BoatUS News: Newest Portable Fuel Tanks a Hazard
NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
The newest fuel portable fuel tanks require installation of a fuel demand valve and BoatUS shows you how.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Boaters Find Newest Portable Outboard Fuel Tanks Not All They’re Cracked Up to Be:
Installing Fuel-Demand Valve Wise Move
BoatUS Video Shows You How
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 30, 2015 ‘“ Owners with outboard powered boats have lived with portable fuel tanks for years, but recent well-intentioned efforts to stop smog-causing gas fumes from escaping by eliminating the familiar two-way vent is causing new concerns. Without a vent ‘“ typically a small screw type fixture on the tank’s cap or top ‘“ a portable tank can swell up like a balloon in the hot sun with the internal pressure forcing gas into the outboard where it can spew inside the cowling, eventually dribbling out. It’s a wise move to install an inexpensive fuel-demand valve in the fuel line that will prevent any gas from reaching the motor unless the motor calls for it, and BoatUS has a video and easy to follow instructions to show you how.
`Our members are telling us that the new tanks aren’t all they are cracked up to be,’ said BoatUS Magazine Executive Editor Mike Vatalaro. `These new EPA compliant portable tanks and jerry jugs have special fittings that greatly reduce evaporative emissions from gasoline. But where traditional tanks simply vent to the atmosphere, the new tanks won’t vent until the internal pressure reaches five pounds per square inch. In the meantime, fuel could be forced up the fuel line into the outboard, many of which have no means to hold it back.’
`Leaving the tank disconnected just results in the same gush of gas once you do hook it up, either from the tank end or through the engine,’ added Vatalaro. `Installing an inexpensive fuel-demand valve in the fuel line will prevent any gas from reaching the motor unless the motor calls for it.’ The video and instructions can be found at:
BoatUS.com/installfueldemandvalve
The video was done in partnership with the American Boat & Yacht Council (abycinc.com) and is part of BoatUS Magazine’s Practical Boater series that offers skills building, techniques and best practices to get the most out of boating.
About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.
Comments from Cruisers (3)
Obviously, the pig “attacked” Rose for food. I don’t believe I mis-stated or inaccurately reported what occurred. We too, have visited the pigs at Big Major Spot on many occasions, and have seen other unwary cruisers injured while innocently feeding the pigs. I don’t have to remind you, or maybe I do, that emergency medical assistance in the Bahamas is extremely limited. A small child may not have fared as well as Rose during such an incident. The pigs are cute but can be aggressive, causing serious life threatening injuries to the inexperienced cruiser. My point was to warn readers to keep their distance and to make sure to stay in water deep enough that the pigs cannot touch bottom, if one decides to feed them. I have personally witnessed them climb into dingys in shallow water and “attack” the occupants in their search for food…doing what pigs do.
We all hope that Rose from M/V Roamalot is recovering from her injuries sustained by a pig bit at Big Majors. As cruisers, we never like to hear about anyone injured. But the article, as submitted, mis-states the issue. We have been to Big Majors on numerous occasions, and we have fed the pigs, and we have seen hundreds of people feed the pigs. It is just not accurate to characterize what happened as saying that the pig “attacked” someone. The pigs at Big Majors don’t attack people, they just eat. Have you ever fed a dog a piece of food, and your hand or fingers get nipped in the process? The dog didn’t bite or attack you – your fingers or hand just happened to be in the way of their getting at what they want, that is, the food. Sure, we’ve seen people get into situations at Pig Beach — and it’s when they are holding a bag of food near themselves, usually while they are standing in the water, and the pig wants to get at the food. To call it an “attack” is just wrong. Even Rose, early in the video, recognized that she might be bitten. We hope she recovers fully.
Greg Allard
M/V Meander
Duh. These are wild, feral pigs. Anyone who has ever hunted wild pigs knows that they can be vicious!