Fuel sensor gasket/E 10

[5th Tuition]

Every time I went down in the cabin of my boat this season, there was a faint smell of gasoline. You know how it goes, first I thought it was because the boat was shrinkwrapped all winter with a full tank, and the tank may have been too full and the gas smell was coming from the overflow. Next time I used the boat, still full tank, thought it might be from trailering with a full tank. Next time, knowing the tank was no longer full, I knew I had a problem.
Took the deck plate off over the tank and saw the fuel sensor gasket was deteriorating. You could put a screwdriver to it and push it all around. I called ED MILLER and asked him about the problem. He said the gasket is a standard size and can be bought at West Marine and it is a simple DIY job. I bought the gasket for about 5 bucks and looked at the situation.
My biggest fear was that when I removed the sensor, pieces of the gasket would fall into the tank and then I would have to have my tank cleaned.
So I trailered my boat over to my dealer (Allstar Marine). Dave, the owner, Al, his father, and Mike, the mechanic, have always been good to me and treated me well. I explained the problem and asked if Mike could look at the gasket. They were surprised to see it in such poor condition. They said Mike had done many in the past, so I figured I better let him (with experience), do the job. We pulled the boat around back and Mike jumped on the task. I sat next to him and tried to keep the pieces from falling in the tank (and those damn maple tree heilocopters as well).
After we installed the new gasket, Mike took the old one in to share with the others. It was the worst they had ever seen. I told Dave I needed a ticket (bill) written for the job (took about 45 minutes). They have a sign that says "labor $85/hour; one hour minimum". Dave said "don't worry about it, I'll catch you next time". I gave Mike a nice tip, and took the boat out today to run it. All went fine, no smell, and no cloged fuel filter.
Check your gasket, it only takes a minute. E 10 was probably the culprit. The boat is nine years old.
Fishing is tough out there, best to everyone. 5th (Marty)