explosion proofing the engine compartment?

Richard,
All the power to you man but take PAR's advice.
Stop.
Do your research from a reliable source, not a boat forum.
Hire yourself a professional consultant.
I can see you're a hands on guy, and that is great, but you can't just wing it or people could die one day out of complete ignorance about how dangerous your boat is.
You could get sued.
Or, you too could die.
The true is harsh but heed the advice, please.

 

PAR Is right and so is Navygate. I have investigated far too many fires and explosions and almost all of them were due to someone who didn't know what they were doing installing engines, fuel, electrical and ventilation systems wrong, or not maintaining them properly.

 

Past Marine conversions of motor car engines to install in boats have all been bad patch up jobs..
of a bad system to keep the manufacturers in business. They are not prepared to go the extra distance for your safety.
Compare an outboard motor with all of it`s fuel system except the fuel tank outside of the hull for a safer install.
The fuel tank can be made safer by sealing it from the atmosphere so no oxygen means no explosion. Many motor vehicles have fuel tanks sealed in a closed circut so no evaporation into the atmosphere. Why should boats be so far behind in safety and polution problems?. Where are our real experts ?

 

Tom you need to look at the new fuel systems for boats. They have many of the same features as auto systems, from an environmental stand point, just engineered in a different way.

http://www.perkofuelsystems.com/system_design-typical_systems/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xc3L6KOrU4
http://www.westlawn.edu/news/Masthead20/files/assets/seo/page5.html
http://www.moellermarine.com/sites/moellermarine/files/MM177_Custom_Tank_Sheet.pdf
http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/fuel_tank.html

 

I don`t think there is anything new or exciting there Ike or anything of much help to all of the millions of boats already built. A remote fuel system can easily be retro fitted.

Just enclosing the hundreds of gallons of fuel in a ( closed system )of many boats (outboards) and keeping air away from the presence of fuel vapors should make them safer with no need to quote a small prayer before you hit the starter button and hoping the extractor fans and gas detectors did work.. thank`s for the info. When I applied for Provisional Patents my Patent Attorney a qualified consultant " said that my system was clearley safer than other systems ".

 

> You can build a boat that runs on volatile fuels that is completely safe

The first step to dying in a boat is to start thinking that anything is completely safe.

 

There is always the problem with the nut that holds on the wheel.
Richard Gray has a lot of pondering to do.

 

ponder

What should i ponder? be specific!!

 

Hi richard, you have a lot of ideas to choose from. My advice is to take a scientific approach. Research the facts of how things realy work not traditional practice.

 

Thanks Tom. I have to ask the right questions.

i have acted on may replies, that directed me to reliable design/engineering protocols. i am getting confirmation and better details on the safety issues than i had. this site sure helps. some reassurance takes the edge off!!!

 

Engine in the living room

Tom:The design i have requires that the engine is under an aluminium hooded compartment on air tight aluminium floor( hood secured down with latches. air tight to inside of helm area ( something like old 2 ton COE cab over truck, only sitting at helm a few feet forward of engine hood, so it is like having a hooded engine behind the front seat in your van .the engine hood will be air tight as possible, and ventilated in and out from front and side ducting from deck/topsides . remote isolated gas tank behind bulkhead and below metal floor at transom safety specs.flame arrested carb , isolated wiring screen shrouded alt and starter . all metal fuel lines (grounded) hope to send photos of interior progress. on and on it goes.

 

Sure would like to see your photos and understand more of what you are doing.

If you think of a boat hull as a place where leaking fuel and gas fumes can collect and mix with the oxygen in the air and try to completly stop that from happening you should have a safer boat.
I could think of no other simple or safer way other than remove all parts of the fuel system from the interiour of the hull. Having the motor amidships and doing that may seem difficult but the motor can work with many advantages in the process. Crankcase vapours are included, which some people may over look. Everything to make the motor run can be fitted inside a short or long induction tube leading to the outside of the hull thus also supplying cool dense air to the motor for better performance.

 

Amphibian photos

Tom; i have been given some good advice. some say i do not need specialty electric components regular auto or marine ok. in canada the regs are less detailed. i even thought of a sniff tube to rear of engine compartment that is capped or a sight glass to look for vapours? Noise is another issue , i will need to insulate for excessive noise, shrouded insulated gear box is needed. i have started to look at engine cooling, with aluminium tube keel coolers (sized?) with auto type radiators and electric fans. and possibly a heat exchanger when afloat.you can call up my members name site for all older photos

 

I think that there are many ways to make a boat using volitile fuels safer. New Zealand (at the moment) does not dictate how you must do many things and we do not tolerate supposed experts imposing there outdated ideas.

Image shows an inboard experimental instalation using a motor direct from an auto to run multi fuels, all of the fuel system is in an outboard well at the back of the boat and the only way fuel can enter the motor is through the long induction tube shown which is 6 feet long. It can be plastic and bendable. It does not have to be that long. If it should leak the motor would not start a fail safe mode.

Auto radiator and fan is used with a inboard keel type cooler for extra cooling if needed.
Engine box is ventilated and cooled toward the rear.
Rocker cover and crank case are vented into the induction tube.
There are many ways to vary the principle of isolation all fuel related parts from being inside of the hull.
You may come up with better ideas but check and check again on saftey issues.

 

tube vent

THANKS TOM> logic to the next step? interesting idea taken to max. i guess if carb flooded( float check failed) you would know by engine idle failure and dismantle and clean ,there maybe a drain to outside. i have thought about a box idea ,similar to this ,with a sight glass at top.i am trying to find data on keel coolers size/volume/flow? i intend to use aluminium tubes along chine,faired in or box into hull. i will use two small auto radiators/electric fans and fan blade on engine water pump to also vent any gas vapours, as well a heat exchanger on demand when in water. the exhaust and header elbows will be keel cooled. trying to keep it simple, but plumbing is getting bizarre.