sad day season over

[jmvotto]

pulled the boat yesterday, docks and hoist today. will bring home for two weeks to clean and then off to storage.:(

question. the boat is on E , do i fill it full of gas or leave it empty for the season. Don't ethe hedge of the price of gas this year vs next.

[sandm]

fill it full and use stabil.
with the ethanol blend, you will get some condensation in the tank with any gas left. by filling it full, doesn't give anywhere for condensation to form.
done this the last 2 years and starts right up.

I'm holding out for one last 80deg day, but don't think it's going to happen. winterization scheduled for the 21st of october :(

[skiyaker]

for me it's a race to see whether my foot will heal in time for one final run (see wakeboard section "pulled out of my bindings" for pic of this fall); right now air temp 50-60 and water temp 65. On some level though it seems unnatural to install a wood burning stove and then go skiing in the same week :rolleyes:

[zabooda]

I empty the tank, dump a gallon of stabil gas in, run it through the engine. In the spring, I empty the tank and start with fresh gas. In the spring, you'll see people moaning and groaning when they try using the old gas. I've been doing this for 18 years and no problem. When I look at the gas coming out in the spring the gas is a dark red versus an orange color and if there is water in the gas which I have never found then that comes out also. Either method, I would recommend pumping the gas out in the spring. People on other sites say some of the same things but they put the gas in another vehicle which won't make the issue any different for that vehicle unless they dilute it with good gas.

[mmandley]

I was thinking since my tank is at like 1/4 now i would add stabilize and then in the spring add Supreme gas?

I hate to fill it and let it sit all off season and risk a tank of crappy gas.

[sandm]

never had an issue with bad gas in either 2 years of the boat, or 4 years of my street car that didn't get driven from november to march.
stabil helps the gas that's in the tank currently. you really need to fill it up to prevent condensation from forming. if you leave the tank empty, it will form. the reason air compressors have drains on them as well. go out and run a shop heater in a cold garage and look at the windows in a couple of hours.

save the cash on supreme as well. plenty of threads on only using 89 as the manual recommends. premium is a waste in any vehicle not force fed or high compression..

[cab13367]

I empty the tank, dump a gallon of stabil gas in, run it through the engine. In the spring, I empty the tank and start with fresh gas. In the spring, you'll see people moaning and groaning when they try using the old gas. I've been doing this for 18 years and no problem. When I look at the gas coming out in the spring the gas is a dark red versus an orange color and if there is water in the gas which I have never found then that comes out also. Either method, I would recommend pumping the gas out in the spring. People on other sites say some of the same things but they put the gas in another vehicle which won't make the issue any different for that vehicle unless they dilute it with good gas.

I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I've been putting my boat away for the winter with the tank full and Stabil added and I've never had issues come spring. Did this with my first boat (had it for 15 years) and on my current Moomba. So sounds like either way will work as long as you take the proper precautions.

[jester]

I was thinking since my tank is at like 1/4 now i would add stabilize and then in the spring add Supreme gas?

I hate to fill it and let it sit all off season and risk a tank of crappy gas.

Mike,

We have 10 to 15% eth in our gas. You want to fill it so the eth will not collect water into the tank. By having a full tank it will not allow as much water into the system.

[zabooda]

Cab I think we are in the same boat (no pun intended). Any moisture that condenses in the tank is pumped out in the spring with the old gas with my method. I also replace the fuel filter each spring so the tank is dry and a new filter. Each spring when I pump out the gas, I look for debris in the gas from the filter and I look for water and I see none. You fill up the tank and add stabil which will reduce the amount of water in the tank but I don't trust the old gas chemically so having to burn it in a duluted concentration in my vehicles would take a while. I see more issues each spring with the gas and I think the gas manufactorers are changing the mix all the time and causing problems with long term storage.

[mmandley]

OK cool, when i take it to get winterized later this month ill fill it up on the way home and drop in some Stabil and pack her away for the winter.

I'm going to get some of those buckets of moisture absorb and put those in the boat, remove all the seats and gear, remove the batteries, put the cover on and saran wrap the edges of the cover and the tower feet so saw dust and other dirt doesn't get inside from working in the garage.

I expect to unpack the boat in Feb and start my winter projects and summerize again in April.

[jester]

Mike,

If you take it to AWS i think they add the Stabil for you. You can also get moisture absorbers at the doller store. I put a total of three in the boat, One in bow, one in mid and one in the rear storage. I also open the doors between the rear storage and the engine.

[cab13367]

OK cool, when i take it to get winterized later this month ill fill it up on the way home and drop in some Stabil and pack her away for the winter.


Mike,

Ideally, you want to put Stabil in just before you fill it up then run the boat a bit before putting it away. This ensures that the Stabil mixes in with all the fuel, especially the fuel that will sit in your fuel delivery system over the winter so that it doesn't gum up and clog stuff.

[mmandley]

OK cool good to know Jester and Cab. I will get the stuff in the tank before i fill it and run it a bit to make sure its cycled threw the engine. Still holding out for 1 more decent day. Even if i cant go boarding id like one more day for a few hours floating and enjoying the water lapping on the boat at least.

[Sled491]

JV, it just makes waiting for next spring that much more exciting. I am currently keeping a trouble light in my engine compartment hoping for one last kick at the cat. But future forcast don't look promising. May pull boat this week :(

[jmvotto]

Sled, you are correct. it makes waiting for april that much more fun. last year pulled the boat 10/25 with a last run. weather was great. Glad i pulled it last weekend. The weather has been very cold and wet. With the baby and Junior High soccer games, been a little crazy anyhow. Just have to clean her up and off to storage monday. I have a second pair of tower speakers (aerials with infinity's in them coming wed) got em cheap, but will have to wait until spring to install, something to dream about over the winter;)

I won't shut the cabin down until mid november unless it gets really cold earlier ( have to drain the water system)

[cab13367]

My season came to an end yesterday. Took her out on the river one last time (water temp was 54 degrees) to get the oil nice and hot, then pulled her out and winterized her right there in the parking lot. Took about an hour including changing the oil and pulling the impeller. Was a beautiful sunny day, just cranked the tunes and took my time. She is safely tucked away in the garage now for the winter.

I made a top speed run and was able to get up to 42 mph (verified with my gps) at 5000 rpm. Stock prop (13.7x17.5 OJ), full tank of gas, just me and my son on board, ballasts empty, wakeplate about halfway down (to keep it from porpoising).

JM, I have the same Aerial cans as you but have Polk speakers in them. I bought a second pair a while ago and finally put them on last night. Now I need to wire them up at some point.

With two pairs of wakeboard racks, a surfboard rack, and now 4 speakers on it, the tower is getting pretty heavy to put up and down by myself!

[04OUTBACK]

JMV
I have seen some Gulf Stations in Canandaigua that promote NO Ethanol! May wanna try to get that.. I have to top mine of soon. I got to do something this week ASAP!

Kinda preoccupied with finding a place to live!