Read this if your boat has a fiberglass fuel tank...

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Major oil companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, Valero, and ConocoPhillips are manufacturing and selling ethanol blended gasoline that damages marine fuel tanks, engines and other components


Copied from the above news article:

LOS ANGELES (Map) - LOS ANGELES, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ --
Major oil companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, Valero, and ConocoPhillips are manufacturing and selling ethanol blended gasoline that damages marine fuel tanks, engines and other components, according to a federal class action lawsuit filed today by Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP. PetroDiamond, Tower Energy and Big West are also named in the suit.

"The price of gas is bad enough, but selling gasoline that dissolves gas tanks is a new low even for the oil companies," said Brian Kabateck, Managing Partner of Kabateck Brown Kellner and the lead attorney on the case. "The oil companies know this fuel is corrosive, but they're keeping consumers in the dark to pump up their profits. The cost to the consumer is thousands of dollars in repairs."

ExxonMobil last year recorded the largest profits recorded in U.S. history with $40.6 billion. Chevron posted profits of $18.7 billion in 2007.

Oil companies have long mixed additives into their gasoline as a way to boost octane. Methyl tert-butyl ether, commonly known as MTBE, was widely used as an octane booster until 2004, when it was banned in many states because of environmental concerns. In response, ExxonMobil, Chevron and other oil companies selected ethanol as a replacement.

Consumers were never informed about the differences between MTBE and ethanol-mixed gasoline, nor were they informed about the disastrous effects ethanol has on fiberglass marine fuel tanks.

Fiberglass is widely used in the construction of boat fuel tanks. Fiberglass is a combination of individual glass "threads" bound together by a resin. Ethanol dissolves this resin, destroying the tank. Moreover, the dissolved resin enters the fuel system, causing damage to the engine and other components.

Ethanol blended gasoline is particularly harmful in the marine environment because of "phase separation." Ethanol attracts water. When enough water is absorbed by the ethanol blended gasoline, the ethanol and water solution separates from the gasoline (phase separation), with the gasoline floating to the top. This results in a layer of water with a high-concentration of ethanol at the bottom of the fuel tank.

"The environment pays the price for Exxon and Chevron's deception each time a damaged fuel tank leaks gasoline into the water," Kabateck added.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court, Central District of California in Los Angeles. McNicholas & McNicholas, The Ball Law Firm and Jacobson, Russell, Saltz & Fingerman, LLP are also participating in the suit.

The suit seeks to represent a class comprising all owners of boats with fiberglass fuel tanks who filled their tanks with ethanol blended gasoline from a California retailer. The suit also seeks to represent all persons in California who own boats with a fiberglass fuel tank that had to be replaced because of damage caused by ethanol blended gasoline bought from a California retailer.

Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP is one of the nation's foremost consumer law firms. Its clients have won more than $750 million against Google, Farmer's Insurance, Eli Lilly and other major corporations. As a plaintiff's-only firm, Kabateck Brown Kellner is always on the consumers' side.
 
Yeah this has been a known issue for years. Newer engines are supposedly designed to run on 10% Ethanol and I'm not aware of any boat manufacturers using fiberglass tanks anymore. Fiberglass tanks were often used in boats in the past.
 
Only one little problem: Ethanol is government mandated. I'm sure the oil companies would rather stay away from this expensive and inefficient fuel supplement.
 
Non ethanol gas is available if you search for it, maybe not in your area of the country but it is not yet universal. The goverment does mandate it use in specific areas and it is easier for gas distributors to just use the same blend so it gets sold in areas that are not under mandate.
Stations in my location sell both but you have to search for the ones that have non ethanol gas.
 
So, the government requires 10% alcohol in the fuel and are proposing 15% and somehow it is Exxon's fault, yeah, right.

Exxon is not deceiving anyone, your government and it's bureaucracy and corrupt dogma driven officials are intentionally deceiving you however on multiple fronts.

N
 
The feds give the refiners a 51 cents a gallon subsidity to add ethanol so it is to their advantage to use it in every gallon of gas they sell. Federal subsidities also go to ethanol producers and to gasoline distributors. If you had to pay the price with out the subsidities you would be paying a hell of a lot more. Ethanol is a lose lose situation for the comsumer, you pay for it at the pump and in your income taxes and in food prices.
 
My boat sank nearly 40 years ago so I'm not concerned about it. However, my golf cart has a plastic fuel tank. I'm assuming the ethanol-mix will not affect the plastic (since non-drinking alcohols are occasionally sold in plastic containers).
 
My boat sank nearly 40 years ago so I'm not concerned about it. However, my golf cart has a plastic fuel tank. I'm assuming the ethanol-mix will not affect the plastic (since non-drinking alcohols are occasionally sold in plastic containers).

The roto molded plastic fuel tanks are fine with ethanol fuels. It is the fiberglass tanks that have issues.

N
 
Most epoxies are okay, too. Trouble is you don't know you might have problem until after you had the problem. Many states mandate ethanol blends, too. Oh what a tangled world-wide web we weave........
 
I just love un-denatured ethanol. When I did a collecting trip in the Sea of Cortez back in 1971 or 1972 for a major US museum, we were given a 5 gallon jug of it to preserve specimens. Carried it across the border in both directions (a "little" lighter on the return trip) with no fuss. It made some of the best evening cocktails at my lab! Fortunately my stomach was much tougher than fiberglas.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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