Prime and bottom painting on a 210???

[PAX]

Hi Dick,

I called the service dept. at my dealer today to talk about getting my 210 ready in the next weeks. As we were going down the list of things to do she said that I needed prime and bottom painting. I argued with her about priming and painting a Triumph but she replied "we do it all the time". What I am missing here? Why would you prime and paint a plastic boat? Unless she made the assumption that the boat stays in the water the all season. This is my first spring launch (bought the boat last year) so I can use so help. Your input would be valued.

We also talked about the new 10% Ethanol reg. up here in MA. Any advice on what to do on a Suzuki 140 4s to get ready for the Ethanol?

Thanks,

Patrick

[jergofish]

Patrick,

If you don't keep your boat in the water, you're right, you don't need bottom paint. If, on the other hand, you do and there's a history of bottoms fouling in the area with either weed or barnacle growth, you need bottom paint.

[BuckShot]

I just painted the bottom of my boat and followed the instructions from Triumph. I sanded the bottom with 80 grit sand paper then flame treated the hull. After that wiped down the hull with 3M 94 primer and then painted the bottom.

I posted a few pictures of the job in the 210 photo gallery.


the following is from Burr Brothers marine abot the Ethanol mix:
NEWLY REFORMULATED GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUELS
We will all be using a different gas in our engines this summer, per order of the Federal government. There is a concern that the new fuel may be trouble for marine engines. Here is what we at Burr Bros Boats have gathered, put together by our head mechanic, Dan Crete. This is our best information at this time, but since we have had no first hand experience with this newly reformulated gasoline, we cannot make representations or warranties concerning its effectiveness. We will update you as we learn more, and do not hesitate to ask questions.

On or about March 15th 2006 all gasoline available from our local fuel distribution terminals was changed to an ethanol blend gasoline, or E10. E10 is a blend of 10% ethanol and gasoline. Since 1990 the government has mandated the use of oxygenated fuels to reduce the amount of CO emission into the atmosphere. Congress had previously mandated the use of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) as this oxygenate. This legislation expires in May 2006. MTBE is a known carcinogen and is also a ground water contaminant. Congressnew energy bill now mandates the use of ethanol as the oxygenate to be used. Ethanol is a more environmentally friendly product, an alcohol based product produced from corn.

What effect will this change have on us? You have been purchasing E10 since mid March 2006 at all of our local gas stations. E10 is widely used in the Midwest and has been in the NY/CT market since the summer of 2005. The use of E10 in your car should have no real effect on its operation. The use of E10 in the marine market place will cause us to take some precautions.

To the best of our knowledge, ethanol, being an alcohol-based product, is quite different from MTBE as it is an ether-based product. MTBE reacts quite differently with water than ethanol. First off, the two fuel blends should not be mixed during our transition from MTBE to E10. We will get to more on this as we go on.

Ethanol is sort of a double-edged sword when it comes to its ability to mix with water. E10 can hold up to four teaspoons of water in solution per gallon. MTBE could hold only .15 teaspoons of water in solution per gallon. This is good, as it will allow your engine to burn water that finds its way into your fuel tank up to this 4-teaspoon per gallon limit. The problem comes when we get beyond this limit. As was the case with MTBE fuel, E10 also will phase separatewhen we get beyond the saturation point. Phase separation is when the gasoline and water actually separate and the gas floats on top of the water. With MTBE you could simply pump the water out from under the fuel or let your filters remove it and burn the gas left behind. With E10, once phase separation takes place the ethanol gets pulled out of the gasoline and stays with the water, leaving behind a tank full of bad gas floating on top of the water. Unfortunately the gas must then be disposed of and cannot be burned in your engine.

Ethanol is also a solvent. This means that it tends to clean any dirt or contaminants it comes into contact with. What this means for us, is any dirt currently in your fuel system will be mixed into solution and scrubbed out by you boats fuel filters. Yes, we will be changing a lot of fuel filters this summer.

Fortunately, we can draw on the experience of fellow boaters and boatyards in the NY/CT areas from their 2005 seasons lessons learned with E10. Burr Bros. first precaution is to be sure our fuel delivery system is up to spec for dispensing E10. We now have several hundred gallons of MTBE fuel in our tank. This will be sold off before we have any E10 delivered. On April 17th we will have our tank cleaned to be ready for our first E10 delivery. We also will be installing new water separating fuel filters that will be checked weekly. Another precaution will be to dip our tank to check for water contamination as part of our daily fuel system check. These precautions will ensure the product you receive from Burr Bros will be of the highest quality possible.

It seems that blending MTBE gasoline and E10 causes some problems such as severe filter deterioration and clogging. It is therefore Burr Bros recommendation that you run your current load of MTBE fuel down as low as possible before taking on any E10. This should be a seamless transition from what we have learned from our NY/CT counterparts. The trick with this is not to take on any MTBE fuel at another location that has not yet sold off all of their MTBE fuel. This was a huge problem in CT as people would get E10 in CT and then fill up with MTBE fuel in RI last summer. We should not have too much trouble, as any deliveries a marina gets now will be E10. It could be a problem early on as marinas make the transition over to E10. Another potential problem with this will be trailerable boats that buy gas at roadside stations. The fuel your boat contained when it was winterized last fall was MTBE fuel. So do not top off your tank at the local gas station until you have run the MTBE fuel out of your boat.

The shelf life of E10 is only 60-90 days. What this means is it will start to break down over time and leave deposits in your fuel system. It will also lose its volatility very quickly. What we recommend is that you run a NON-ALCHOL based fuel stabilizer in your fuel all the time. The reason we are recommending a non-alcohol based stabilizer is we dont want to add even more alcohol to the fuel. There are several good petroleum based products on the market.

Another characteristic of E10 is its ability to absorb water. E10s alcohol base allows it to absorb water directly from the atmosphere through your boat tanks open vent system. In just 100 days at 70% humidity, E10 can absorb enough water to reach its phase separation point just sitting in the tank. In other words, use up your fuel as quickly as you can. Try to plan on turning the fuel over as quickly as possible by running the tank low before any extended periods of non-use. Then fill up just before your next trip out. We dont want E10 fuel to sit unused for any extended period of time.

Burr Bros will be stocking extra fuel filters and conditioner to deal with all of the issues we anticipate we will incur. The following are a list of informational points that may help to answer any questions and let you know of any precautions we feel you should take.

·Do not mix MTBE fuel with E10 fuel
·Keep water out of your fuel tank
·Run a non-alcohol based fuel stabilizer additive at all times.
·The more you use your boat the less likely you are to have problems, dont leave large loads of fuel in the boat for any lengthy periods of time
·There is approximately 5-8% less btus in E10 (less power per gallon)
·Have a good water separating fuel filter installed if you dont already have one
·Keep several spare filters on board, and the means to change them. A kit in a sealable bucket (that will seal up old filters and gas for safety) with the correct tool to change your filter, and spare filters. E10 fuel will clean your fuel system and consequently clog filters early on after the change over.
·E10 is a solvent that will attack pre 1985 fiberglass resins. If your older boat has fiberglass fuel tanks, serious precautions need to be discussed. Bertram, Tripp Angler, and Hatteras are some boats with fiberglass fuel tanks that will need attention. Generally they will need to be replaced.
·Replace your older weather faded plastic portable gas tanks with new tanks.
·Be aware of potential points of water intrusion into fuel tanks. Check deck fill cap o-rings, fuel vents, ask marinas if they dip their tanks for water.
·Ask Marinas if they have made the switch to E10 fuel when buying fuel.
·Rubber fuel lines older than the mid to late eighties may need to be replaced
·Dont be afraid to ask questions, of Burr Bros or anyone whom you are buying fuel from.
·If you have older carbureted engines you may want to inquire about some special precautions.
·Dont panic this is not as bad as it sounds