Need to get rid of gas!

[flydoc]

This marks the end of my first season as a boater


I am taking my boat to the shop to get it winterized.

I need to empty my gas tank and I think I have about 30 gallons in it.
It is premixed with two-stroke oil.

What is the safest way to remove it? Can I store the gas in approved containers and use it next season?

Is it safe to store it in a well ventilated shed?

Should I discard it? How is that done in an eco-friendly way.

Thanks for your help!

 

[TonyAmalfitano]

Fill your tanks and add a stabilizer. Condensation will form in an empty, or partially empty tank, but not in a full tank. Stabilizer will keep life in the fuel.

 

[flydoc]

I wonder why the two places i asked about winterization said that they wanted the tanks as close to empty as possible?

 

[Porkchunker]

I wonder why the two places i asked about winterization said that they wanted the tanks as close to empty as possible?

Probably because of the new E-10 and the problems of "phase separation." The jury is still out on whether to stabilize and keep them full, or stabilize and keep them as empty as possible. Tanks on automobiles, lawnmowers, etc., are exposed to the cold and warm air cycles and may have a problem. I believe that is where the experience has come from.

According to Dave Pasco ( http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_cond ... _tanks.htm ) the issue of boat tanks collecting water through condensation is mostly a myth. The tanks are embedded in the deck, often foamed in, and do not change temp as rapidly as one would believe. In other words, they do not act like the exposed tanks on automobiles, lawnmowers, etc.

Most recent issue of Seaworthy (from BoatUS) still recommended stabilizing and filling. In my opinion, the editor probably didn't do enough research...or at least update his research. I'm hearing more and more guidance to get them as close to empty as possible. That is what I did last winter (with E-10 in the tank), and I didn't have a drop of water in the fuel-water separator filters this spring. I'm going to do that again this winter.

Dave

aka

 

[DaleH]

I myself is of the opinion that I would have to get rid of an almost empty tank of fuel (due to E10 issues) than have a 100 gallons or more of crappy fuel!

I also believe, but can't confirm it, that most boatyards, marinas, and groups like Boat/US opine for the FULL tank as they either sell insurance or are insured and don't want the legal ramifications of boats stored with empty tanks.

Not one person I know who treated their fuel 'beforehand' with stabilizer, and ran it through the motor before fogging has had any issues with just a few to 30 or so gallons left in the tank.

I also believe that phase separation due to thermal cycling over the winter is exaggerated beyond belief. A friend who is a PhD chemist did the calculations and it didn't amount to but a capful ...

 

[captbone]

Burn the gas in an older car. My work truck (1988 EFI) loves TCWIII and boat gas.

 

[gw204]

I fill up every year prior to winterization.

If nothing else, it costs me less to fill up in Dec. than it would the following March/April as gas prices are always higher. Every gallon of gas that goes in my boat gets treated with Stabil, so I'm not in the least bit worried about rotten fuel.