You’re literally burning money if you run premium in your outboard….

87 with a couple of non ethanol fill ups. Routine maintenance. Looking forward to next 1500 hours.

Edited to say pics won't upload. 1400+ hours and she works like a champ. We use walmart brand oil and we run her hard for tourneys and let her rest a little for prefishing. Fun fishing is always at cruise speed (35mph or so).

Maybe been lucky but additives only a time or 2.

Theres 3 Buccees around that have ethanol free, i try to swing by them when i can. I 35 on way to Denton, Ennis on 45, and I30 by Royce city.

A lot of the newer Murphy's/WalMart stations are selling ethanol-free gas now, too. Of course, Buc-ee's restrooms are cleaner...

Well, I've slept a bit since then but it definitely said do not run premium! The reason may have come from the dealer or the shop but I just ran regular in it. Only things done besides regular maintenance are several carb cleanings/rebuilds over the years, 2 power packs, a stator and rectifier, and changed the reeds 2 years ago. No telling ho many hours it has on it but it was used a lot and after the Skeeter it came on was worn out I kept it and hung it on a new Nitro in 1989. Now I run regular ethanol free in it and the Opti as much as possible with ring-free or equivalent and Mercury stabilizer...

I was told by a friend - Exxon Egr. - that all gas looses octane over time, and it's a pretty short time. Said if you are not going to be burning it out rather quickly, you may want to go with a higher level. If 87 is the motor's minimum, then unless you burn it out rather quickly, it will be below the minimum. I often don't run mine for 4 - 6 weeks at a time. If 87 lost 2 points, I'd be running 85 and risking the motor (detonation) with below spec fuel. The same is true to how long the fuel sits in the tank at the station before you buy it. Is it 2 weeks old already? There is the argument that the premium isn't turned over as quickly, but I was told they don't stock as much so it is as fresh. Plus, that expensive inventory to sit on.

I just ran an 08' 250 ProXS for 850 hrs on nothing but premium with no problems, and it had 125 psi in all holes when I sold it. My proof is in the numbers. I did the same with a 99' 225 EFI, and a 93' 150 XR6, and an 85' 150 XR2. They all ran great, and I piled up the hours on all of them. I'm planning on the same with this V8 250 ProXS. It may be just burning money, but it may be insurance. I do add the Mercury fuel treatment for ethanol as well.

But there is no proof in those numbers. It just means you never had a problem with those motors. I have a 2001 225efi that I have had since it was new. It has several thousand hours on it with zero problems. All I have ever used is 87 and never used a single drop of any snake oil additives. But that doesn't prove anything either except I have saved thousands of dollars on premium gas and additives