I thought I smelled a rat...

T

tparrent

New member
...but if it had been a rat it had long ago departed this cruel world. Maybe 50 million years ago. And then compressed by the weight of time, gravity and rock until his corporal being became gloppy gooey stuff contently aging into diamonds. Until some demonic company pierced its security blanket and brought it back to the sunshine where it was subjected to all sorts of modern indignities before I finally took it to sea again.

That's right, I smelled gas.

I have become used to smelling a bit of gas every time I remove the boat cover from my CD 16 but today I knew something was amiss when I smelled it before I even got out of the truck. Yet another government certified safe plastic 6 gallon gas tank had failed That makes two out of three.

This time, at the suggestion of approximately 50.003% of trusted boaters responding to a previous post, I had closed the tank vent. Apparently the tank flexed a bit beyond spex and bingo! gas in the boat

Previously, I had left the vent open to test the theory of 49.007% of boating respondents. Every time I took the cover off the boat I was nearly overwhelmed with fumes.

I don't think the problem lies with the vent open/closed issue

I am thinking about having a couple of metal or fiberglass tanks permanently installed with honest to god fill pipes and vents. It would be so nice to simply pull up to a gas pump and fill the tank.

However, I am open to all suggestions. What say you?



On a separate issue ... I had the dealer install a Garmin gps chartplotter on the C Dory with a transom mount sounder transducer. Figured it would keep me out of the shallows (boat draws 6 inches :)) and find all those fish for me.

I have noticed that the transducer does not work properly when I am going any faster than about 3/4 hull speed. At full speed, the transducer throws an impressive rooster tail all its own.

Should I expect this with a transom mount? Should it sit deeper in the water? Would I have the same issue with a through hull transducer?

Thanks
 
Adjusting the transducer should help. Its face should be angled slighly forward to avoid air bubbles moving across it's face. It should be just below the hull.
 
I had the same transducer problem when we first took the boat out. The dealer moved it up a little bit and that mostly took care of the rooster tail. Make sure that the holes below the waterline are filled/sealed correctly to prevent core damage.
 
After reading through these posts I went outside to load up the boat and take it back to storage. I had placed both tanks inside the garage to keep them out of the sun and the vents were closed on both of them. Fortuitously, I had left the garage door open :) The angle of sun had shifted just enough while I was inside so that one tank was in direct sunlight and the other was in full shade.

The sunny tank was slightly distended and had a steady flow of gas coming from the quick connect.

The shaded tank had no leak and distension.

I cracked open the vents and the sunny tank gave a nice long smelly hiss while the shaded on gave just a brief, weak sigh.

I believe the internal pressure from gas expansion has, as suggested, been overwhelming the ball and o-rings on the fitting. Who knows, maybe this is even by design to avoid complete failure of the tank.

I cleaned up the leaking tank and loaded both aboard the boat. On my way to the storage lot, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a couple of plastic bins that the tanks can just fit inside. I would have liked something just a bit longer to contain the entire handle but these should do for now. The bins should catch a lot and perhaps all of any spill. They will also solve another problem. When the tanks get distended they bulge on the bottom, making them very unstable. While they won't tip over, the will slide around when unbalanced. The bins should keep a flat surface on the bottom and help prevent sliding.

Of course I am now unlikely to have leaks or bulging tanks anyway :) I plan to crack open the vents and just deal with the fumes for now. Eventually, some fume collector would be nice to direct the fumes out of the boat.

A permanent tank would be even nicer but not necessary.

Yes, some fumes may collect in the plastic bins. If it blows me to kingdom come, it's been nice knowing y'all :) What can I say, I'm a big risk taker :) I've even been known to answer a cell phone at a gas station :D Seriously, if I smell a lot of fumes, I will take the bin out and air everything out before starting. Generally, the trip to the ramp blows most of the fumes away but the tank might trap some in the bin.
 
I'd be REALLY careful; some plastics don't get along well with gasoline and tend to dissolve under the onslought. Your assuming those made in China plastic totes will capture the gas could be more dangerous than knowing the fuel tanks leak when warmed.
 
Concerning the rooster tail from the transducer. I had that problem with the transducer on Morning Star. I had it over at Wefing's having some other work done and I asked them to look at it. They moved the transducer up a little so that it is just about level with the bottom of the boat and filled the void in the mounting bracket with silicone. The rooster tail is gone and I have good readings at all speeds.
 
That's a very good point localboy. Hadn't thought about that. I had planned to put some an oil diaper in the bottom of the plastic box - will make sure I do that now and can easily check to see if it is wet or discolored.
 
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