I have a 93 skeeter with a 200 merc.  It has been stalling out and the other day I had to get towed in from five miles out on Lake St. Clair.  I took it to a mechanic and they said I have water in my gas.  How can water get in and how would the mechanic tell if there is water in my gas.  Would water in gas cause a motor to stall out consistantly.

Thanks,

Jenga

Water in your gas would make it stall. How it gets in there is from condensation.

Gas has up to 10% Ethenol in it. Ethenol attracts water. When your tank sits part way to all the way empty, the empty void gets condensation and that is the primary way your water in the gas comes from.

You should be using some type of fuel stabilizer like Sta-bil, Startron, or SeaFoam in your gas to combat this.

Mechanics can check to see if there is water in your gas. The good news is, this is an easy fix!

Put only enough gas in your tanks that you will use each time out plus alittle extra for a reserve and put the fuel stabilizer in it, or fill your tank and top it off each time you are done on the water and also include the fuel stabilizer of your choice.

But YES, water in your fuel will cause your engine to stall.

I hope this helps!

Thanks, I filled it up about three weeks ago and didnt fish for 2 wks.  So I am assuming that it must of been from condensation.  Now I know if I have this problem again to put sabilizer in.

Thanks,

Jenga

Many if not all marina's have gas without ethanol. It is more expensive but I use gas from a marina just to eliminate the ethanol issues.

Water will not only cause it to stall, it can cause engine failure. If you do not have a water seperator system installed on the boat you might want to think about putting one on it. Reguardless of what a station tells me about the gas they distribute, I always run a fuel stablizer.

Without a test kit and knowing how to check the gas for ethanol, it's a crap shoot whether you do or do not have the ethanol mixture in the fuel they are selling.

Thanks, I filled it up about three weeks ago and didnt fish for 2 wks. So I am assuming that it must of been from condensation. Now I know if I have this problem again to put sabilizer in.

Thanks,

Jenga

Always use a fuel stabilizer. It is cheap insurance.

Thanks, I filled it up about three weeks ago and didnt fish for 2 wks. So I am assuming that it must of been from condensation. Now I know if I have this problem again to put sabilizer in.

Thanks,

Jenga

Always use a fuel stabilizer. It is cheap insurance.

If you are planning to run the fuel you have in your tank, you need to treat it along with any additional fuel you add. You allready know there is water in the tank, so get it treated before you try to run the boat.

So my mechanic said there was over a half gallon of water in the tank.  he said that it probably came in from my air vent on the side of my boat.  I have never heard of this happening but maybe it can.  If this happens then what can I do to prevent water coming in from the vent.

Thanks,

Jenga

Sounds like BS to me. Not possible to get anywhere near that much water through a vent tube unless the boat was under water. Might want to get another opinion. I'll vote for the quality of today's gas, condensation, and lack of maintenance, water seperator, and fuel treatment.

Skeeter does a good job rigging the boats and would be very aware if they had a problem like that.

It is possible, but probably unlikely.  When you come off plane, does your follow-on wake swamp up to or over your vent cap?  If so, it's possible.

It's possible if your boat sits outside that rain could have gotten in thru your vent.

Does your vent have the cap over it?  If so, I would close it after you are done on the lake.

I would lean towards condensation, but that is alot of water.  

Hopefully your mechanic drained your fuel for you.  I would HIGHLY recommend with each time you put gas in your tanks to put a fuel stabilizer in with it.

Glad to hear your engine isn't worse for wear and you can be back on the water quickly!