Gas smell in cockpit and Engine room

SkiPharmer

SkiPharmer

Active Member
Jul 27, 2014
282
St. Croix River, MN
Boat Info
2001 Formula 41 Performance Cruiser
Engines
Twin 8.2. Liter Mercruisers Direct Drives
I just bought a 1995 330 Sundancer...Ive noticed a slight gas odor in the cockpit when i get to the boat for the first of the day after unwrapping the canvas. I opened up the ER and it smelled a bit like gas as well....anything I should look out for? its not super strong but enought to notice it....thanks! i have big blocks V drives

Thanks!
 
Years ago a friend went in a boat house to get the ski boat out. Gas fumes had settled in the lower portions of the boat.

Tragic - his girl friend who sitting closer to the rear of the boat suffered very significant burns - took multiple years to fully recover, still carries the scars.

Gas fumes are a scary thing - be very careful. Find where they are coming from.
 
If they are carbed engines it could be something as minor as evaporation or the location of the tank vent in relation to the prevailing winds to as major as a fuel leak. Do a sniff test and see if you can narrow down the smell location port or starboard. Then get in the bilge with a very powerful flashlight and look for any thing that remotely looks like a leak by tracing the fuel lines from the engine to the tank. Check the hoses as well as the joints. There was no ethanol in fuel in 1995. It may have rotten them, or diminished the seals in the carbs. If there are no leaks visible, see if you can rent a portable fume/vapor detector. If not, spend the money and have it checked by a pro.

Are you sure it's your boat and not one berthed next to you? I've had that happen to me. Gasoline fumes should have been mentioned in a survey.
 
FootballFan said:
Years ago a friend went in a boat house to get the ski boat out. Gas fumes had settled in the lower portions of the boat.

Tragic - his girl friend who sitting closer to the rear of the boat suffered very significant burns - took multiple years to fully recover, still carries the scars.

Gas fumes are a scary thing - be very careful. Find where they are coming from.
Click to expand...
no bilge blower ??
 
I have a bilge blower.....My mechanic did just rebuild the carbs and do a full ignition tune up a few weeks ago.
 
Every time I read about gas fumes in a boat I wonder why bilge fume detectors are not required and offered as standard equipment buy the manufacturers. My Xintex detector will sound when the fume concentration reaches aprox. 15% of explosive levels. I would not feel safe without it.
 
My old 340 has an add-on unit...not sure what brand
but covers fire fume and bilge water
sleep much better with it being there...except the night my auto bilge pump switch went bad...very loud and scary at 2am
when you don't know which alarm it is.
 
Just don't light up a cigarette..

I've had some issue with raw fuel smell around my stern and engine room, turns out my harness was loose from the ECM and the injector #3 wasn't spraying. I haven't read the above posts, but this is what i'm dealing with
 
It could be nothing, it could be a serious problem that could injure you, your family or anyone else near the boat at the time of issue. Until you 100% know what the fuel smell is and where it's coming from, treat it as dangerous.
 
bsampica said:
It could be nothing, it could be a serious problem that could injure you, your family or anyone else near the boat at the time of issue. Until you 100% know what the fuel smell is and where it's coming from, treat it as dangerous.
Click to expand...

Exactly - risk is too high with gasoline and boats. I saw one too many explosions working at a marina as a youngster.
 
Had that issue on my 1998 Silverton and found the starboard fuel tank had started leaking at the seam!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If you can smell it, you can blow up.
check for cracking, Start at the fill pipe , fill hose, and go to the tank, check fuel level sender for leakage, check vent hoses , check feed hoses.If carbed, ventilate bilge, start engines and check fuel feed lines to carb, check fuel pump,
checl tell-tale hose if a mechanical pump
 
Last edited:
In addition to all the above recommendations to trace out the whole fuel system. I would also recommend taking a look at the fuel sender gaskets. This is the gasket where the fuel tank gauge sender unit mounts to the tank. They age and crack. Could be coming from there... Just another thing to look carefully at.
 
Skipharmer,
I see you are on the Croix. Is this boat the old "Freedom 1"?
 
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