[justrollin]

It wont be long and we in the north east will start to winterize our boats any ideas on fuel seperation, how to prevent it with ethynol and gas seperating over time. Also any ideas on whats best leave tanks full or 1/4 tank.

[jmk]

In my experience, the overall level of the tank is not so important. You can list pros and cons for either situation. A full tank reduces condensation but creates a larger problem if any water gets into the gas. A 1/4 full tank might increase the chances of condensation, but if you DO get separation it is easier to deal with. I have stored my tanks either way in the cold northeast, and in my experience condensation alone never causes separation. What does create a problem is direct water leakage into the tanks. I have posted here before my suggestion that you put rubber corks in the fuel fill (below the cap). Once I started doing this year round, I have never had separation problems regardless of how much gas I carry in my tanks or how long it sits there. And that is with 400 gallons of capacity. That being said, my preference is to store the tanks as empty as possible. Then, in the spring while the boat is still on the hard and tilted back, I pump out the gas with a hand bulb from each tank to check that it is perfectly clear. Separated water/ethanol lies at the bottom of the tank so if you see any you can largely clean it up by just continuing to pump. The tilt really helps. Before the corks I used to always get a few gallons of separated ethanol. Since the corks, it's zero.

[Uhehner]

Check with your marina office. Some yards do not want boats stored with full tanks because of the fire hazard. Capt. George

[ReelMagic]

Many boat yards require FULL tanks as there are less likely to explode. Fumes are what makes gas so dangerous.....