Where to Store Gasoline on a Deisel Powered Boat?

I was just wondering..if your primary propulsion system is deisel fueled..where and how do you store gasoline for a dinghy with a gas powered outboard and how much is safe to store?

Michael

 

i know the safest container to store fuel in is a metal gas can with a flame arrester and brass nonsparking brass spout,store out of the sun and add a fuel stabilizer,you can find these containers as small as 2 gal.,should be plenty for a dingy,oh yeah a full can is safer than a say haf full can

 

Store outside your boat, out of sun.

 

Also very important is where and how you fill your dinghy. Gas fumes are

about 1 1/2 times heavier than air and will "spill over" when fueling. Be

very aware where those invisible fumes are going and, potentially,

collecting. BOOM!

Tom

 

On the deck in good containers shielded from the sun.

A difficult product to store along with paints, thinner etc.

Many yachts here leave for tropical islands in the Indian ocean with the intentions of staying for months. Dieisel,- Petrol is stored on deck --hundred liters or more.

Unused fuel is buried on the island for next years visit.

 

Why bother? In the USA all you can get (without going to the airport) is gas that has been adulterated with alcohol. The service life of this "fuel" is under a month before it gets full of water.

A friend is experimenting with ADDING water to fuel, allowing the water and now sodden alcohol to seperiate out at the bottom , and syphoning off the real fuel.

Might work.

FF

 

Fred,
I know you hate ethanol-blended gas, but what is it about the stuff they're giving you in Florida that makes it break down so quickly?
Cottagers in Northern Ontario routinely leave half-full tanks of unstabilized, 10%-ethanol-blended summer gas lying around for our entire eight-month winter, then hook up the fuel line in May and fire up the outboard. Although there is surely an occasional outboard that won't run properly, this is common practice around here and rarely causes any problems. And if we want non-blended gas, the 89, 91 and 94 octane are usually pure petrol up here.

Michael,
I'm frankly rather surprised that more thought isn't given to dinghy fuel storage when production sailboats are designed. Jerry cans on deck strikes me as a less than ideal solution. Surely it would be possible to build in a proper gasoline tank somewhere. Or, better yet, to convince at least one manufacturer to sell decent 5, 9.9, 15 and 20 hp diesel outboards. Failing that, a 10 hp air-cooled diesel is about $700-$800 at Princess Auto, and with a bit of tweaking for the marine environment could be used in a rigid-body dinghy (the Sea Bright skiff comes to mind).

 

OK...since I am building my own steel trawler, what do you think about welding a secure gasoline storage locker on the deck somewhere. In it have room for several proper gasoline cans which can be secured to the locker to prevent movment. Maybe have another locker on the opposite side for Paints and other such items. Would this be a safe alternative? What do you think the risks would be with this kind of storage plan?

 

Thats the way you find it done on some Megayachts. Do´nt forget to "crossvent" the lkr. I.e. one hole in the upper left, another in the lower right corner. The lower one should directly lead outboards (or at least prevent gas fumes to find their way into lower compartments).

 

I've read about the ethonal water trick. Something about oversaturating the alki and the water breaks out.

 

but what is it about the stuff they're giving you in Florida that makes it break down so quickly?

GOD (Oboma) only knows.'

In the Us there are almost 2 dozen local botique blends demanded by the Air Police.
Its by Zip code , so that station across the street can have a different brew!

Part of what drives the price up , and oh yes , there is a summer and a winter brew.

FF

 

Hey, just wondering as it has come up in this thread...but is the grade of Gasoline or what they put into it going to have any effect on my solution for storing gasoline on my boat? My guess is that it would be a non factor, but some of you more experienced folks may have different opinions which I would like to hear. I just want to build the safest storage unit possible for gasoline on my boat. I think Apex's solution seems like a good method.

I'm not too worried about the gas degrading. I've used year old gas on my outboard with what seems like no ill effect. Just probably don't want to do that every day. My outboard tank is 6 gallons. I guess I could just store 3-4 six gallon proper fuel containers in my storage compartment. I don't think I would be out of reach of a fresh supply of Gasloline that long anyway. Maybe a couple months at most.

 

One of the problems, is that the gas/alcohol blend is not a solution but a mix like water and oil. Eventually, if left alone will separate. The alcohol goes to the bottom. This makes your engine run on pure alcohol until the gas gets low enough to get sucked by the pickup. Shaking it will get it mixed again. I think on a moving boat, it will not be much of an issue.

 

I am glad someone ask this question. I am having a hell of a time keeping gasoline in containers. It seems gas with methanol has lower vapor point than regular gas. I leave 3 gallons of 2 stroke gas in tank on little boat come back next weekend and it is down a gallon, leave a month it is gone. I can't cover vent or tank explodes. I leave tank in shade but ambient heat is too great. I hate to basically have to use gas completely or buy less and have chance of running out. It is also messing up my two stroke mix.

I know it is the gas, same engines, tanks and location for 10 years, never had such a big problem.

Anyone have any idea?

 

It´s not that difficult to get the crap sticking together, but of course another expense.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...omniTag=Category:Fuel Additives&storeId=10001