Racor fuel trap
I had a problem with sputter from the breather while I was filling. This meant hanging over the side with a paper towel or creating a most unseemly sheen on the water (frowned upon in the pristine waters of the Keys). The solution was to add a Racor overflow prevention device to the breather tube, just before the through-hull. It is a simple blue translucent plastic ball (about 4") with a fuel line barb at the bottom (in) and another at the top (out). Inside is space for the fuel to go (instead of overboard) and a float valve to prevent overflow if the bowl should fill completely. After filling, any fuel in the bowl drains back down to the tank. Installing it is as simple as deciding where in the line it will go, cutting out about 5 inches of line, pressing the existing line onto the top and bottom barbs, and adding hose clamps. This solves the problem of sputter from the breather, but it may enhance the problem of backwash out the filler tube, since it may block the breather tube entirely. I always keep an eye on the fuel gauge, and know that when the needle just passes the Full dot I'm done. I don't wait for feedback at the filler tube.
