fuel additives

[piano player]

i am considering using a fuel additive to maximize the horsepower output of my 250 yamaha. does anyone have experience with this?

if so is there a recommended product. thanks

 

[Megabyte]

Which 250 do you own?

I use RingFree, StarTron, and StaBil in my 1997 vintage 225 Yamaha OX66 if that helps...

 

[DaleH]

F250 requires minimum of 89 octane.

I have to disagree quite vehamenetly here with our esteemed Capt Kevin ...as motors run on fuel, not on additives!

I would run an additive like Ring Free or the others Kevin mentioned, to keep O2 Sensors clean and clear out excess carbon off of internals, valves and rings et al.

I think if I ran a Yummie I would just use Seafoam. It is a decarb solution, fuel preservation, and alcohol-inhibitor all in one. Star*tron has latest 'enzyme' gizmos in it that Seafoam probably doesn't but Star*tron alone won't keep your engine clean.

Running a fuel.water separator and by buying good fuel, I think you should be worried about cleanliness first, then ethanol and related issues, and lastly ... far last ... fuel preservation. I personally don't add fuel preservatives until the Fall.

Best medicine to avoid fuel preservative issues in the season is to RUN the BOAT!

 

[piano player]

thanks for the additve choices and advice.

and i do run the boat. we fish most weekends and sometimes during the week. but i still think there is something i could do to better the boats speed and economy. i understand the 89 octane issue and that is what i use. i get fuel around kent narrows maryland. i think the fuel is good.

i am thinking of pulling the boat in the next week or so and power washing the bottom. my depth finder is not working while running and my motor trim indicator has stopped working. so i guess things are pretty messy underneath.

i'm happy running @ 32 mph or so but not 27. i used to have a standard that the boat should do at least 40mph wot for me to buy it. that way unning 30-35 was never a problem. i was told this boat would do 40 when i bought it but i never tested it before hand.

on the other hand, we find our parker to be an incredible fishing platform, and we love the deck and cabin layout of this model. so we are not unhappy with the boat in any respect except speed.

thanks for lending me your experience

 

[DaleH]

Just remember that if she did 40mph in the Spring (cool air) with a clean bottom there's NO WAY she'll do 40mph in the heat of the Summer with bottom growth on her.

On a hot day, you might even notice a 200 to 300 RPM drop ... due to the hot air, which is thinner than cool air ... even helicopters suffer this malaise worse than OBs! I too clean my hull bottom at end of August to get me through the end of the season (more tuna trips) with as little growth on the hull as I can help it. I find the growth in the later Summer to Fall to be more than any other period. I attribute it to the lower angle of the sun against the hull and waterline.

 

[JWL]

If there is a product on the market that increases horsepower and fuel economy I want to sell all my Microsoft stock and buy it. I'll be rich in no time. There is no magic additive which will do the things you are asking.

Dale is also correct about the loss of horsepower due to hot weather as the air is less dense during the warm months. In fact. here in Texas where it gets a little warmer than you Yankees experience, I change to a different prop for the summer. I use a prop with one inch less pitch than in the cooler winter months. Of course, I can boat and fish year round here and perhaps it wouldn't be worth having a lower pitched prop where you don't boat in the winter.

The hull of my boat is painted and I still have to wash it from time to time as I see speed drop off in the summer.

 

[Outta Here]

Yamaha has 3 Performance Bulletins all showing a top speed of 40-42. Two boats are DV 25's and 1 MV, some w/225-4 and some w/250-4. All three had motors moved up 1 hole to second hole. Easy change you could make.

Yamaha has recently come out with a "Performance Enhancer" called...

 

[piano player]

so you're saying i could have had a v-8?

my understanding is that there is too much modification and bracing required to the current bracket to re-power with the new v-8. this came from my dealer.

anyway, thanks for all the feedback. i didn't know that others pull their boats during the season to clean up the bottom. i will start doing that.

and i will treat the gas with something useful.

moving the motor up a notch i'm not sure about. my boat cavitates pretty easily. i currently keep the motor almost all the way down when running. i bring it up until it cavitates, then lower it just enough for it to dig in. that's with no tabs.

but i will look to see where it's located.

 

[DaleH]

i didn't know that others pull their boats during the season to clean up the bottom. i will start doing that.

Who said anything about 'pulling' the boat? With our 9'-10' tides :shock: ... cleaning the bottom is a piece o' cake !

Just beach the big girl

 

[Outta Here]

so you're saying i could have had a v-8?
moving the motor up a notch i'm not sure about. my boat cavitates pretty easily. i currently keep the motor almost all the way down when running. .

The "V-8" remark was a joke. If you run the motor tucked in, that will definately scrub off 3-6MPH. At wide open, max speed how many bars are showing on trim indicator? Vertical is usually 4 bars.

 

[piano player]

in the beginning of the season i was able to get up to 4-5 bars at wot. by july 3 was the max. and now my gauge is not reading.

i like the 9 foot tide picture. a great way to clean up! but we don't have such tides on the chesapeake bay.

 

[jeffnick]

I took some tide pics at the Bay of Fundy...

Halls Harbor:

Maitland:

And a couple at Hyder Alaska:

The road to the Hyder ramp is a one lane 1/4 mile long wooden bridge.