Filling up underway

[jwieneck]

I have a question. I have purchased a can to carry some extra fuel like many boats I have heard about doing to extend their motoring distance. Anyone have an easy way to fill her up while underway? My fuel fill cap is aft starboard side on the down slop of the swim platform. I guess you can stand on the swim platform and fill from there but I would think you would need pretty flat seas.

 

[Steve Dion]

How far between fueling stations on Lake Michigan?

[nm]

 

[seadaddler]

Don't know name

I don't know what the name of it but think I got itin an auto store.It's about 6 ft of plastic hose with a brass or copper fitting on one end and this is the end that go's in thefull fuel tank and the other end clear hose in the fueltank,you shake the end in the fuel jug up and down s fewtimes until you see fuel flowing from the fuel jug intoyour fuel tank opening.Works great for me and no spills which I use to add fuelfrom a gas station.Nick

 

[jwieneck]

Not far

not far I could cross the lake twice before filling up but I thinking bigger so I thought I would practice now.

 

[jwieneck]

Sound good

This sounds like what I am looking for I also would like to use fuel from a land gas station. I will check at the Auto Zone store.

 

[Steve Dion]

Here is the ticket

They sell these all over the place. Look up self priming hose and you should find one. I am thinking you may want to get an additional extension so you can have your spare can/bladder in a secure place.

 

[Paul4414]

I found a real easy way to transfer ffrom a jerry can to the on board filler cap very inexpensively.All you need is two pieces of tubing. One length should reach from the bottom of the container to the fill cap. The shorter one needs to be only about a foot long. Put one end of the longer one down into the can and the other end into the fill cap. Put the smaller one just into the can while you take a rag and wrap it around both tubes to make the opening air tight. Blow into the smaller one and the fuel will begin to flow. Just be sure that the can is higher up than the fill tube. I have done this many times, once even when heeled over 30 degrees. So far I have never spilled a drop of fuel. Sure beats having to clean up spills.

 

[newly anonymous]

gravity tends to be reliable.

you don't need a siphon. Cut a five-foot section from an old garden hose, heat one end, and then clamp it to a spare jerry-can spout. Now, when you want to fill the tank, whether in port or at sea, stick the unclamped end of your hose into the deck-fill opening, vent the jerry can, and pour.Hint: you'll find that the fuel flows downhill.Total cost = one 3/4" hose clamp.

 

[Buck2796]

Mast

Used to do it like "newly". But this still requires undoing jerry cans and pouring...I have for some time been refueling offshore from jerry cans using a variation of "Paul's" method. I use the same (10-12') length of clear 1/2" tubing from jerry can to fuel fill; but I start the syphon by using a small piece of hose that fits snugly over the jerry can's vent hole. Blow hard into the vent hole (hose) while "sealing" the larger hose/larger jerry can hole w/ your hand. As soon as the syphon starts it easily transfers the fuel w/o having to unsecure/resecure the cans (a major "plus" in rolly offshore conditions).

 

[Dr. Dennis Brittain]

NO spill this way...

We are have been cruising in our 460 for the past year and a half, with neither a drop of diesel spilled! The way I set it up was I use Mercrusier bayonett tanks used for outboards. I have a dedicated fuel pump with a long wire with big alligator clips that I attach to the start battery. After plugging the male bayonett into the tank and cracking the vent I take the discharge hose from the pump and drop it in the fill pipe. Turn on the pump and wait for the tank to be emptied then plug in the next one! All inside the cockpit. Nothing worse and often talked about than others spilling slippery diesel on the deck then tracking in below and etc.Hope this helps.