Diesel on the hip

[JebLostInSpace]

I've seen several boats around that have lashed jerry cans on top of the cabin, between the mast and the dodger. These always look pretty good to me, but I've never seen them up close to really understand how they are lashed up.

It seems better than lashing on the rail, because the tanks are inboard (centerline), higher off the water (depending on how much the cabin is raised off the side decks), not affixed to any safety gear like lifelines, and don't consume space on the side-decks.

Has anybody seen this system or something similar up close? It's not clear to me how the cans are lashed. Usually there is a board running across the top of the row of cans, and the ends of the board are lashed downward to some hard-point on deck. Are there drawbacks to this system that I'm overlooking? Why is this so much less common than lashing cans to the rails?

[SSgtPitt]

We have 1x6 pine boards u-bolted to the stanchions. We used regular bungies and rope to secure the 5 gal water, diesel and gasoline jugs to the boards.
After crossing the Gulf of Mexico in November, the jugs ended up in the cockpit.
This season we’re ditching the pine for SS tubing. The “Forever Bungies” are worth their weight in gold and perform as advertised. The wave hits the can and the bungies keep everything nice and tight. The rope, individual piece for each can, is added insurance in case they come loose.
We also learned better weather planning. NEVER cross the Gulf of Mexico in November. ;-)

[sanibel sailor]

My gasoline arrangement

[slug]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

My gasoline arrangement

Looks seaman like

A drip tray around the bottom is a nice detail

A drop of diesel on deck is treacherous