Camperback and Fuel smell?

greencatdude2

greencatdude2

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2024
Messages
8
Reaction score
3
Location
Buffalo, NY
C Dory Year
2004
C Dory Model
16 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Mostly Harmless
I've seen a number of nice looking C-Dory camper backs for even the C-Dory 16 Cruisers, but am wondering how the fumes/smell from the gas tanks are dealt with?

When I use the dock cover for the cockpit I can smell a gas smell when removing the cover.

The tanks are probably original Honda 6 gallons with a twist-vent on the caps, and non-working gauges. I think newer caps might help cut down on the smell, but all tanks tend to smell a little.

Do the camper backs enclose gas tanks inside the expanded "cabin" area? Or do they have an internal flap that seals the enclosed part of the cockpit off with where fuel tanks are?

I'm thinking of getting some sort of enclosure for my adventures next summer, and would appreciate any information or advice.

Thanks in advance!
-Scott
 
Your gas smell could also be caused by bad seals on the fuel hose connections between tank & engine. That was the case when we bought our C Dory. Even though the tank and connections were new. The connector was the wrong type and had been installed poorly. Once fixed, no more smell.
 
On my CD22, the fuel filler hoses cracked in S bends from the fill to the tank. Gas would leak around the outboard face of the tank, down between the tank and the hull. Only when it got to the point where I could see liquid running down the side of the cockpit while filling the tanks did I figure out where the fuel odor was coming from.
 
Our filler hose was installed incorrectly. It was two inches short, and came off the filler nipple. We pumped gas into our starboard bilge for yeara before I discovered the reason.
 
I would advise anyone that has a boat to check all of your hosing, from the fill to the outlet. When I bought my 2003 model CD22 in 2015, the hoses were cracked on the outside, and you could see bits of black stuff, probably deteriorating fuel hose, in the filter housing. I replaced all fuel hosing shortly after I purchased the boat. Everything was readily accessible with the CD22, and only required removing clamps, cutting and placing new hose, and tightening clamps. I doubled clamps wherever I could. I also replaced the smaller hoses again this spring, as I was seeing that same black stuff again. My father never had such a problem with his boat on the Chesapeake Bay, but I think rubber hose is deteriorated more quickly with ethanol-spiked gasoline, which is about all we can get easily nowadays in WA state. I never had fuel smells except when transferring fuel, or hooking up to additional tanks. If you smell fuel when operating your motor, it seems to me to be a serious safety issue, and you should immediately check the condition of everything.
 
Nowadays everything should be ethanol compatible. However, if you have an older boat some of the hoses may date from before ethanol compatibility was required.
 
Sorry if this is wordy, but I think it is important, as people are smelling raw gas when operating their boats.

As a retired research scientist (>40 years) that purchased and dealt with millions of dollars of crazy expensive, "state-of-the-art" electronics, hydraulics, and other gear, I would never say "never", "always", or "everything". With genuine respect, when you say "everything" should be.....I think of tires from recent personal experience. Ram sold me an $85K 3500 truck with "E" rated tires where one tire bulged after a few thousand miles and nowhere near the max load. I replaced all five tires, and a few months later there was a general recall on the entire series of tires. Putting dangerous tires on this otherwise wonderful vehicle could have cost some people their lives, but Dodge did it anyway on this critical part to save a few $.

It'd be nice if we could trust that everything sold would be as advertised and fuel lines should certainly be compatible with ethanol nowadays, and probably they are. My relatively new Honda 100 has a warning "do not use fuel with >10% ethanol". When I bought new fuel line hosing 10-y ago, I had several options, and I went with higher rated, a bit more expensive. Thus, I was basing my purchase on ratings. I don't know if that was a good decision. I noticed at about 10 years I was getting black crap from the fuel line deteriorating internally in the filter housing again. I replaced it again this Spring.

I've purchased circuit breakers rated at 300 Amps that trip at 60 or don't trip at all. That includes Blue Seas. I test everything I can. I only buy Anchor wiring for the potentially higher quality, but I build for and test voltage loss on anything I install for <3% at max amps just to be sure, and check all of my wiring and fuel lines at the beginning of each season. Will Prowse has made a living out of tearing open and testing the stated performance of lithium batteries and other electronic equipment. It is clear from his work that companies often cut corners and sometimes outright lie.

One of the great things about a C-dory is the openness of the structure and the ability to easily access, check the condition of, and replace wiring, hosing, clamps, etc. Owners should take checking out everything they can to heart or have someone else do it. Just looking at things is much more difficult with, say, a Bayliner, than a C-Dory. That was a major reason I wanted this C-Dory.
 
I agree with Rob.
First of all, your nose is more sensitive for identifying gas leaks than most equipment.

If you can't test the equipment yourself make sure there is a good warranty on the product, the company has been around for a while and has a record of fulfilling its warranties. A product may claim a lengthy warranty but the company (especially Chinese) may not respond to claims.

This is especially true for lithium batteries, and the internet is full of such complaints. I, like most folks, don't have fancy testing equipment but there are a few inexpensive items I have in my toolbox. First is a good multimeter that can measure voltage, resistance, and current. For DC I like to use a clamp meter that just clamps around a cable. When buying a new 12 V LiFePO4 battery I check it out with a simple battery checker from an auto parts store that uses resistance. These will draw 50 or 100 amps [but don't rely on the other information such as "replace" battery]. Most battery specifications say their maximum discharge rate is 1C (the current in amps as a function of the AH). A 100AH LiFePO4 battery should have maximum discharge rate of 100A. With my DC clamp meter I can determine if the battery is actually discharging at 100A when I turn on the battery tester, and the volt meter will tell me if the voltage sag at that current draw is reasonable and within spec (if you can find that number). To measure voltage drop in your cables use your multimeter to measure the resistance of your full wire length.

A simple equation will then let you calculate your voltage drop in a cable. V =IR - voltage (drop) equals the current in amps x the resistance in ohms in the wire.
 
Agreed on all accounts...
 
I've got some great advice on possibly reducing gas smells, but does any one have experience with the camper backs and if they enclose the area where the fuel tanks sit on a C-Dory 16?
 
Back
Top