South Coast Sailboats
Gas tank placement in lockers on shelves
This is a great idea. This is very easy to do and works out
really well. I have a six-gallon tank in each lazzerrette. They
are simply placed onto the shelves that I built in to hold the
tanks. This keeps the tanks level and keeps them from sliding
around. Additionally, I use two gas lines, one for each tank that
comes out of the vertical side of the lazzerrette next to the
motor. When on tank runs out of gas, I simply unplug the one gas
line, and install the other, then restart the motor. They are
easily refilled in place. No mess, no fuss, no shifting gas tanks
around. Also, plastic gas tanks are a must. I recommend plastic
gas tanks as opposed to metal, they seal tighter, don't rust,
don't dent, and don't leave red paint all over the boat from dragging
them around. Second, the tank(s) can be vented through the hull
(I understand they must breath as gasoline contract and expand
due to the change in temperature). The simple way to do this is
to use a small through the hull fitting and connect the fitting
to a rubber hose (preferably gas line). Next with a small hose
clamp, connect the rubber hose to the vent located on the tank
(If your tank(s) is vented through the gas cap, you might need
to modify your tank to provide a separate vent to which you can
attach the rubber hose with a hose clamp (stainless steel only)
and close the gas cap vent tight. Now, you can have one, or two
6-gallon tanks in the cotpit lockers all the time, with no gas
fumes at all, and no reason to continually ship them around from
one position to another. (A couple of great recommendations)