On-Deck Fuel Storage

[dave6330]

Other than esthetics and mobility (hampering movement forward), are there any other pitfalls with storing fuel cans on deck along the port and starbard lifelines? My Omega only has a 22 Gal tank and we're contemplating an extended (well, extended for us) cruise in PWS next summer and am considering options to extend my fuel capacity.

[AjariBonten]

5 gallons of diesel sloshing around the deck and cockpit after taking a big wave?

Other than that, no problem.

Not being a smarta$$; just been there/done that .............

[sailingdog]

The key thing is to keep them lashed down securely and to protect the jerry cans from sunlight. The UV attacks the plastic that most of them are made out of, and you really don't want metal ones.

[AboardIndigo]

Hey SD - is there a reason (other than aesthetics, weight, etc.) to go with the plastic rather than the metal fuel cans? I inherited an old metal one with the boat, but am open to replacing it if need be.

Any issues I should be particularly concerned about?

[Boasun]

The steel Jerry cans will rust on your nice shinny fiberglass boat. Unless you have them on chocks.

[sailingdog]

Basically what Boasun said... also, they're not as reliable as a plastic ones, provided the plastic ones have been protected from the sun. Finally, metal ones dent and stay dented, the plastic ones can generally be convinced to go back to their original shape and volume.

[xort]

When you pick a location, consider what might attack your fuel cans there. Spinaker pole loose on deck? A wayward bow pulpit from another boat? Heat from the BBQ grill? Lines led aft?
Who knows, but try to imagine anything that might take a whack at your plastic cans and think about how to deal with that. While armor plating might be a bit extreme, there might be some reasonable efforts made to protect them. Perhaps place a rafting board along the outside against the rails?

[sailboy21]

dave6330, double or single lower shrouds? I've seen people last them to lifel ines on foredecks, lashed to the mast, all sorts of craziness. People cruising from Mexico often have flexible clear plastic filled with cheapo Mex fuel.. Someone was trying to give 40 gallons away in Hawaii and no one would take it!
Here is what worked for me through some nasty stuff:

[Omatako]

On a trip of 6000 miles I had boards lashed to the stanchions and plastic 25 litre plastic "cans" of fuel and water lashed to the boards. We sailed in a lot of bad seas and the problems we had were:

- Cans moving almost imperceptily at first, fidgetted away on the deck and did susbstantial damage on the non-skid.

- Eventually they loosened the stanchions in their mountings and started moving more and more.

- At one place the cans were on the ends of the jib car tracks and the tracks started to work loose with associated problems of stripped screws and water leaks.

The things that survived best were the plastic cans!! They showed no sign of wear.

Once we became aware of these problems we ensured that we decanted the liquids into their respective tanks at the earliest opportunity to make the cans as light as they could be.

If I did this again I would make up some sort of shallow timber tray with decent securing methods to bolt the tray to the toe rail to contain the cans and stop the fidgetting and movement. A 25 litre can is quite heavy and the inertia of the can when the boat is jumping around is considerable.

But I have to add that I will go to great lengths to have storage of additional liquids anywhere but on deck.

Andre

[Idiens]

Horrible top weight.

I wonder about the choice of storing ropes and sails in bags (or something else less dense) on deck verses heavy fuel containers. Then when the containers are empty, reverse the positions. Keep the heaviest stuff low down.