Full of fuel or empty tank

[Reel Addiction]

I was wondering what is the best to do for winter storage should I fill fuel tank or leave it with what ever fuel is in it Thanks

 

[miky2884]

I run mine as low as I can, put Startron in treat whatever gas is left and put it away. my .02

 

[DaleH]

I run mine as low as I can, put Startron in treat whatever gas is left and put it away. my .02

Ditto, but I use Sta-Bil for ethanol fuels. Me? I'd rather have < 20-gallons of 'stale' fuel to tend to ... than ~100-gallons or more. In the Spring I add at least 20-gallons of fresh 91 octane on top and have had zero issues.

Boatyards and marinas, even Boat/US says to leave the tank full, but remember ... they are governed by their insurance demands! As empty tanks explode and full tanks burn ... albeit with quite the vigor :shock: !

On my smaller motors, like gas-powered chainsaws, lawn mowers, snow blowers ... I've started running them dry (using heavily treated fuel) while also fogging them out through the carb intake.

 

[Brad 21se]

I treat my last tank of gas for the season and then drain my tank after winterizing the engine. I put that gas in my truck and store the boat with 5-10 gallons I figure in the tank. Fill up with fresh gas in the Spring. This has worked great for me since the ethanol fuels were introduced.

I agree with Dale and would rather deal with a few gallons of bad fuel than a full tank that has gone bad!

 

[Bryan 2530]

Yep, get it as low as you can and treat it. Preferably on or around your last run so you can be sure its mixed in nice and run through the engine.

 

[springer99]

hmm, guess I'm odd man out. I've always just filled my tank, treated it with a double dose of Stabil and left it go with that. Boat sits on the hard from December to April and always has kicked right over in spring. I hate to leave more room for condensate to form than necessary in my tank.

 

[jcmcclellan]

I just treat what's in the tank. Not saying it's right but so far so good. This will be my sixth winter with current boat.

 

[Bryan 2530]

hmm, guess I'm odd man out. I've always just filled my tank, treated it with a double dose of Stabil and left it go with that. Boat sits on the hard from December to April and always has kicked right over in spring. I hate to leave more room for condensate to form than necessary in my tank.

That's pre ethanol practice.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_cond ... _tanks.htm

 

[POGE]

I store my boat at home and on the trailer for winter with an empty tank.
:?: Why store an extra 1,000 pounds on the trailer springs for 6 months.

 

[Shannonigans]

. .. ...........I have laid the boat up both full and empty.... . ..I'm more concerned with ethanol issues now, so I like to get it as low as possible for the winter. . ....and of course treat it. ...That being said.....the 'extra' fuel in the boat last year did come in handy during Sandy. . .. :wink:

 

[Luv2fish]

In Virginia I go out fishing every 3 weeks or so. I used to live in Upstate NY and had to switch to ice fishing in December so I don't envy you guys. :wink:

 

[Ludicrous40]

I find this all very interesting as it means that the Yamaha dealers have no interest in telling the truth, their only concern is making money.

At the end of my short season I filled my tank (which was painful), then treated it with a double dose of stabilizer. (I use BioBore EB)
My reason for filling the tank was that I had a complete fuel system meltdown last year (low pressure fuel pump, high pressure fuel pump, VST filter replacement) that the dealer attributed to bad fuel, or water in the fuel when the previous owner left it empty or half full during the winter. I figured that the dealer must have been right, so I followed their suggestion………

The interesting thing is that I just found the following post that coincides with the fuel tank being a none issue:

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... oblem.html

Basically the article details that the low pressure fuel pump has an internal spring that completely rots away, and then clogs the VST. There's your Yamaha fuel system problem in a nutshell. He found a similar pump that met the specifications for ~$50.00…..I paid ~$500.00.

Anyway, I just thought that I would share that. Looks like I will not be filling the tank next year, and will likely be an expert in VST replacement/cleaning before all is said and done. There is no way I'm going to pay them each time when I can do the repair in a day…..they had my boat for 4 weeks in June/July to clean filters, and replace plug-in parts that any monkey can do…….can you tell that I'm still frustrated????

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

Ludicrous 40 sorry to hear your frustration. But I agree with most of the posts. I have owned boats for almost 30 years. I put my boats away with what ever fuel is left in the tank. As long as you put in the appropriate fuel additives and make sure they get run thru the motor before you put it up for the winter, all is good in the spring. Never had a problem. But unfortunately all parts will fail at one time or another. And also somewhat unfortunate we all at this site have a very expensive passion.

 

[Ludicrous40]

An expensive hobby I love!!!

I'll get over it. I changed boats at the beginning of the season, got a great deal on a 2003 2520XL, but knew going in that I'd need the exhaust repair. Got the exhaust work done in early June, but then was down again due to the fuel issues. Once I got through that, had several other (previous owner) issues that I had to work through. Going forward, I know what I have, and will take care of it. Had no issues with my previous Yamaha 4 stroke.

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

I have a 2003 2520XL as well, with a 2004 225 4s, just did the exhaust thing 3 weeks ago plus a bunch of stuff. I know where you are coming from !!!!

 

[Ludicrous40]

HOTPURSUIT, Maybe this should be on a different post, but since you have the same boat and motor, I'm curious what you are running for a prop, and if you know your performance numbers? Speed and RPMs at WOT, and at cruise?

My prop is a black stainless, 15" x 17 pitch
WOT = 5300 to 5400
Speed = 27 to 28 kts

Cruise 4800 to 4900
Speed = 24 to 25 kts

I've already talked to Ken at PropGods because I want to be more efficient (She loves gas). I'm hoping to be able to run in that 24 kt range at a lower RPM. He recommended the QuickSilver Thunderbolt 15 3/4" diameter and a 15 pitch. Haven't ordered, but was planning to give it a try, and if good, then I'll optimize the motor height.

Thanks,

Rob (Ludicrous40)