Benefits of Using a Fuel Stabilizer For Your Boat

Many boat owners underestimate the importance of using a fuel stabilizer. While it’s not necessary to crank and run a gas-powered watercraft, it offers some unique advantages that aren’t found elsewhere. If you’re still skeptical of fuel stabilizers, keep reading to learn more about these products and the protection they offer.

To understand the purpose of fuel stabilizers, you must first look at the chemical reactions that occur in petroleum fuel. Over time, petroleum fuel will undergo a variety of chemical reactions due to four primary factors: water, light, heat and oxygen. The molecules will become unstable, at which point a chain reaction occurs that’s characterized by separation of different ingredients.

You have to remember that petroleum fuel contains several different ingredients, some of which include gas, diesel, ethanol, E10 and E15. These ingredients will separate and become unstable when gas is exposed to any of the four elements previously mentioned. Running a boat with unstable fuel may result in poor performance, sudden engine cutoffs, or the boat may cease to turn on.

How Fuel Stabilizers Work

While there are several different brands and types of fuel stabilizers on the market, they are all designed to serve the same basic purpose: to prevent the chemical chain reaction from occurring in fuel. They aren’t going to miraculously turn spoiled fuel good, but they will drastically prolong the life of your boat’s fuel when used correctly.

Fuel stabilizers do more than just preserve fuel; they also protect against varnishing and phase separation, while lubricating the mechanical components of a boat’s engine. When moisture enters a boat’s fuel tank – even in small, trace amounts – it can promote varnishing and corrosion. Adding a fuel stabilizer, however, will protect your boat’s motor.

When To Use a Fuel Stabilizer

So, when should you use a fuel stabilizer? A good rule of thumb is to add it at least once a year, immediately before storing your boat for a long period of time. When a boat sits in a shed (or in a marina) for months on end, the fuel separate and chemical reactions will occur. Depending on the severity of these reactions, and duration in which the boat the boat remained idle, the fuel may spoil to the point where it’s no longer functional. Adding a fuel stabilizer will preserve the fuel so your boat is ready to crank.