Storing Fuel for Long Crossing

[simonpickard]

Hello all,

Hope this is the correct place to post this.
I'm about to do the ARC rally and was wondering about fuel and the storage thereof.

I've seen a few boats around with masses of plastic fuel cans lashed onto the rails but was wondering if there are any other ways?

I've seen you can get, for example, fuel bladders that are small when not in use. Just wondering if anyone uses things like that, or any other ideas, or if I should just buy 20 fuel cans.

Regards,
Simon

[a64pilot]

When the day comes, I'm going the bladder route, but then I'm used to them and like them

[simonpickard]

Never had any issues with them leaking, etc?
I'd love to go that route as well as storage wise it seems like a win win to me.
Can I ask what brand you've used?

Regards,
Simon

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Hello all,

Hope this is the correct place to post this.
I'm about to do the ARC rally and was wondering about fuel and the storage thereof.

I've seen a few boats around with masses of plastic fuel cans lashed onto the rails but was wondering if there are any other ways?

I've seen you can get, for example, fuel bladders that are small when not in use. Just wondering if anyone uses things like that, or any other ideas, or if I should just buy 20 fuel cans.

Regards,
Simon

Depends.. are you running a Gen for power.. engine.. or are you wind/solar...
Personally I'd think 6 25L cans/drums should be adequate.. your not going to be that short on wind this year methinks...

[simonpickard]

We're a small, simple(isn), boat so no gen. We have solar that will hopefully (once I get it all looked into) cover most of our needs. It's doing pretty well already during the day.

So I guess fuel is carried mostly to recharge batteries? Not motor on no wind days / try to get out of the way of bad weather?

Your wind comment worries me slightly.. Have you seen some 60 day forecast I should know about?

[hellosailor]

Simon-
Many folks just don't trust bladders, aka blivets. If they are improperly handled or stored, they will be punctured and leak fuel. Also, they tend to be way more expensive than jugs, and jugs are easier to carry down the road to wherever the nearest fuel supply might be.
Properly installed bladders down below to hold fuel, great idea. if they are properly installed, and if you have a good way to fill and empty them as well.

[a64pilot]

My experience is with Blivets, military ones usually for fuel, but at Camp Doha in Kuwait we had a huge one, probably 50,000 gl for water.
Also I've used the for ferry fuel tanks in aircraft, hence the trust of them, but if you can get by with 50 gls or less, you don't need one, but 20 5 gl cans I don't want.

[thinwater]

How and where do you secure said bladder. If it holds, say, 50 gallons, that's 450 pounds that could fly around. In the cockpit (no)? In the cabin (no)? On the fore deck (no)? On the cabin roof (lotsa wieght high)? In a specific dedicated and WELL reinforced cabinet with purpose installed tiedown points? Only the latter makes sense to me. And you will need a transfer pump.

It is not that I distrust bladders. I've seen them on large powerboats (lashed to the aft cockpit floor) and used them in the oil field. But they are heavy and contain fuel. While jerry cans are a mess, you can always jetison them if things get harry, and MTs can go anywhere.

I'm intersted in the answer.

[a64pilot]

How big is your boat? Engine? fuel tank?
Be hard to guess how much extra you amy need without knowing that

[simonpickard]

Boat is a Hanse 385 37'.
Fuel tank is 160l
Engine is a volvo 30hp which uses about 1.7l per hour. So we get 85ish hours out of the tank.



Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

[a64pilot]

I'd secure one on the foredeck, 100 gl of fuel is 680 lbs, assuming Diesel and JetA are the same weight, bladder shouldn't be more than 100 lbs. Less than four people, plus the weight per sq ft is way less than four people
Sort of a mute point in that 100 gls of fuel weigh the same in one big container or 20 smaller ones
If I felt for some reason I had to jettison it, just take a knife and slit it open I guess.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Boat is a Hanse 385 37'.
Fuel tank is 160l
Engine is a volvo 30hp which uses about 1.7l per hour. So we get 85ish hours out of the tank.



Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

See with that small a motor, I don't think you need that much extra fuel, I think Boatman is right

[roetter]

Tying fuel cans to the deck will change the stability of the boat. It may roll a lot more and make the ride more uncomfortable. You will have following seas and follwoing winds most of the way, which like to roll the boat from side to side.

We ran our engines for about 24 hours during the ARC2012 and could have done with much less. At the end some of the crew had no patience and wanted to keep the boat speed above 7 knots at ALL times.

As a backup I would consider a Honda 2000i generator. You plug it into the shore power and charge with your shore charger. I hope you have a beefy one.
You would rely on your alternator and solar only. Friends of mine loast their generator and two alternators during the same crossing. They went black-ship for 10 days. They relied on a handheld GPS for once a day location update.

[simonpickard]

Ouch.
Black ship doesn't sound like much fun.

I do have a complete backup solution for the grab bag that charges from a portable solar panel to USB.
So USB VHF. Sat phone. IPhone /iPad for nav. Etc.




Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

[MarkJ]

I dont really like them on deck cos I wonder if a wave hit them it would take out all the life lines. Not that I have heard of that happening.

My lazarrete is huge. The largest number I've taken is 13 gerrys of diesel, 2 petrol and 1 water for a total of 16 gerrys.
That was for the Gulf of Aden where we knew we would be motoring for ages.

After that I cut down to 6 diesel. Which is what I did the Atlantic with last time. Thefirst week was calm so I used too much fuel... But I thought when the trades kick in I wold be fine so I used it all and only left 100nms of fuel.

I had to generator with the engine twice per night cos my battery bank was shot I was heading fo a chandlery! Lol

Anyway, I think you are fine with about 6 plus your tank, which is the same size as my tank.

One of my mates uses 1,300 litres every crossing. Does he ever sail?

Ooops! 6 was what Boatman suggested.. So I better say you only need 5


Mark