Ethanol Fuel In My Jet Boat?

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS BY MAY 1 '06 ALL GASOLINE SOLD WILL BE 10% ETHANOL, AND IT'S ALREADY STARTED AT MY LOCAL STATION!
QUESTION.
IF THIS STUFF IS SO ADVERSLY EFFECTED BY WATER, SHOULD WE USE THAT STAR BRITE STARTRON ENZYME FUEL TREATMENT BEFORE EVERY FILL UP?
A HEAVY HITTER FROM A BOAT BUILDER IN CONN. SAYS HIS STATE SWITCHED LAST YEAR IN HIS STATE AND IT IS A PAIN IN THE A!!. HE SAYS PUT A QUART OF ETHINOL FUEL IN A CLEAR CONTAINER LET IT SETTLE FOR 30 MINUTES, DROP A DROPPER FULL OF WATER IN IT AND WATCH THE ETHINOL FALL RIGHT OUT OF IT! AND THE KICKER IS THAT WHEN IT COMES OUT OF SOLUTION, IT IS NO GOOD BECAUSE THE ENGINE CAN'T BURN IT.
ANY TEHCIES OUT THERE OR ANY FRIENDS OF THE BOARDS THAT CAN SHED ANY LIGHT ON WHAT TO DO? FOR OUR GAS DOCK HERE AT THE MARINA WE HAD TO SWITCH TO ETHANOL FUEL FILTERS, WILL THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN IN BOATS? I CALLED WIX AND THEY SAID THEIR FUEL FILTERS ARE GOOD FOR A MAX OF 15% ETHANOL. ANYONE'S $.02 WOULD BE GREAT...BILL. :)

[kp216]

The 10% ethanol blend is fine. If your engine will run on 87 octane regular unleaded, it will run just fine on 89 octane 10% ethanol blend with no changes. I've been running it in my boat since I bought it 5 years ago.
I've never had a problem with water either. If you think you have water in your gas tank, you put a bottle or two of Heet in there right? That's because the alcohol in Heet (methanol) absorbs the water and allows your engine to burn it.
Running E-85, now that's a different story, but I'm still considering changing over to it.

[sleekcrafter]

As KP216 said, we have had it for 15 years now. Not a great power maker, and milage suffers, but no problems running it for 10 years now in the boat.
Sleek

[berk]

it is my belief that if your engine is running at or close to the performance edge in terms of compression or timing it is a dangerous fuel. detonation could be the result of this inferior fuel. i try not to buy fuel for the boat in these winter months. also through my research chevron is the best fuel.

[Jspeeddemon]

I am not following the logic that if the engine is running close to detonation this wouldn't be a good fuel, since alcohol has a very high octane rating. You may need to richen the carb up a little though, to compensate for the fact 10% of the fuel requires a double mix. 110% of the jet size you have now should put it real close, pi r squared of the drill size.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

There's been 10% ethanol blend arround here for a decade as well, and I have, from time to time, run it in everything from bikes to cars & trucks to the boat with no problem. If you are buying a certain octane level, the ethanol blend still has to test to that octane level (89 is still 89, 91 is still 91, ethanol additive or not). Now, back in the early days of the blend it was really hard on fuel system gaskets/seals/diaphrams, mostly as the parts were not ready for it and occasionally the mixture controll could get off to the high side. These days fuel system parts ignore it.