New owner of a 2003 208 adventure questions

[Newbie111]

Hey everybody im new to the site, i bought my first boat last year and don't really know anything them. Any helpful information about these boats would be great. It has a 200hp honda 2003 outboard . I had it surveyed and everything came back pretty good. During the inspection the inspector said he wasn't able to give a good visual inspection of the gas tank since there is only a 6in diameter hole to look through. After Unwrapping and inspecting the boat I can smell gas if I stick my nose in the hole above the gas tank and slightly in the bilge. What is my best way to check the gaskets and hoses before I assume there is a hole in the plastic gas tank. I am in monmouth county nj and would also appreciate it if you could recommend any mechanics that would be able to help me out with this issue

 

[DennisG01]

The more likely scenario is that the smell is coming from permeation through old lines. Plus, it was wrapped up tight (I assume you mean shrink wrap) so there really wasn't anywhere for the smell to go. Drive the boat around, sloshing the fuel in the tank... check the bilge for fuel.

 

[seasick]

The poly tanks don't develop leaks very often.
There are two deck plates for the tank, one forward and that lets you see the fill and vent hose connections. The second inspection plate is aft and that lets you see the pickup hose and fittings as well as the sender flange. Check those for leaks using your fingers and nose. If the smell of gas is strongest after the boat has been sitting it could be as Dennis says, fumes seeping through the hoses My 208 often has a feint gas odor when It has sat for a while, it is hot out and the helm was covered. I probably could use new hoses but I don't feel that the need is critical.
If you don't find any obvious leaks, do a sniff test after fueling up. If the odor is more noticeable, you probably have 'leaky' fill or vent hoses (or both).

If there is a strong odor after running the boat and banging around on the waves, you may have a leaky tank. On those early 2000 208s, there is no tank lid on the deck
To get to the tank for inspection or removal, you have to cut the deck and it is a big job. Fortunately as mentioned, the plastic tanks rarely develop holes.

 

[Newbie111]

Thank you for the replies. I will have to do some more investigating today. I really hope it's not a cracked tank. It's sounds like it would be a nightmare getting it out.

 

[Newbie111]

Hey Dennis and seasick,went and checked both deck plates today, both still have a pretty decent smell of gas but my bilge pump area is faint.It was 95 degrees here today so probably 120 degrees down there. My fuel tank Guage doesn't work. Is it possible the gasket has deteriorated and that's why im getting the smell? The hoses from what I see and feel seem good.

 

[Newbie111]

Is my only option now to fill the boat up and watch the bilge and look to see if any gas making its way back there?

 

[Fishtales]

I'd inspect everything you can and then put some fuel in. I would not fill it. If there is a prob you have a lot of fuel to pump out or deal with. Put enough in to run it for a few hours and then inspect again.

 

[Newbie111]

There is fuel in the tank now. I dont know how much since the gas Guage doesn't work anymore. I put water in the bilge and collected the water that came out to see if I could smell any gas in it and didn't smell anything in the water. So if it's cracked it has to be above where the gas tank might be cracked at right?

 

[Newbie111]

From what I could see the hoses looked okay only inspected what I could see from the 2 deck plates... is there anywhere else I could look? Anybody know a round about price for cutting up the decking removing the tank and dropping a new tank in and fiberglassing it? From what I read it's about $10 a gallon for a new fuel tank and im sure it's more now do to the economy. Just looking for a ball park

 

[DennisG01]

You can pressurize the tank with a couple pounds of air to see if there's a leak.

But, it's EXTREMELY rare for a plastic tank to develop a leak. Hose and fuel sender gasket are the most common culprit. Testing a fuel sender is easy (short the pink wire to ground and gauge should peg full, telling you that wiring and gauge is good) and is also the most common reason for a non-responsive gauge. When you replace the sender, you should replace the gasket.

But as noted, it's normal to get a slight wiff of gas fumes when it's been covered up for a while.

 

[Father's Day]

Hey everybody im new to the site, i bought my first boat last year and don't really know anything them. Any helpful information about these boats would be great. It has a 200hp honda 2003 outboard . I had it surveyed and everything came back pretty good. During the inspection the inspector said he wasn't able to give a good visual inspection of the gas tank since there is only a 6in diameter hole to look through. After Unwrapping and inspecting the boat I can smell gas if I stick my nose in the hole above the gas tank and slightly in the bilge. What is my best way to check the gaskets and hoses before I assume there is a hole in the plastic gas tank. I am in monmouth county nj and would also appreciate it if you could recommend any mechanics that would be able to help me out with this issue

Where in Monmouth are you? I'm in Atlantic Highlands Marina and have a very good mechanic that won't hurt you, might be a good idea to have him check it out for you.

 

[Newbie111]

The boat is in tinton falls on blocks and will be in shark river when docked

 

[seasick]

Don't rush to swap the tank yet. It is an expensive job since the deck has to be cut out and reseal. The glass work to reseal the coffin is a decent sized job and how it looks after will depend on the skill of the fiberglass person
You have to have a pretty decent leak of gas to get into the bilge since the 'coffin' for the tank is somewhat sealed off from the bilge. Bilge water from the bow runs under the tank through a plastic pipe.
I have a question though; If the gauge doesn't work how do you determine when to gas up?

If the tank is leaking from below the gas level, the odor will get worse the longer the boat sits.
If the tank is leaking from above the gas level or from a fitting, the odor will be stronger after sailing the boat with a fullish tank. ( With the tank 3/4 full, the sender flange will be below the gas level when you have one or two people stand aft on the deck which makes the tank sit at an angle that causes the gas to flood backwards in the tank. In other words, the top inside of the tank will be submerged in gas. If after that test you have a stronger odor or see weeping at the sender flange, you obviously have a bad seal at the sender.

In whether like we have been having in the NE lately, where there are larger temperature swings, old 'porous' fuel lines and vents will make more odors as the vapors get pushed out and sucked in due to expansion of the gas and the air in the tank..
If you decide you want to pressure test the tank, have a shop do that. It is too easy to mess up if you have no experience or don't have the correct tools and fittings.

If I were a betting person, I would put the highest probability on bad fuel hoses, with a leaky sender second.
For a plastic tank, I would put a tank leak as the lowest ( but possible) probability

 

[Father's Day]

The boat is in tinton falls on blocks and will be in shark river when docked

T-marine his name is Tim (908) 868-8761 I would call him to give it a once over