water in gas

i've got a 13 gallon tank which fits perfectly, facing the rear of the boat, to the right of the ob. anyway, i was motoring back from fishing bay(on the chesapeake) to the york river and just as i entered the back chanel into wormley creek, the motor died. i pulled and pulled to try to restart it with no luck. i skulled to a good anchoring spot and waited about an hour to try to restart it. this time it sounded like it turned over but still didn't start. the next morning it started but only ran long enough to get me back in the york. long story short---i tried a perfectly good 4hp motor on the same fuel with the low power/stall almost any time result.
i drained all the fuel out of the tank(8g). 6 of it was fresh w/oil. will the water stay separate? how do i reuse it?how do ob's act when water is in the fuel?

I believe there is a product sold that addresses water in the fuel. Somewhere in my past I remember someone adding alchol to the fuel which mixes with the water AND the fuel...that sounds like alchemy booboomiser.

cars use a product called "HEET". basically corn alcohol which somehow grabs the water, and allows it to be mixed into the fuel, evenly. i think that if the water is run through the system a little bit at a time, with more than sufficient cumbustable material (instead of as one big gulp of water with no gas), it goes out the exhaust as steam with no problem.
could be worth a shot.

I've put the question of using dry gas type products to eliminate water problems to two people and have received the same answer from both. Don't use dry gas in a 2 stroke outboard as it interferes with the lubrication of the oil/gas mix.

One guy is pretty engine savvy and the other was a counter man at a marine hardware store / tohatsu dealer.

So I'd suggest seeking further for an answer before dumping in the alcohol to dry up the water.



Russ

Twice in the last couple weeks I was reminded the the utility of a smallish glass container (at least 1/2 a gallon) for diagnosing fuel problems.


Pour the suspect fuel into the glass container and allow it to settle. The water will float to the bottom and you can see if it is a problem. Alcohol fuels willtake slightly longer to settle, but it works ok for them too.


in a pinch where you really need the fuel, you can slowly pour the gas back into a jerry jug one container at a time stopping before you pour any water.


Things like stp gas treatment and 'heet' will make it hard to get the water to settle. It will take a long time, and may not work on the boat.... but worth carrying at least one glass bottle / jar (preferably clear) onboard for the purpose.