Gas Tank Storage

[jnolan]

I have a 22 ft O'Day sailboat. Just launched it. it is in a slip about one hour from my home. I have 2 questions - can I safely store the 3 gallon gas tank onboard without fear of gas fumes building up? Should I leave the vent valve open or closed? should I store it above deck?

Also, does anyone have an easy way to lift the outboard on it's mount? the motor is about 80 pounds, and it is hard to raise it out of the water when not needed.

Thanks,

 

[Joe11688]

I have a 22 ft O'Day sailboat. Just launched it. it is in a slip about one hour from my home. I have 2 questions - can I safely store the 3 gallon gas tank onboard without fear of gas fumes building up? Should I leave the vent valve open or closed? should I store it above deck?

Also, does anyone have an easy way to lift the outboard on it's mount? the motor is about 80 pounds, and it is hard to raise it out of the water when not needed.

Thanks,

If there is a fuel compartment in the cockpit that doesn't have access to the bilge, it OK and safe to store it with the vent open. Methanol in the gasoline has a tendency to attract water and break down any lubricant that is vital to the life of a 2-stroke outboard engine. It's a good idea to shake the fuel tank about once a day before starting the outboard. I have an outboard bracket on my O'Day 222, which is similar to your O'Day 22, and I have it set up so that all I need to do is use the engine tilt to get lift the lower unit out of the water. I never have a need to lift the bracket on the stern. Perhaps you may be able to do the same thing by experimenting different positions of both the bracket and the motor. The fuel compartment on my boat is on the Starboard side under the autopilot in the picture.
Joe

 

[peterbud]

I have a 22 ft O'Day sailboat. Just launched it. it is in a slip about one hour from my home. I have 2 questions - can I safely store the 3 gallon gas tank onboard without fear of gas fumes building up? Should I leave the vent valve open or closed? should I store it above deck?

Also, does anyone have an easy way to lift the outboard on it's mount? the motor is about 80 pounds, and it is hard to raise it out of the water when not needed.

Thanks,

With regards to the Gas tank I have the oday 222 and I have a locker with a open space at the bottom for any fumes to disapate located in the cockpit. YOu may want to see if you have some thing similar and are just using it for some thing else. I tend to leave my vent cap open more because I forget to close it thany any other reason and have never had a problem.

On lifiting the outboard are you trying to lift it out of the water or off the boat. If it is out of the water you may need a new bracket. I switched to the Garelick bracket for a four stroke which was heavier duty and made it much easier to lget the motor out of the water. If you are trying to tilt it and are strugling with that I have seen lever systems that you can attach temporarily to give you more leverage. West carried them in the past but not currently.

 

[Sunbird22358]

The 22 did not have a gas-tank locker until O'Day re-tooled the deck mold for the 1977 model year (I think the forward hatch was also changed at this time, becoming a flush closing hatch, with the opening molded as part of the cabin top.).
It should be safe to leave the tank in the cockpit on the older boats, but I'd be sure that the tank is secured to avoid it moving around and it would be best to fit a cover of some type above the tank to keep the sun off it, reducing evaporation due to heat. As to whether to leave the vent open or closed, the tank manufacturers correctly tell you to close the vent when not using the engine, however....then pressure may build up in the tank swelling a plastic tank, possibly increasing chance of a leak through fittings. Metal tanks in good shape should be fine with vent shut. If the tank is an OMC/Bombardier tank, they all have a one-way vent, they only vent in, so theoretically fumes won't escape. They still tell you to close the vent on tanks that have vents, but we never closed the vent on the tank for our CAL 21 (stored in the cockpit footwell under a lid). Closing the vent should prevent moisture from condensation getting in to contaminate the fuel, unfortunately...the E-10 gas we use now is known for absorbing water more than the older blends.
I would not recommend storing any gas tank inside the boat (tank locker sealed off from rest of boat is OK) due to the risk of fumes leaking into bilge, and any fuel leaks also end up in bilge. Any compartment where portable fuel tanks are stowed must be ventilated, at least 15 sq inches of opening for each cubic foot of volume (a 3" dia. vent duct/hose meets that). A permanent tank is different since it is vented overboard itself.