More Complaints About 10% Ethanol gas

[Sea Hunt]

Hello "Captain Lang":

I just looked at your website or blog. I am not computer literate so not sure what it is called. Very, very nice. S/V Eleanor is a very pretty Typhoon Weekender. I would be interested to learn how S/V Eleanor got to Singapore and/or Malaysia. I tried researching this on your website but, like I said, I am "computer challenged" to be polite.

It may well be true that your O/B is clogging up with particles that are in solution in the gas and then, when left for a long period of time they come out of solution and clog the jets. The ethanol in gas (here in the U.S.) helps to dissolve just about everything it comes in contact with - especially plastic and rubber parts. These particles of plastic and rubber then clog the fuel system. The ethanol just makes it worse.

One thing you can do to minimize your problem is to run your engine bone dry after each sail. I am not sure if your 5 hp Suzuki has a small onboard fuel tank and a nozzle/line for an external fuel tank (like my 6 hp Suzuki) or if your O/B has only a line for an external tank. Here in U.S., Suzuki only sells DF 2.5, DF 4 and DF 6. I do not think Suzuki sells a DF 5 in U.S.

Try this procedure. At the end of your sail, if you have and are using your onboard tank, switch the spigot knob to external tank and run the O/B until it burns up the gas in the fuel line, etc. This should take about 4-5 minutes at low RPMs.

If using an external tank, turn the motor off, disconnect the tank fuel line from the O/B, restart the O/B and run the O/B until it burns up the gas in the fuel line, etc. Again, about 4-5 minutes. In this way, you are helping to keep the fuel lines (and carburetor) cleaner, dryer, and not allowing particulate in the fuel to easily come out of solution, dry and clog the jet(s).

This may help a little. If not, it appears you have designed and built an excellent sculling oar for S/V Eleanor.

[mgphl52]

In 2008 we turned 34% of the corn crop (124 million metric tons) into ethanol. This displaced 2 and a half percent of our oil use. Unfortunately, the 10% ethanol also produced 3% fewer miles per gallon. Here's to a better 2010.

And that doesn't include the energy wasted to produce ethanol in the first place...

[Duncan]

...I wish I had the skill to sail back to my mooring. Unfortunately, I do not yet have those skills and the mooring balls (and sailboats) are so close to each other that one misstep and I would damage another's sailboat (not to mention the damage to my beloved S/V Tadpole).

You might try coming up beside the mooring, and grab the pennant from the cockpit. Once you have the pennant, you just walk it up to the bow. This keeps a singlehander under control the whole time.

It's much easier than attempting a pin-point approach, then racing to the bow before the boat falls away.

[marv brinn]

I checked my numbers and ethanol produces 60000 btu /caron factor. while regular gas can be considered to be proporional to critical mass of pastrami..hence major divistions of meson particals can be seen shorteining the c/v2 ratio.... if we accept that the quantum theory and the newtoinian stuff do not jive then Einstein was right......(does he have any surviving relatives?)
well the bottom line is sail the darn thing and dont worry about analysing the gas of a flea

[Oswego John]

Captain Marv Brinn,

I salute you . That was an exquisite, profound work of science that you were good enough to share with the rest of us humble esnes. I predict that in short order, you will be asked for permission to hang the fruit of your talent and genius for breakthroughs in physical science to be hung in the Smithsonian Halls of Advanced Science for all of mankind to ooh and ahh when reading your profundity.
You are truly an amazing person.

In addressing your query concerning any heirs of Einstein. I am proud to be the bearer of good news in regard to this matter. There may be other siblings scattered through the countryside, however there is one grandson (I think) who resides here in Camelot, the beautiful city of Oswego, NY.

This heir is the product of a mixed marriage so I don't delve too deeply into the details. What I can say with certainty is that his name is Shamus Rocco Vladimir Einstein. He tries to disassociate himself from the scientific world so he became the town barber.

Unfortunately, he is not doing too well in business. His ancestral background is causing a hangup in his profession. He insists on cutting only one hair at a time. After perfecting this hair, only then will he advance to the next adjacent one. That gives me an idea. Maybe this week or next, whenever I can find five or six hours to kill, maybe I'll go down to see Vlad, (he is fondly called by his nickname, The Impaler) and get a haircut.

Yes, it will be good to see my old friend again.

Take care, Marv.
O J