costco in mt Vernon does not have ethanol in their fuel. It's on the way back from the islands for many of us. so fill on the way home after your last trip. Look in your local are for non ethanol fuels. areas out side the cites with farm land is a good area to look as often these counties can sell non ethanol fuel. other then that i only fill the tank if i am not going to be using the boat for more then a month, which is seldom. if you live in a area that weather causes you to "put up " the boat I suggest you MOVE to a better part of the country. i love winter and skiing but only after I check my crap pots before heading to the slopes. :lol:
 
Well, I use whatever gas is close & "inexpensive" (of course, of late, that's a relative term :roll: ). We mainly fill up E10 @ Safeway or Fred Meyer as we get a "discount" on the fuel due to shopping and due to the volume, I'm confident the fuel is fresh and the station filters maintained etc.

I use blue Sta-bil RELIGIOUSLY and ALWAYS add the recommended amount per the label. For winter last yr I filled the tank w/ E10 and the Sta-bil. Boat was stored in mid-December & pulled in early May. Started right up and ran without a hiccup.

I'm doing the same this yr, although I'm not storing it anymore, but instead keeping it in the driveway. I'll be able to use it, weather permitting, but it will be covered by only our Angola cover.
 
Agree, full tank w/ blue Stabil. Around here, premium fuel is ethanol free. Tom, pardon me asking.... how often do you have to empty your' "crap" pots? Sounds like a mighty unpleasant job (sorry, could not resist).
 
I always have stabilizer in the tanks, as I mix it in 5 gal with each fill up, so i'm assuming it going to cover me at end of season when i winterize the engines. I have made a fuel transfer system with a car electric fuel pump, 40 ft of gas line and an electrical connector that can plug into the 12 volt plug on the boat or the truck. I use it in the summer to transfer fuel from my truck or gas cans to the boat. "Less mess, no fuel spillage and no lugging fuel". Once I complete winterizing the engines, I just plug a female quick fuel connector onto the fuel pump line that connects to the male quick connector on the water separator, which is also where the 18hp kicker connects to. I then just suck all the fuel out of the tanks to my cars, and truck. It may take an hour depending on how much full I have left in the tanks. Doing this I’m also hoping I suck any crud that is left in the tanks, which should be caught by the fuel filter/separator. I put a new filter/separator in at the beginning of the season.

Jim
 
This may go against the grain but I always keep my fuel tanks topped off, especially through the winter here in Alaska. This is the general consensus among a lot of boaters here. The reason is anytime the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing any exposed surface in a fuel tank is going to sweet or condensate some, but not much the relative humidly drops dramatically here during winter. I have never had any water in my separator so must be doing something right, maybe because there is no alcohol in Alaska gas. I have never used any type of gas stabilizer or fogger. I run all the gas out of the engine than drain what is remaining from the Carb bowls on my 06 Honda.

Pre season I truly believe in pouring 2 bottles of SeaFoam in each tank, and repeat this process mid season. I like to pump the gas out of the fuel line tell it runs clear before attaching it to the motor; the lines seem to break down some over the winter and the fuel gets dirty looking. I change the oil after the first trip because SeaFoam cleans so much gunk out the engine it really dirties the oil. I do basically the same with snow machines, motorcycles, all the other outboards I have, pressure washer, etc. Only time I ever had a problem was with my 15 year old snow blower last year, had to rebuild the Carb on it...and it’s a neglected beast that usually gets ridden hard and put away wet.

I would guess in wormer climates with higher humidity things would be different.


Jay
 
Matt Gurnsey":amen7rw5 said:
Our recomendation is empty tanks, or as empty as possible. Run stabilizer / fogging oil cocktail through the fuel system.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on what I do.

Full tanks could be empty here by the time you get back to the boat. Not only that but I prefer running fresh fuel.

Maybe condensation is a regional thing. But I have not had a condensation problem and my water trap fuel filter seems to be clean.

It costs me almost $175 to fill my empty tanks today. It may be more next spring but I would have lost had I filled my empty tanks when gas was $5 gal and the following spring $2.50 per gallon. So I will wait till spring and by the fresh gas if its available.
 
One factor I never see when this comes up, that needs to be taken into account - where the boat is stored.

I know many of us (me included) keep our boats inside garages, where temperature and humidity swings are far more controlled. As such, I'm an empty tank proponent - condensation is not really an issue.

And, this is a timely subject - I just completed a nifty way to address this, with very little muss/fuss. I ordered up a Carter fuel pump - known in automotive circles for their quality and longevity. It comes with a bracket, and input/output nipples for 3/8" fuel line.

The pump is portable, with the bracket attached to a piece of wood. When in use, I set it down low between the tanks. I ran the IN line to a quick disconnect fitting that attaches to my Racor filter/separator, and the OUT line simply goes out my drain plug hole in the back of the boat, into a receptacle on the ground. Power is handled via aligator clips at the battery, with a switch inline to avoid sparks when connecting.

It's not super fast, probably around 2 gallons a minute...but works great.
 
Back
Top