Ethanol - friend or foe?

Now some state rules don't require outlets to specify if ethanol (below certain percentage limits) is in their fuel.

In California, Barry Treahy's boat sputtered and choked for months. He rebuilt the carburettor, and then cut into the gas tank twice to clean out the mysterious caramel-coloured gunk, followed by a patch-up.

Disaster struck as his 20-foot fishing boat's 55USgal fuel tank failed and gasoline streamed into the bilge and down the street. Puzzled, he finally found the answer in a boating magazine.

Ethanol-laced gasoline was dissolving his boat's fibreglass fuel tank, sending bits of resin to clog filters and ultimately eating a hole through the tank.

Years of adding ethanol to gasoline appears to have a nasty side effect. Some say this only affects tanks made before the early '80s, but stories of other engine problems persist.

Bob Adriance, technical director for the Boat Owners Association of the US, said: "Ethanol's dangers are widely known these days among the group's 650,000 members.

"Previously, they really got hammered because they didn't know anything.

"They suddenly had filters being clogged, then some people not only had to replace their fibreglass tanks, they also had to replace engines," he said.

TrailerBoat believes it's important to talk about the facts, rather than suspicions, so we welcome factual comments from Australian manufacturers, owners, and distributor's, by mail or email.