Jerry jugs

woodster · Sep 5, 2015

Mark Maulden said:
Thinking of going to Glacier Bay next year and will have to carry some fuel/water on deck. So, whats the concensus as to what container to use. Every fuel container I've bought over the years has either leaked or broke early in life. Admittedly, bought in the box stores.

take a look at these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g8007-6/overview/

Sailm8 · Sep 5, 2015

I have 2 jugs for fuel and have had them for at least 15 years without problems. They are the old style spouts that reverse and go inside the jugs. I can't keep the new type from leaking. Luckily I have found the old style spouts at garage sales and ebay to retro fit my red gasoline jug.

Delezynski · Sep 5, 2015

Sailm8 said:
I have 2 jugs for fuel and have had them for at least 15 years without problems. They are the old style spouts that reverse and go inside the jugs. I can't keep the new type from leaking. Luckily I have found the old style spouts at garage sales and ebay to retro fit my red gasoline jug.

SAME here! The one thing we did do was make white Sunbrella covers that fit over them. We departed in 04 and they have been on deck full time till 09, then half time till now.

You can see them in the lower left corner of the photo. Taken in the Sea of Cortez in 2007.

Greg

Rick D · Sep 5, 2015

One Guy's Solution

Mark Maulden said:
Thinking of going to Glacier Bay next year and will have to carry some fuel/water on deck. So, whats the concensus as to what container to use. Every fuel container I've bought over the years has either leaked or broke early in life. Admittedly, bought in the box stores.

I have two on the boat and two at home and struggled with the CARB type non-emission nozzles leaking. I was so aggravated with what I considered sloppy regulation and poor design (which I consider dangerous) that I wrote CARB in a Quixotic moment.
However, I found these, originally from Canada, which replace the CARB nozzles. Sometimes I had to cut down one of the notches on the can for them to seat, but that was a ten-second operation. I got a dozen of them and kept several extra and gave a couple away to some similarly-suffering neighbors. BTW, I keep some O-Rings aboard to use instead of the gaskets which can leak in time. Get the O-Rings thick. Here's a link to the nozzle which I thought they had here at the store but could not find it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/121366024599?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

Sailm8 · Sep 5, 2015

Rick D said:
I have two on the boat and two at home and struggled with the CARB type non-emission nozzles leaking. I was so aggravated with what I considered sloppy regulation and poor design (which I consider dangerous) that I wrote CARB in a Quixotic moment.
However, I found these, originally from Canada, which replace the CARB nozzles. Sometimes I had to cut down one of the notches on the can for them to seat, but that was a ten-second operation. I got a dozen of them and kept several extra and gave a couple away to some similarly-suffering neighbors. BTW, I keep some O-Rings aboard to use instead of the gaskets which can leak in time. Get the O-Rings thick. Here's a link to the nozzle which I thought they had here at the store but could not find it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/121366024599?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

Those are exactly the ones I used to replace those leaky bast@rds. I got mine from evenrude.

Peggie Hall HeadMistress · Sep 5, 2015

Mark Maulden said:
how did this post end up here? can it be relocated to "ask all sailors"?

I was wondering why you posted it here m'self.

I'll take care of getting it moved.

Alan Gomes · Sep 6, 2015

Do yourself a favor and buy one of these: http://nospill.com/Products.html

They are worth every penny. You have absolute control over how fast the fuel comes out and it is a dream to use ergonomically speaking. I'm in California and the typical CARB-compliant spout takes three hands to operate and it's nearly impossible to avoid slopping fuel with them. I bought a yellow 5 gallon jug for my diesel and a red 1.25 gal. jug for the outboard. Highly recommended!

Delezynski · Sep 6, 2015

Alan Gomes said:
Do yourself a favor and buy one of these: http://nospill.com/Products.html

They are worth every penny. You have absolute control over how fast the fuel comes out and it is a dream to use ergonomically speaking. I'm in California and the typical CARB-compliant spout takes three hands to operate and it's nearly impossible to avoid slopping fuel with them. I bought a yellow 5 gallon jug for my diesel and a red 1.25 gal. jug for the outboard. Highly recommended!

Alan,

I bought a couple of these and love them. .... BUT BUT BUT ...... DO NOT store them in the sun!!!!!!!!

The spouts on ours went bad in about 4 months

in the sun in the Sea of Cortez. The white part rotted and split off very quickly. Then the rest went bad. TO BAD, as it was GREAT for use in the dink to refill the tank on our outboard.

Greg

Alan Gomes · Sep 6, 2015

Delezynski said:
Alan,

I bought a couple of these and love them. .... BUT BUT BUT ...... DO NOT store them in the sun!!!!!!!!

The spouts on ours went bad in about 4 months in the sun in the Sea of Cortez. The white part rotted and split off very quickly. Then the rest went bad. TO BAD, as it was GREAT for use in the dink to refill the tank on our outboard.

Greg

Thanks for the heads-up, Greg! My diesel container never gets stored in the sun, but the small container for the outboard does on occasion (i.e., when I'm over at Catalina Island for several days at a time). For my use they will both probably last plenty long but for a more full-time cruiser like yourself that would be a big problem. Too bad, because the spout works extremely well! Personally, I like them so much that I'd probably fit some kind of cover over the spout to protect it from the UV. (It's a shame that would be necessary.) But as I said, for my use that probably would not be an issue.

Rick D · Sep 6, 2015

I Had The Same Experience + Water Carrier

Alan Gomes said:
Do yourself a favor and buy one of these: http://nospill.com/Products.html

They are worth every penny. You have absolute control over how fast the fuel comes out and it is a dream to use ergonomically speaking. I'm in California and the typical CARB-compliant spout takes three hands to operate and it's nearly impossible to avoid slopping fuel with them. I bought a yellow 5 gallon jug for my diesel and a red 1.25 gal. jug for the outboard. Highly recommended!

Mine also got a failed nozzle. Worked well before that. That's why I simply got the replacement nozzles for the old ones I had already. No more spills. Seriously, I spilled WAY more fuel with these anti-emission jugs than I ever did with the old ones. I am positive I am polluting less and definitely handling them safer with these nozzles than with the CARB ones. Some of the issue with the vented jugs was the emission but most people I know kept the vent closed when not pouring in order to avoid spillage and moisture entering.

I carry two Coleman folding five gallon water jugs also. I principally use them for filling the ten gallon sun shower. When we are on our Catalina Island mooring long enough to get low on water, I use a 18 gallon (70 liter) Vetus flexible water tank which I fill in the dinghy and refill the tanks using a manual whale pump.

jibes138 · Sep 6, 2015

Doesn't it make you mad that the regulations result in more pollution in the form of spilled fuel and air emissions than what it was planned to replace? Someone needs to be held accountable for this stupidity.

There are some good YouTube videos on how to modify your brand new fuel tanks to make them work like old tanks and also where to buy air vents to get a free flow of fuel. One of these ideas is to use a bicycle air valve for a vent with the inner part removed, the cap is the seal for when not in use. Requires a little surgery on the tank but well worth it. We all want to protect our environment, it is really frightening to see what these new tanks contribute to spilled fuel.

For my diesel jugs I siphon the fuel from the jug to the tank. That way I keep the siphon hose a little off the bottom so any dirt or water that settles to the bottom stays in the jug, I leave a little fuel in the bottom of the jug to trap any debris. I have used a fuel line with squeeze bulb for an outboard motor as a siphon, takes a while as the flow is slow but the squeeze bulb makes starting it easy.

Bill Murray · Sep 6, 2015

All tank spouts drip, leak and spill. Turning a tank over to transfer fluids is a terrible way to go about it and invites disaster - especially when underway. For years I have been siphoning with a product called Super Siphon (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Siphon-Hose-Pack/dp/B000ZORJ1E). It is also available at auto supply stores under other names. It has a one way valve on one end. simply insert in to the fuel (water, etc) and shake up and down until siphon begins. If you keep a rag handy to clean drips when finished, you will never spill a drop - even underway!

Alan Gomes · Sep 6, 2015

Bill Murray said:
All tank spouts drip, leak and spill. Turning a tank over to transfer fluids is a terrible way to go about it and invites disaster - especially when underway. For years I have been siphoning with a product called Super Siphon (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Siphon-Hose-Pack/dp/B000ZORJ1E). It is also available at auto supply stores under other names. It has a one way valve on one end. simply insert in to the fuel (water, etc) and shake up and down until siphon begins. If you keep a rag handy to clean drips when finished, you will never spill a drop - even underway!

Tried that, hated it. But other people seem to like that method a great deal.

I tend to fill my tank with the boat in the slip, through a filter funnel. I want to be able to regulate the amount of flow and start and stop it instantly to avoid any chance of slopping fuel over the side. The Nospill spouts give me ultimate control over that. The Nospill spout does not leak, drip, or spill--not even a drop. When I tried to use the rattle siphon method it was a messy balancing act of trying to find a place where I could put the container above/higher than the funnel (the cockpit seats are too low and the cockpit coaming unsteady), getting the curling hose to stay in the very bottom of the jug, and balancing the whole mess. And then there is the matter of stopping the siphon when you want to do it suddenly. With the Nospill you just release your thumb from the button and it stops immediately vs. trying to yank a hose up above the fuel level in the jug. Nope, not for me.

I am sorry to hear that apparently they don't stand up to UV. It does have the appearance of being built durably, but I haven't used mine long enough to really put it through its paces. So all my comments are about how it is working for me *now*. If it fails to hold up, then of course that changes things. But so far I'm happy with it.

gettinthere · Sep 6, 2015

We've been full time coastal cruising for over 4 years now. Added 3 jugs to the rail and covered them with tan vinyl fabric. Vinyl resists dirt MUCH better than sunbrella.

I also use a fuel hose with squeeze bulb to move the diesel to the tank. I put a hose barb on one end and slip the other hose end on it when done to contain drips.

I removed the nozzles and replaced them with a plastic insert I cut to fit in the cap. I never deal with the nozzles. It has all worked well for 4 years continiously so far.