Fuel tank storage

lightning · 04 July 2017, 17:15

When transporting the engine fuel tank in my vehicle, should the vent screw be open (vented) or closed? If l leave it closed the pressure visibly swells the tank in hot weather. Is this OK? I have been leaving it vented but then there's a smell of fuel in the vehicle which is not good while driving.

Likewise when storing in the garage, is it OK to close the vent? When l open the vent there's a fairly large hissing release of vapour but if l leave it open the garage can smell of fuel.

jeffstevens763@g · 04 July 2017, 17:19

open in garage closed in the car keep the car temp down or stop and vent outside if needed.
or buy a roof box and leave it in there with the vent just cracked

Fenlander · 04 July 2017, 17:26

Last time this was raised it produced a long and divisive thread.

Personal opinion same as Jeff... vent just cracked in the garage. Always closed in the car and never leave fuel in car for anything other than a brief period when we're actually travelling. When on longer holiday runs tanks travel empty in the roof box.

lightning · 04 July 2017, 18:09

Thanks l missed the discussion about that.

Maximus · 04 July 2017, 19:15

Just leave it (the Tank) in the Boat...and when you need to get more fuel to top up ect ..Have another purpose made Fuel Container which you DONT have to fill capacity!... and de-cant with a flexi pump pipe

It's What I used to do....don't like petrol Fumes in the car!!..

lightning · 04 July 2017, 19:34

The boat is a roll up Zodiac 285s that goes in the back of the Land Rover together with the outboard...no trailer.
Was thinking of getting a trailer but l think at 2.85m it's a bit small, all the trailers l have seen would be too big.
Plus if l towed a trailer there'd be nowhere to put the mountain bike tow ball mounted carrier.
l can get the bikes in the back (of our 110 SW) but it's a right faff, both wheels off, seats off, so much trouble that we rarely bothered.

Poly · 04 July 2017, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximus

Just leave it (the Tank) in the Boat...

The op has a sib!

jeffstevens763@g · 04 July 2017, 20:01

if you have a tow bar you can buy a small box trailer from towsure around £250 put all your kit in there and make a rack for the bikes on top, tank venting job done

Maximus · 04 July 2017, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

The op has a sib!

Err ...So did I!

Most SIBs are powered by small outboards...with small Fuel tanks

So...?
Maybe a separate Trailer???

Max... · 04 July 2017, 20:39

Maybe rig up (safely) a spare cap or modify the existing one adding a long venting hose out the back of the landy or any nearby hole (I've not had a Landy yet that wasn't full of handy holes

).

Whatever you do IME with the vent or the engine the car always stinks of fuel so we just have all the windows open.

Poly · 04 July 2017, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximus

Err ...So did I!

Most SIBs are powered by small outboards...with small Fuel tanks

So...?
Maybe a separate Trailer???

? So you'll have realised he doesn't tow the boat - it is in the car alongside the fuel so your "leave fuel in boat" advise doesn't work. The size of tank doesn't make too much difference to the question of venting it and the fumes stinking the car does it? After all plenty of sibs will have 22-25L hulk tanks the same as a small rib.

In my experience a dribble of fuel when filling is worse than the vent cap though.

The suggestion of a box trailer with the bikes on top is a nice solution (I do boat on trailer bikes on roof bars). If you are clever about it you might be able to engineer a way to use existing tow ball rack on top of trailer - then you still have the rack with you if you fancy a bike rather than a boat day, even better would be if you could also have an arrangement that lets you put the boat on it inflated if you fancy moving it without the faff of disassembly.

Maximus · 05 July 2017, 14:37

The fuel tank is designed for the Boat and to give the engine a constant supply...(has connectors/hoses and Bulbs ,which can often weep fumes)and not really for travelling in the back of a car...
For Transporting Fuel I found it best to use Purpose made Plastic Jerry Cans...if you fill to 70% or so...they still have room for the fumes to expand,at least for an hour or two and won't need venting,under normal conditions...then decant into Boat tank as said earlier...its also a simple matter to do the same on the return journey,cleaning any overspill.

My children sometimes suffered from Car sickness,and fumes always made matters worse.It definatly worked for me in the past

Fenlander · 05 July 2017, 16:48

>>> children sometimes suffered from Car sickness,and fumes always made matters worse.

That's a problem I used to have but realised it was best if the tank (even empty) went in the car to put it in shortly before travel, as far back as possible and not to shut the tailgate until setting off. Then with the constant running fan of climate control the smell never gets a chance to creep forwards to the seat area.

Additionally my 2-stroke engines only had a tiny smell to them in a closed car but I noticed the change to 4-stroke EFi has removed all smell from the OB.

lightning · 05 July 2017, 18:25

My current thinking after reading the replies, is to sell the SIB outfit and buy a small RIB with trailer.

It will make it an easier job to get the boat into the water as well, except for the canal, but we've not done that for a few years now anyway.

The bikes may have to stay at home, unless they can be transported in the RIB somehow.

Or we could get some folding bikes.

We just got back from the Lakes and it took me over two hours to put everything away, including inflating/deflating the SIB to dry it.

jeffstevens763@g · 05 July 2017, 18:39

What we've done at work for a SIB is bought a boat trailer took all the rollers off a fitted a ply bottom on that we carry jet floats strapped down you could do the same with bikes, then we have a top rack with the sib blown up on top we travel hundreds of miles with this inspecting bridges works really well a cheaper option than selling your rig and still have the flexibility of canal use and bikes

GuyC · 05 July 2017, 20:39

Slightly off topic but the flanged version means you can tow and carry bikes.

https://maxxraxx.co.uk/

I'd leave it closed in the car and open in the garage.

Poly · 05 July 2017, 22:31

[QUOTE=GuyC;751977]Slightly off topic but the flanged version means you can tow and carry bikes.
/QUOTE]

In theory although with most sib trailers the boat will be too close to the bikes.

Poly · 05 July 2017, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightning

My current thinking after reading the replies, is to sell the SIB outfit and buy a small RIB with trailer.

The bikes may have to stay at home, unless they can be transported in the RIB somehow.

Or we could get some folding bikes.

With a little creativity you can transport bikes inside a rib. If you were doing it every weekend you would probably build a rack of some sort but I used to ratchet strap them in place with pipe lagging to protect vulnerable parts.

HDAV · 05 July 2017, 22:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightning

My current thinking after reading the replies, is to sell the SIB outfit and buy a small RIB with trailer.

It will make it an easier job to get the boat into the water as well, except for the canal, but we've not done that for a few years now anyway.

The bikes may have to stay at home, unless they can be transported in the RIB somehow.

Or we could get some folding bikes.

We just got back from the Lakes and it took me over two hours to put everything away, including inflating/deflating the SIB to dry it.

No need to sell just buy a trailer and leave sib in flated on trailer with fuel,tank venting to the free air around the trailer, bike rack on car can still tow trailer just awkward to open boot while bike on and towing

jeffstevens763@g · 06 July 2017, 13:30

this is pretty much what we have