Boaters Warn E15 Ethanol Gas Can Damage Marine Engines, Push for Clearer Pump Labels

E15, a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol, is approved for many cars and trucks. It is not approved for boats, according to David Kennedy, writing in The Hill.

Kennedy says using higher ethanol blends in a boat can damage fuel systems, create performance problems, increase safety risks, and even void warranties. That's a costly combination for anyone who fills up a boat the way they'd fill up a car.

Kennedy argues that clearer labeling at the pump could have saved him the expense and the time lost on the water. He frames his account as a warning for policymakers to inform their constituents of the potential risks to their boats as E15 becomes more widely available.

The problem, as Kennedy describes it, is that a fuel blend built for cars and trucks doesn't automatically work for marine engines, and pump signage doesn't necessarily make that distinction clear to the person standing at the pump with a boat to fuel up. Nobody disputes that E15 works in the vehicles it's approved for. The concern Kennedy raises is narrower: whether current labeling does enough to stop boat owners from accidentally fueling up with something that can wreck their engine.

This is one boat owner's account and argument, published as opinion in The Hill, not a government finding or a announced regulatory action. But the underlying point is straightforward: as E15 becomes more widely available, Kennedy wants policymakers to make sure boaters actually understand which fuel goes in which engine before more of it reaches the pump.