52: Extra Diesel

[meolo]

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask you where do you store the extra diesel for the crossings in your lagoons? We have a 52 F. I think the best place is the forward cockpit. Has anyone put it there?
Thanks
Meolo

[BillKny]

Originally Posted by meolo

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask you where do you store the extra diesel for the crossings in your lagoons? We have a 52 F. I think the best place is the forward cockpit. Has anyone put it there?
Thanks
Meolo

How much “extra” do you think you need and why? You do
Have a SAILboat.

[meolo]

Originally Posted by BillKny

How much “extra” do you think you need and why? You do
Have a SAILboat.

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought about having a sailboat.
For crossing, from west to est sailing further south of Bermuda.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by meolo

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought about having a sailboat.
For crossing, from west to est sailing further south of Bermuda.

BillKny was being cynical. His point, apparently not worth considering by yourself, is:

Since you have a sailboat, and other than stacked up looking like a wedding cake, a rather nice one apparently (Lagoon 52?) why do you think you need to carry extra fuel over the rather humungous internal tankage? How many miles of motoring does your tankage get you? And supplanted by sailing, isn't that enough? Because, with a nice sailboat like that, you should be able to turn off the motor leaving port south of Bermuda and sail the whole way. Were you planning on motoring the whole way?

[BillKny]

Originally Posted by meolo

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought about having a sailboat.
For crossing, from west to est sailing further south of Bermuda.

I am sorry if my attempt at humor was poorly done, but I was trying to start a serious discussion. “Extra” fuel is sometimes nice to have, but it comes with risks and costs. The amount of extra fuel you want to carry makes a big difference on how and where you will store it.

It is not rare for extra fuel in jugs to be contaminated by water. You think you have it, and then find out it is not usable. Extra fuel carries a risk of spillage. Extra fuel means extra weight. Extra weight can have a significant impact on performance of any boat, but especially a cat.

From the Northeast to Bermuda, to the eastern Caribbean is a pretty straightforward sail, with a bit of planning and smart weather routing you’ll not sit in calms for days. It’s about 1500 miles, what fraction of that do you plan on motoring?

So, I’ll ask again, in a bit more detail:
What’s the motoring range of your boat with full tanks?
How much extra range do you want to carry fuel to make?
How many gallons will that be?

[meolo]

I expressed myself badly, English is not my mother tongue. I have to leave the Bahamas and arrive on the Spanish coast. directly without stopping. no Bermuda, no Azores. That's more than 3600 nautical miles. probably close to actual 4000. Maybe a little extra fuel would help. I am perfectly familiar with the problems associated with carrying extra fuel. The question was addressed to the owners of Lagoon 52 who had loaded extra diesel fuel. If there are no owners, never mind.

[jbinbi]

The thing that is great about this forum is that there is no shortage of people who have no problems telling you how you sail is incorrect, and let you know the proper way to do so ;-) But never answer your question.

My 380 was way smaller and carried 30 gal on each side, 60 total (I think it was actually 33, but always want a bit in reserve). In up to 2-3' seas, I could motor on a single engine at about 5-6kts, using 0.75 gal/hr. So I had about 400 mi of range, though I would need to figure on needing both engines at times, so was thinking very conservatively of about 350.

I had two lockers on each side of the mast that were deep and drained to the outside of the boat, one was for windlass/chain. We put an extra 5gal in each side. Could have easily put 10 gal each side. I know others who considered putting a fuel bladder, but for my boat, at 18k lbs, I didn't want to put too much wt forward of center of gravity. The water tanks were in that locker, 70 gal on each side, 500 lbs each, 1k lbs in total.

I think you have like 250 gallons total, even on a single engine you probably burn 2-3 gph, but if you can do 6kts, you have a range of 500 mi? I would think you could add the weight of another 50-100 gallons. Do you care if it is lashed down outside, or can it be in a locker?

Many boats coming to NA from Lagoon try to figure out how to get to Bermuda, about 600 mi short of the coast, and fill up there again. But my dealer tells me that many boats without extra fuel fall short of making it there if they are becalmed for more than a few days. Many 35 to 45 day journeys instead of 20 to 30 days. I understand why you ask.

[nextis12]

I have a Lagoon 42 and used a 75g fuel bladder. It fit between the legs of the cockpit table and was easy to secure and out of the way, for the most part. I thought the fuel bladder better than 15 - 20 jerry cans.

Of course this disqualifies me from being considered a real sailor by many, but given the circumstances of heading north in June off of the west coast of Baja California (aka the baja bash), potential storms/hurricanes and with 500 miles in-between fuel I wanted a safety margin. Also, I admit below 4-5kn and I'm quick to fire up the motors.

[Snore]

The front cockpit is spiffy for the islands and stinks offshore. On a crossing, if it were my boat, I would install a deck cover on it..

There are two reasons to cover it. First a cover would reduce the volume of water that can accumulate there (yes it has drains). Second - when things get ‘sporty’, I have fallen into those @#$ cockpits! Imagine yourself out there in rough seas, now imagine it is dark…. There are enough challenges going forward without a Burmese tiger trap on deck.

Forward is not a good spot to place heavy things you will need. Why place something heavy far away from the need (fuel filler)?

IMHO the smart place to carry extra fuel on a cat, is to lash the cans across the stern rail. This keeps them accessible and close to the need. I use a jiggle siphon to transfer the fuel. One has to break the flash guard (remember this is diesel fuel so stable) to use the siphon, but you never make a mess.

If you get a jiggle siphon and extend the hose, you can refill your tank without unleashing the individual cans.

[jbinbi]

Originally Posted by nextis12

I have a Lagoon 42 and used a 75g fuel bladder. It fit between the legs of the cockpit table and was easy to secure and out of the way, for the most part. I thought the fuel bladder better than 15 - 20 jerry cans.

Of course this disqualifies me from being considered a real sailor by many, but given the circumstances of heading north in June off of the west coast of Baja California (aka the baja bash), potential storms/hurricanes and with 500 miles in-between fuel I wanted a safety margin. Also, I admit below 4-5kn and I'm quick to fire up the motors.

Great boat, the 42. Bladder is definitely better than 15 5 gal cans. We just carried 2 with the hope that the extra 60mi would be a safety factor.

Brave man admitting on this forum you motorsailed if doing under 4kts. (Though I bet that is the majority of the forum, just afraid of being vocal ;-)

[Snore]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

Great boat, the 42. Bladder is definitely better than 15 5 gal cans. We just carried 2 with the hope that the extra 60mi would be a safety factor.

Brave man admitting on this forum you motorsailed if doing under 4kts. (Though I bet that is the majority of the forum, just afraid of being vocal ;-)

Thanks, great post I learned something today!!

For an owner who plans on doing frequent crossings a bladder is a great purchase. Does it fit below when cruising about?

[nextis12]

Originally Posted by Snore

Thanks, great post I learned something today!!



For an owner who plans on doing frequent crossings a bladder is a great purchase. Does it fit below when cruising about?

That is another advantage in that it rolls up to a and can be stowed away. Also it can be located closer to the center line of the boat.

Not that I would put 15 jerry cans on the boat, it just replaces the equivalent. Smaller sizes are available too.