A work-around keeps the boat in service
Issue 83: March/April 2012
The diesel tank on my 1968 Seafarer was in need of repair. I had to cut it open to clean it and also had to replace the fuel lines. It was going to take some time to accomplish the work and I wanted to use the boat while this was going on.
Getting the boat in and out of the slip and avoiding commercial traffic is sometimes a challenge without an engine. So I could use the engine for maneuvering in and out of the harbor, I made a temporary fuel tank by modifying a 6-gallon plastic outboard tank.
The only addition required was an insert for the fuel-return line. I bent a length of 1⁄4 -inch copper tubing to a suitable shape and soldered it to a 2-inch x 2-inch copper plate. The tubing extends through the plate about 1 inch. I drilled a hole in the tank and attached the plate with stainless-steel sheet-metal screws, using silicone as a sealant. The outer end of the copper tube is held rigid with a clamp that I attached with one of the fasteners that secure the fuel pickup and gauge plate to the tank top.
I removed the outboard hose connection on the tank and replaced it with a hose barb. I purchased two diesel-rated fuel hoses long enough to reach from the tank to the inlet on the fuel pump of my Yanmar diesel and the return line connection.
In use, I set the tank in the cabin on the settee so that it’s higher than the engine. This makes it easy to clear the air out of the system.
My auxiliary tank system takes just minutes to connect. I could also use it to carry extra fuel if I sealed the open return tube by clamping a short hose between the return tube and the feed-hose barb.
Larry Schremmer has owned his 1968 Seafarer since 1985. He has been messing about with good old boats, power and sail, for 50 years and sails his Seafarer out of New Haven, Connecticut, on Long Island Sound.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
