Local boat engine mechanic issues summer fuel warning

Fargo, North Dakota – This summer, a local boat engine mechanic is advising boat owners to be cautious of the fuel that is being supplied at service stations.

“E-10 and ethanol itself is a very good solvent so if you leave it sitting in a plastic gas tank or a fiberglass gas tank, anything like that, it will slowly eat away at that plastic,” said Wyatt Schempp at KRK Marine & Powersports in Moorhead.

Schempp made these remarks in response to the news that ethanol-blended gas will be legal to purchase at gas stations starting this summer, which was disclosed by the EPA the previous week.

This is a response to the disruptions in the gas market caused by the conflict in Ukraine.

In most places, the sale of fuel that contains ethanol is prohibited during the warm summer months.

Schempp is issuing a caution to those who operate boats to steer clear of using blended fuel due to the potential damage it poses to engines.