without getting into a giant discussion concerning fuel:
stabli in the tank - you need it.let me give you a little information,i own and operate a marine repair facility - i winterize and store approx 40-45 boats every season - i have never had a problem with water in the fuel.water in the fuel isn't caused by fuel with ethanol - some would like to argue that point.water in the fuel is the result of either a problem in the fuel system - fill plate leaking,vent problem,or the tank itself - or containated fuel.if you've got a problem with water in the fuel,you need to find the source of that water.
winterizing an outboard: 2 stroke
i use a remote fuel tank,it has a mix of 5g fuel and 1 gallon outboard oil,and a shot of stabil - i disconnect the fuel line at the primer ball,connect my tank,run the engine on"ear muffs",with my salt a way flush kit,till it's at noraml operating temp,the engine will smoke - i stall the engine out,by running it on the choke-carb'd engines,efi engines,just shut it down...perform a compression tets-prior to connecting the fuel and running the engine...
pull the prop,service the gear case,lube all the fittings,reinstall the wheel,rinse the powerhead in CRC,or lear research corrosion block spray - these are the only 2 products i'm aware of that actually neutralize salt - WD 40,is useless - kinda like peeing on a forest fire...
doing it in this manner,it assures everything has a coating of oil - carbs-here - the fuel evaporates,but the oil won't,everything is coated,and will remain so,avoiding any problems in the carbs.i will not run carb'd engines out of fuel - that's a bad move...
