Let’s see, after 50 years of corrupt power politics to appease and make obscenely rich the military industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about in his famous ’50s speech, China and other countries through debt buying, soon will own more of the good old USA than we do.

The average American taxpayer is getting the shortest end of the stick he has ever tried to hold onto.

To add to this mess, a young man with virtually zero experience at running anything, and a career politician that speaks of another 100 years of war in the Middle East are both running for president while today, people in Michigan are standing in bread lines.

The stock market is on the brink of total collapse, but to add a bright spot of news to your day, “our” city decided to continue with their water and sewer fiasco to the tune of 17-grand per head. There go more people being forced out of their homes for a project that would never cost more than $5.000 to $10,000 per household anywhere else in the country.

I have more good and bad news to report today. The good news is fishing is great and it’s another beautiful day in Cape Coral. The bad news is the gas you are putting in your boat to go fishing is contaminated with the dreaded ETHANOL.

Yes, corn ethanol, another bad idea forced upon the American public under the guise of “taking care of the environment” to make some special interest groups and their lobbyist friends rich, can and will make your outboard motor very, very, sick. You must take special precautions to protect your expensive investment and that still may not be enough.

After reading an article in Florida Sportsman Magazine I thought I should pass this along to readers of the Breeze.



The facts: Like any boater or fisherman who loves water, so does ethanol. It attracts it like a magnet. It will destroy certain types of rubber hoses and gaskets in your motor and in some cases will eat a hole right through your onboard gas tanks causing an explosion, an event more than likely to ruin anyone’s fishing day.



More facts: Rubber hoses. Certain outboards use fuel hoses that are NOT compatible with ethanol (E-10). Unless your hoses are marked J-1527, you should replace them. That number means the hoses are okay to use with alcohol-mix fuel types.



Fuel tanks: If you have a fiberglass fuel tank in your boat you more than likely are in trouble. The compounds in ethanol will start to eat and dissolve these tanks and the mess that results will be carried into your motor and may (will) cause engine failure. Eventually it will eat through the tank and start spilling fuel into the bilge of your boat so you won’t need charcoal for your next onboard barbecue. Great!



More fuel tank fun: In all tanks ethanol is a solvent and will “clean” up years of fuel residue/gunk/dirt in those tanks, put it in suspension and then be pumped into your engine along with all the water that ethanol loves to attract.

Although the many different additives will help, they won’t remove accumulated water that probably is present. For now, your best bet is to have water separating filters and change them often. The type with the clear bowl on the bottom (Racor) is best so you can see what is going on in your tanks and what is going in your motor.

Don’t forget the small fuel filter under the hood/cowl, either. Check and change both, often.

Keeping your fuel tank full will help — let’s see, groceries or fill up the boat this week? –but some moisture still will get in because ethanol attracts it through your fuel vent. Be warned!



Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at captgeorget3@aol.com, or (239) 282-9434.