Boating USA — January 2018

34 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018

By Randy Vance

BOAT DOCTOR///BOATINGLAB

BL

BOATINGLAB

PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) JON WHITTLE, ZACH STOVALL

Chances are you’ll be browsing
marine-accessory catalogs and web-
sites this winter, since your boat will
still be on the forefront of your mind.
So, from the annals of BoatingLAB,
here are seven products, all leaders in
their respective categories, that you’ll
want to consider using while your boat
is laid up and you tinker with it in the
garage or boat barn. More importantly,
if you follow our links to BoatingLAB
online, you’ll fi nd the contenders each
of these products bested to earn a spot
in the pages before you. You might also
fi nd a close runner-up is more available
in your area or, for your own reasons,
more appropriate for your task.

For many years now,

BoatingLAB has been

testing and comparing

products for boaters and

reporting on their advan-

tages and disadvantages.

When there is a clear lead-

er in its fi eld, we tell you.

When products off er com-

parable effi cacy, we give

you the price advantage of

one over the other.

BEST OF

BOATING

LAB

Through extensive testing in
comparative challenges, we
bring you the best stuff all
boaters need.

FUEL STABILIZER

STA-BIL

360 MARINE

If you haven’t treated your

fuel for winter storage, you

might be sorry by spring.

Stale fuel can gum the in-

jectors and cost hundreds

of dollars in repairs when

taken out of storage in

the spring. Eagle’s Sta-Bil

360 replaces the original

marine formula and con-

tains more than four times

the fuel-system cleaner

than regular Sta-Bil, and

it’s formulated to protect

marine engines from

corrosion. This additive

prevents regular and

ethanol-blended fuel from

oxidizing while preventing

fuel-system corrosion and

gum and varnish forma-

tions in the fuel system. It

also keeps fuel injectors

and carburetors clean and

lubricated.

TESTING: We fi lled a

graduated cylinder with a

half-liter of fresh, regular

ethanol fuel, then added

water a milliliter at a time

until phase separation

caused the ethanol to

sink to the bottom in its

unburnable form. Then we

treated another half-liter

of fuel with Sta-Bil per the

directions and added wa-

ter until phase separation

occurred.

TOP OF ITS CLASS:All

of the additives we tested

doubled the capacity of

the fuel to hold water

before phase separation

occurred. Therefore, it

was Sta-Bil’s longevity

in the market (its parent

company was founded in

1932) and value that made

it number one.

$12.77 for 8 oz.;

sta-bil.com;

treats 80 gallons

Stabilization effective life:

2 years

More online: boatingmag

.com/gear/boatinglab-

tests-fuel-stabilizers

Ethanol kills

engines. Sta-Bil can

help save them.

Lucas

products

are race-

proven

to succeed.

LUCAS OIL MARINE

FUEL TREATMENT

Whether you run four-strokes or two-strokes, this concoction is touted to

improve the combustion inside your engine, reducing sooting and carbon

buildup. It also lubricates rings and fuel injectors for a longer useful life — a

benefi t of particular importance to direct-injected two-strokes. It contains

a fuel stabilizer for long-term fuel storage, making it an all-around, go-to

product ideal for marine fuel. More online: boatingmag.com/gear/boatinglab-

tests-windshield-restoration-products