[VRWCTexan]

It's now been documented that ethanol blends eat away at the fiberglass fuel tanks found in many older boats - and cause a nasty "gunk" that fouls and destroys the engines

[kinoxi]

That's unfortunate. I did not know this. Do you have a link?

[TheBattman]

Fiberglass fuel tanks? Every major boat manufacturer I know uses metal or plastic, particularly bassboat makers. Aluminum is the primary metal used, and I don't know of any reaction of ethanol and aluminum.

Gasoline (without ethanol) eaths fiberglass as well -just look at the gas-full cap area of a boat owned by a lazy-slob owner. They slop gas all over the top rail and side - and you can tell, as that often shows the first signs of damage from the fuel (and this has been going on for decades, even before ethanol blended fuels). Gasoline eats or damages MANY surfaces with or without alcohols.

[Cagey]

"It's now been documented that ethanol blends eat away at the fiberglass fuel tanks found in many older boats - and cause a nasty "gunk" that fouls and destroys the engines"

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That seems to be precisely the problem I've been reading about. And, many not so older boats have fiberglass fuel tanks. It's been a big topic of discussion on boating forums and in boating magazines.

This forum has plenty of threads about ethanol in marine fuel tanks.

The Hull Truth:
http://www.thehulltruth.com/category-view.asp