Ethanol + fiberglass fuel tanks

[Challenger1]

I have a 1973 Challenger jet boat with a Jacuzzi jet pump. Having trouble lately with the 455 Olds running rough. Has anyone heard about 10% ethanol in gas dissolving the fiberglass resin in the fuel tanks and eventually causing fuel tank leaks and destroyed engine valves? Do I need to fabricate aluminum or plastic tanks and replace the old fiberglass tanks? Thanks.

[charmc]

There is extensive anecdotal evidence that ethanol will dissolve epoxy and polyester resins, causing contamination of the fuel and engine problems ranging from rough running to valve and/or piston damage.

Use the forum search mode for "ethanol" and variations to find some threads discussing frp tank damage. Searching through Google or similar will also turn up a number of discussions and links to documentation of the problem. Unfortunately, so long as there are ethanol/gasoline blends, the only cure seems to be tank replacement.

[ondarvr]

There's no way of knowing why your motor is running poorly without further investigation, so saying it's definitely the tank is not possible.

There's also no way of knowing what type of resin your fuel tank is made from either. Some types of resin will hold up much better than others, so it could be fine, or it could be falling apart. With a boat that old I'd replace it if I had even the slightest concern about it's condition.