Refueling

[AMFM3]

Hey gang...

In light of the post about the Oakville boat explosion, I thought I'd offer my 2 cents on refueling. Your comments are welcome!

When we get gas, I insist that everyone s off the boat. While that's the law, it's easy to give in to that one person who doesn't want to. I'm fortunate, as I'm past the point of the "chickie-po's" in bikinis stage of my life. If someone says they don't want to, they're forced and don't get back on.

Hatches & companionway are closed. Batteries off and all human persons on the dock.

When fueling is done, batteries on after a quick sniff test, then I go pay. The blowers run and paying takes at least 5 minutes. Then we reboard and I start up if all is good.

I know that there's always a gas smell around the gas dock. But you should know if it's different than normal. If there's a spark at your refill opening...get the hell outta Dodge!

 

[Liquid-Therapy]

This is interesting to read. I boat at the Lake Of The Ozarks in Missouri and I can't think of a time I've ever seen anybody get off their boat as it's getting refueled. Everything you say makes sense though. I wonder if there is a law in place in Missouri. If so, I guess it's not enforced. Thanks for the info!

 

[ArtWallach]

I totally take the same precautions when refueling. I'd like to add that you should always touch the nozzle to the gas fill metal prior to inserting the nozzle and then keep the nozzle in constant contact with the gas fill metal during the entire refueling process.

 

[northern]

Does any one know if battery switches are explotion proof.
The rest we do but the batteries remain on.
I think it is a federal law you all get off the boat. IN BC and Washington I have seen marinas refures to turn on the pump untill all are off the boat.
Good idea to post as most lake boaters do not get off the boat.

 

[Woody]

Does any one know if battery switches are explotion proof.
The rest we do but the batteries remain on.
I think it is a federal law you all get off the boat. IN BC and Washington I have seen marinas refures to turn on the pump untill all are off the boat.
Good idea to post as most lake boaters do not get off the boat.

This has come up before. In the USA I do not think there is any Federal law requiring people leave the boat.

 

[hillsideshortleg]

I would like to check my grounding. Could someone explain to me the path the ground wire would take and what the grounding electrode would be?
thanks
Rick

 

[ArtWallach]

I never shut my battery switches off .... How would i run my blowers? I wouldn't want to turn the battery switch on without having run my blowers after refueling. Obviously, i turn on the batteries everytime I arrive at the boat, but it's during refeuling there is a much higher likelyhood of fumes.

 

[KC_Sundancer]

I would like to check my grounding. Could someone explain to me the path the ground wire would take and what the grounding electrode would be?
thanks
Rick

My ground wire runs from the fuel deck fitting to block with all other ground wires on the transom. That block is then grounded to a thru-transom bolt for the brass drain plug flange.

 

[alzaco68]

do you run blowers while refueling or only afterwards? thanks

 

[ppkaprince98]

I always run them prior to starting the motor, refueling or not.

 

[RollerCoastr]

do you run blowers while refueling or only afterwards? thanks

On boats like ours, the fresh air intake for the blowers is only a few feet from the filler nozzle, so running blowers while fueling can very possibly draw vapors INTO the ER. For that reason, mine stay off until the nozzle is capped.

 

[AKBASSKING]

I do as AMFM does but I also open my EB hatches and sniff around and I am totally anel about it, like the requirement to wear PFDs while under way......

 

[just me]

I fuel at the gas station and send the chickie-po's in for the ice.

 

[AMFM3]

On boats like ours, the fresh air intake for the blowers is only a few feet from the filler nozzle, so running blowers while fueling can very possibly draw vapors INTO the ER. For that reason, mine stay off until the nozzle is capped.

Exactly! We shut everything down and then run blowers once fuelling is done. We get the required 4 minutes before I fire the boat back up.

 

[GrandMaster]

Exactly! We shut everything down and then run blowers once fuelling is done. We get the required 4 minutes before I fire the boat back up.

Same here. And if I put a especially large amount of fuel in, I also open up the cabin hatches & portholes while running the blowers

 

[dwna1a]

With me, I only refuel when I am alone on the boat and only first thing in the morning, never on the weekends as there are to many....not so smart....boaters around the fuel dock. I open the genny hatch and shut the boat down. After fueling I leave the hatch open, run the blowers and go pay and pick up ice. There has been three boats that I know of burn to the water line, the last was just this weekend! That boater had no insurance and his boat was a total loss. I don't want my or another boaters rushing me to be the cause of one of your boats being damaged by a fire.

 

[Dsybok]

None of the gas docks out here have ever asked anyone to get off the boat and a couple of them are so high and made for commercial vessels that I wouldn't be comfortable asking some of my less agile passengers to debark and risk injury on the minute chance of an explosion.

 

[mvoellinger]

I pull up, shutdown the engine then the blower and then I begin to fuel. Like stated before, the intake for the bilge is right next to the fuel fill and would draw fumes IN vs venting them OUT. After fueling is done I run the blower while they run my CC, then sniff and inspect and fire her up and go on my way. Getting off the boat often isnt an option - my fuel dock is often times many feet above my boat, and the only way safely up is to grab onto the rail along the dock which is pitted steel that has turned brown. In the hot summer fl sun, it can easily be over 120F, and is just downright nasty to touch. Nor have I ever seen ANYONE at the fuel dock disembark all their passengers here.

 

[CV-23]

I run our gas dock and the most important thing I read here is to ground the gas nozzle to boat before filling. I pump about 7,000 gallons a season in all types of boats. Many small/pontoon boats are not designed right and don't take on gas very well and I've been sprayed a few times with fuel. Having all hatches closed is a good thing and running the blower a minute before you leave (done fueling) is good also. The only real way a boat blows up is a fuel leak below decks that is not detected and a spark occurs. Of course not smoking while fueling is a huge one. A stagnant air/humid day is the most dangerous but we always have a breeze so that's not an issue. Our gas pump on the dock has no power....just a meter. Having no electric on the dock and power/pump on shore makes a pretty safe setup. Only a 6 volt relay is on the dock pump that operates the main pump. Boat fueling is only dangerous when fuel is leaking into the boat instead of on the ground with cars. Vapors in the cabin with a smoker or open flame would also be a big mistake. Your nose is the best safety tool when fueling a boat. I fuel my boat alone (before guests come) but we do not make people get off their boats while fueling it. I open my ER hatches everytime I'm on the boat to check for water and fluid/fuel leaks. If you respect gasoline for what it is, you'll be ok just watch for leaks, Mike.