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What a cool boat! Hope it serves you well.

I found a gallon of Seafoam that is probably four years old. I remember buying two or three of these when they were on sale real cheap. This one got pushed behind something and 'hidden.' Still good? I don't see any 'use by' date but I didn't expect to see anything. Was in the garage... in the storage period, a low of 0*F and a high of 112*F. EDIT: I found the answer... I guess it's good! https://seafoamworks.com/questions-and-answers/what-is-the-shelf-life-for-sea-foam-motor-treatment-solved/

I just went to Walmart and bought another 27 EverStart battery and also a lawn mower battery. A guy was there who rolled in with two used 29 EverStart batteries for his cores and I noticed the battery date tag said 2/17. I asked "Uh... did you get seven years out of those batteries?" He said "Yep, sure did!" So, that is amazing. An example of the EverStart doing well. He said he did keep them charged with his onboard charger.

Ok, good news for my brother and me. The store we have been buying e-free gas from for many years that I mentioned above... that I didn't know their price because I have not gone that way... I called them and yippee, their price is still best around. They only sell e-free gas, they have 87, 89 and 91 or so octane e-free. It seems that we have done fine over the years just buying 87 octane e-free gas. Their price is $3.59. The price at a store about 2 miles from them, for e10 87 octane is $2.90. So, our store has not changed their e-free pricing. To recap, the new convenience store that I mentioned that is in the other direction, their price is $4.09 for e-free; the store I stopped at in yet another direction the other day is the one that had the sky high (to me) $4.69. And they have never been anywhere close to that high. This store that has the $3.59 for e-free, they only sell e-free and it is the only gas station in that small town. So, anyone there, if they want gas locally even for their car/truck they will be buying e-free, and they would panic if they had to pay over $4.00, much less $4.69! So, I am assuming that his helps to keep their pricing 'reasonable' for e-free, since the general market there is filling up their cars and trucks with their gas. I don't recall ever seeing any store other than this small town store around here that sells three grades of e-free. When I go there, I always fill up several 5-gal cans. I used to fish that direction and I would fill up my boat but I don't fish that lake anymore, so, I am going to have to take even more 5-gal cans! Big difference between $3.59 and $4.69! (Although, I could buy it for $4.09 at the new convenience store that is in the direction I drive to fish.) 'Tis interesting to note prices in other parts of the country.

So, responding to your post, is demand in 2024 a lot less than two, five, ten years ago? Because the prices I quoted are definitely WAY higher than before. I have no idea why this is but a possibility is that "they" (these two sellers, anyway) have decided that they CAN charge it, so, they are. I suppose that there is also a possibility that demand for e-free HAS, in fact, decreased. The period, say, 5-10 years ago, even before that, people using small engines were being taught that ethanol is a disaster for their motors, but then didn't a lot of manufacturers change their fuel lines and gaskets and such so that ethanol would not be such a problem? Could be that the public is no longer as worried about ethanol. I wonder what percentage of boat owners use e-free? My boats have never seen ethanol but I wonder if I'm in the minority. I also have no idea what the percentage of e-free gas sales are for small engines and how much are for boaters. I also don't know the percentage of buyers buying for a car or truck.

I am shocked, have no explanation. My brother was telling me about a new convenience store on the interstate 12 miles away that sells Exxon. The good news was that they sell non-ethanol gas. Yippee! Then he told me the price. Regular e10 gas was $279 and non-ethanol was $4.09. I remarked that the e-free gas price is terrible, that we could buy it way cheaper at our favorite spot in the other direction from our town. (I now need to go to that store and see what the price is but it's a direction I don't normally go.) Little did I know... the next day I went yet another direction and went by the convenience store I have often bought e-free gas and it's always been a decent price relative to other stations. Not this time. Regular e10 gas was $279 and non-ethanol was $4.69. That is four-sixty-nine! What! FWIW and for reference, I think premium e10 gas was also $4.69. Why the heck would it be this high? That is almost $2.00 higher than e10 gas. On a percentage basis, 68% higher. That seems nuts. Seems like when we first started buying e-free gas, it was, like, 10% higher. I did a google search and found nothing that listed a price chart that also listed non-ethanol. Are you experiencing such a difference? I need to contact whomever agency that controls such a thing and gripe! Or is it the free market 100% at work? There oughta be a law, lol!

That is precisely what I was wondering... might it be dual purpose. I also just scrutinized it further, the battery label atop says 109 amp hours.

I'll add... my Humminbird fish finder has a glitch where it will display normally and every so often, a couple or few minutes, its scrolling slows to a crawl or it stops, and then it'll kick off again after a minute or so and it does this pretty much all the time now. So, maybe it is interference? Just thought of something... when I next have someone else with me, I could have him run the troll motor and I could view the console Humminbird 9 and if it does not screw up, I could ascertain that the Yamaha motor is generating interference with the Humminbird. I don't know how to solve that, lol, but a separate battery might? I would think fish finders don't need much of a battery. I have a Humminbird Helix 7 and a 9, 2019 models.

Thanks for your info. This battery I bought, I was using it to crank a 2019 115hp Yamaha 4-stroke and it's working fine, lol. But, this motor, you just touch the key, and the Yamaha fires up! This cranking battery setup is such that a lot of electronic gizmos are attached to this battery. Isn't that common to have the cranking battery do double duty? I guess some would have a 3rd battery? But I'd rather not do that. I have live well pumps, aerators, bilge pumps, 2 Hummingbird graphs.

If that's the case, then I could use that as one of the trolling motors for the Fortrex 80 lbs thrust trolling motor. And buy another just like it. Or, I could use it in a smaller boat I have that uses just one 12v trolling motor battery for a 45-lb thrust motor. And, if that's the case, I need to buy a cranking battery! Based on what you said, this confuses me even more, since the battery I bought, I bought it thinking it is a cranking battery since it says 750MCA (marine cranking amps).

As I age, I get dumber. I have confused myself. I bought a Walmart battery, thinking it is a cranking battery. All the markings... EverStart marine Deep Cycle Power Group size 27DC 750MCA edit: also says 109 amp hours I thought that 750MCA means "marine cranking amps," so, that indicates it's a cranking battery. Which is what I wanted. Is it that or is it for a trolling motor? Other than that, now I need trolling motor batteries for a MinnKota Fortrex 80 lbs thrust trolling motor. I read where I need Group Size 27 and 110 amp-hours. What markings am I looking for in choosing a trolling motor battery? Marine, deep cycle, yes. Are they marked with 110 amps or whatever? Looking at various websites, am confused! I have a local feedstore that has batteries (Powertron... I know nothing of this brand), and reasonably close, I can think of Walmart, Academy, BassProShops, Auto parts stores and an Interstate distributor/dealer. What do you know? Is there any you brand/model you prefer? I notice that the Walmart EverStart marine battery I bought says "1 yr warranty." Is that all? lol. I figured it would be longer, prorated. EDIT: The 17ft eXpress boat it's going into... the former owner bought the boat new with Optima blue-top batteries, dated May 2020. One battery charges up over 12v but one only charged to not quite 6v. Based on that sticker, they would be 4 years old in about two months.

I found the culprit -- bilge pump. It didn't make sense to me that during the sound, I could activate the lift with the manual switch. If something is calling the lift, why wouldn't it go up or down was my thought. So... I felt of the bilge pumps and one is vibrating during the buzz, so, I assume that it is that motor. Anyone have an idea why this would be occurring with the bilge pump? Do they do this when they are failing? There isn't any water in the boat. Well, very, very little. Almost none. Sidenote... there are several wires hooked up to the cranking battery. I happened to look into that mess and saw a loose wire that was not connected. However, it was not the bilge pump wire. I found the bilge pump wire and disconnected it. The unconnected wire, now connected, I will have to figure out what that is. Maybe it is the jackplate. I will go see. (Boat is next door.)

EDIT: 2: See my 2nd post below. Seems to be the bilge pump. EDIT: It's not the bilge or livewell pump, it's rear of the stern... it's the motor... or... I forgot there is a Talon stick anchor back there. But I activated the Talon and it doesn't make the sound this is making. I think it is the lift. But once, I figure out what it is, what would one do about this? Any idea why the lift would 'want' to activate? There is also a jackplate lift; I could not get it to raise/lower. Unsure if it needs the switchbank on, but I did turn it on to try. I've not used the jackplate lift in couple of years. = Yamaha 115hp Vmax SHO... boat is less than 5 years old. I fished yesterday, first day after winter storage. Everything fine but now with boat on trailer, I keep hearing a buzzing sound. It seems to be the hydraulic lift that tilts the motor. It comes off and on and makes this sound for 20-30 seconds. THEN IT'S OFF FOR SEVERAL TO MANY MINUTES. I dunno what it is other than that but it's possible it's a bilge pump? I have hearing loss, kind of hard for me to tell what it is or where it's coming from. I first noticed it last night and I poked around on the lift button and it went away and I thought that was it but this morning, it's still doing it, so, it might have done it all night! It's like it's trying to activate something, not necessarily a buzz. I also have pumps into the live wells but it sounds like it's in the back of the boat. Cranking motor has good charge. I ran down the trolling motors batteries pretty good, they may be at EOL. But I am not sure there is anything on the trolling batteries other than the trolling motor. Bought boat 2nd hand 3 years ago.

That might be a good solution except getting it to stick... on the 40hp Tracker/Mercury... the line itself is small. Whatever the critter is, again, it has to be able to fit into an ID the size of weedwhacker line. Another example is the red tube that comes on a WD40 can... that tube stuck perfectly up inside the water telltale line. I am not aware of any dirt/mud dauber that small, maybe there is one. But ants could sure do it. Ants are driving me nuts right now inside my house; we are in a 2-months-long heatwave from hell. Might set records for days over 100. So, it is dry, and it seems ants come into my house in a drought.

Why does it matter if I ask if anyone knows what critter does it? Love nature, simply curious. I have never seen any dirt dauber so small it could fit in a hole the size of weedwhacker line and would love to know what critter does it. You guys sure seem uptight.