TOPIC: ok i want to post this for future boaters

ok i may be so far behind on this but it is worth noting again i think, i took my mfg out for the first time in thirty years . it ran flawlessly (that is a strong word) . getting it back on the trailer was another thing. got it home and smiling all the way. backed it in to the canopy and parked it a few days later i came out to go over it to make a list of the little things left. i smelled gas ok as i go closer the smell got stronger , i looked in and the portable gas tank i borrowed was bubbling out and running down onto the tuff coat i just put down . the hose i had disconnected from the engine i had draped over the splash well it was leaking and filling the splash well up . i was so disappointed. i knew to unscrew the cap to keep pressure from building up but it still built up and bubbled out.
so please it might be wise to remove the tank altogether when parking the boat, i will now until i get the permanent tank installed... ill grind down the spot and primer it again, i got a gallon of tuff coat left, repaint the splash well and the transom where it ran out the drain tube, then clean up the floor and touch up everything. it dampened my spirits but not my resolve to finish it and then my goal is to take it to as many lakes in georgia as i can to show it off. as of now i don't know of another around. i couldn't bring it back to stock because there is not another one for parts, but it is for the most part still the sea cruiser from 1060 and intact up to making reliable and my spin on it.

i am proud of the work i have done on it for my first try

billy

Billy, sorry for your loss but we know you can correct and repair it. Always a good thing to completely disconnect the fuel lines and crack open the cap on the portable gas tanks. You know the pressure is in there after a run because it will spit at you while removing the hose from the motor.
Unfortunately Some of us just cannot lift those tanks from the boats when they are full, bad shoulders, knees, old age etc. Good ventilation of the boat storage areas is always a good idea.
Have a blessed new year and enjoy the water.

I may also mention, since we have so much alcohol in our gas I also disconnect from the motor and let it run all gas out , dry as possible. Since I started doing this about three or four years ago I have never had a carb problem. It's easy insurance.

Sorry to hear about that - but good advice here.

I would also add, if this is a relatively new tank, for EPA purposes the caps are made to build up pressure and only let go at a certain psi designed into the cap - even with the small part unscrewed. They can look like a balloon sometimes before they let go.

If that is the case, easiest way to keep pressure down is to REALLY loosen it, like half way, so it doesn't make a seal.

I have also heard, although I of course would NEVER suggest one go against EPA regulations, that on these new tanks the caps are the same size as the old and that an old cap would fit, or the seal from a new cap would fit into the old one from the same maker.

Again, this is something I heard and would not suggest as it is obvious that the constant pressurization/venting the old tanks allowed is far more dangerous than letting the pressure build up and result in a "controlled" high pressure release!

Good luck with the re-paint!

yes yes yes you hit the nail on the head, it was a new tank with a odd cap on it. i borrowed it. i did run it dry, and got home disconnected the battery pulled the drain plug and pulled the fuel line draped it over the back and just twisted the cap like in a gas can for the lawn mower and it was twice the size when i walked up on it. gonna go any minute like i said i smelled the gas before i saw it . yep the new cap didn't vent with a few turns i took it off and set it on top after i got it out of the boat. the tuff coat is good but i had a puddle of gas when i finally found it. i am gonna get a custom built tank to fit under my port side bench seat to balance some weight out but i just wanted to run it awhile before the weather got too bad. we learn from our mistakes, my mistake was being so excited about the boat i didnt follow up on putting the boat away.
you need a check list when you go to put the boat in the water, you need a check list when you take it out also. standard operating procedures SOP.....

billy wingard