islander 268 we put her in the slip for the summer a few days ago, and fueled her up. Strong smell of gas in the berth lower hatch, removed the cover plate, and 1" to 2" fluid that looks and smells like gas is present. any ideas where to look for a possible leak?
smell of gas
- Thread starter cobrapowersys
- Start date
cobrapowersys said:
That's not good...
All the tanks fittings are on top of the tank, there is no way that kind of gas is going to leak out from a top-mounted fitting...
tank or fill hose is breached...have to drain and remove to inspect the right way. Leave the area well ventilated.
they are original tanks, but they are aluminum, so there is no corrosion on the tanks. I will check the fill, but the smell started when I put 10 gallons into the 35 gallon aux tank. both tanks were empty until then.
Aluminum tanks do corrode. You may want to search the site for other strings on the subject. I replaced my aluminum tank a couple years ago on my 1987 Overnighter. The tank looked fine until I pulled it out. There were several areas on the bottom with corrosion, one with a hole that had worked through. From manufacturers plate on the tank, I got in touch with the OEM (can't recall the name, located in Florida) & had a new tank manufactured. I primed it with alodine (mainly the bottom half) before installing & installed all new hoses. Should be good for another 20 years.
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
Original tanks were made by RDS and they are still in business. You can reach them at 850-584-6898. Good news is they sell directly to the public, can manufacture the exact replacement, and UPS will deliver it to your door.
At 15 years, your tanks may very well be corroded. This is not something to play around with, obviously.
At 15 years, your tanks may very well be corroded. This is not something to play around with, obviously.
Parthery said:
I can get a very good deal from RDS, they manufacture our tanks also. Just got a 50 gallon for a friend on classicaquasport for $385 to his house in Palm Harbor...
Let me know, my buddy Ray at RDS would like the business...
seabob4 said:Parthery said:
I can get a very good deal from RDS, they manufacture our tanks also. Just got a 50 gallon for a friend on classicaquasport for $385 to his house in Palm Harbor...
Let me know, my buddy Ray at RDS would like the business...
I'm gonna be looking for a tank also for my Formula, but they don't list it as standard tank, mine is 8 foot long and 100-110 gallons. I will let you know as soon as i pull the old one out.
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS said:seabob4 said:Parthery said:
I can get a very good deal from RDS, they manufacture our tanks also. Just got a 50 gallon for a friend on classicaquasport for $385 to his house in Palm Harbor...
Let me know, my buddy Ray at RDS would like the business...
I'm gonna be looking for a tank also for my Formula, but they don't list it as standard tank, mine is 8 foot long and 100-110 gallons. I will let you know as soon as i pull the old one out.
Give me the dimensions and wall thickness you want, as well as fill/vent and pickup/sender locations. I can get them in .090" and .125" wall thicknesses.
That goes for any one else on GreatGrady...
the smell started on land when both tanks were empty, and i put 10 gallons into the aux tank for my mechanic to "summerize it". i should have took notice then, but i proceeded to top both tanks off. the smell remained the same. i guess i should remove the floor plate and see whats going on underneath. what a friggin mess!
I have a '87 Trophy Pro that had the same problem. It turned out to be the filler hose to the main tank. Replaced the hose and the problem was resolved.
I pulled the aux tank this year to check it. The top looked worse than the bottom and there was very little corrosion. When I was sanding it to get it ready for primer I found/made a small hole by the edge. After the bottom was cut out, we found a few spots that were very thin from corrosion from the INSIDE. Just because an old tank looks good from the outside it doesn't mean it's usable.
being that the hull didnt fill up with fuel, it is unlikely that the tank/s are shot. I think i will check the fill hoses, as all this started when we filled the tanks up.
cobrapowersys said:
That statement is not born out by my experience. Fuel will weep out at the bottom of the tank at a nearly imperceptible rate ... just enough to alert you by way of fumes. It's the beginning of the end. Your only hope is that it is a hose, and that's no piece of cake either.
Tilting at windmills is an English idiom which means attacking imaginary enemies, or fighting unwinnable or futile battles. Don't do it.
Hope it is the hose. I just replaced my fill and vent hose a few weeks ago. Kind of a pain but on my boat it was doable. I suppose the degree of difficulty depends on the model and vintage. With my last couple of projects I have learned a lot about how my boat was assembled. I have found that while things can be somewhat difficult to get to I have been able to get to the spots I needed to.
I just replaced the main tank in my '86 Offshore last month. It was in my driveway this winter an during a heavy rain I smelt gas coming out of the drain plug. I pulled the 93 gal main tank and found a screwdriver hole in the bottom of the tank that ended up sealing itself. This hole was punctured with the slightest pressure. I had a new tank built and installed it myself. It was a fairly easy project thanks to the removable deck. Replace all hoses while it is open.
an imperceptable rate is one thing, but even the slightest leak will fill a hull in several days. I will start with the hoses and cross my fingers. I will post the findings on here. My tanks are manufactured by RDS, and probably original built in 1995.