Bad Gas! anybody ever have water condensation problems using Gas Caddy?

[northwestwater]

my boat wouldn't start one day so i had dealer come out and look at it. changed fuel pump. still nothing. they suspected bad fuel. they pumped out 30 gals of watery gas. i don't know how much water but the color of the fuel was cloudy. i use three 12 gal gas caddy's that i drag down to my dock. My dealer suspected it might be the gas caddies getting water in them somehow. i had noticed that towards the end of summer and going into fall my boat (409 hp) started running really rough so i think the water was building up slowly.

Has this ever happened to anybody? Or does anyone know anything about condensation issues with fuel?
I ask this because, i have a G23 on the way with the 550 and i don't want to ruin my brand new boat

[jasper]

Chances are slim that water slowly built up in your boat’s gas tank. Water is heavier than gas so it would hit the gas-pickup probe more easily than gas. A very small amount of water may make an engine run rough, but it can still be burned out. However water could slowly build in your gas caddy and then that larger amount could have been emptied into your boat tank causing the problem. This is the more likely scenario.

Consider where your gas caddies are stored and how they are stored. Particularly in very humid areas, some condensation can build up if the caddy is not full. Though I don’t know the design of your caddy, if the vent is compromised, rainwater or water from a sprinkler system can enter. Same holds true for the pump or spout.

Finally, consider where the gas you purchased came from. Some places can sell you bad gas, but that happens less and less with the tighter controls on underground tanks.

[northwestwater]

hey thanks a lot, Jasper. I really appreciate the info. i like to ride with the gas tank full so i will often leave one of the gas caddies by the dock. it probably is my sprinkler system. i try to close the vent well but, now that i know, i think i will just wait until it can take the whole tank rather than leave partial tanks by the dock. thanks a lot!!!

[shag]

Could it be an Ethanol fuel problem??

[TX-Foilhead]

Ethanol attracts water, gas just doesn't last as long as it used to so try not to let it sit. I seem to have the best luck if when the gas goes straight from the can to the boat and doesn't sit. I try to keep the boat full, but would rather have space in the boat than to have extra in a can that is sitting around, when that happens any thing in the can goes in something else.

[ES]

I read somewhere than gas with ethanol starts decaying after just 1 week, so I diligently use Stabil Marine each time I fill up my gas canisters. Perhaps this could prevent your issue in the future as well.