Fuel Line and Tank

Dear All,

I had the enjoyable experience of pumping approximately 18 gallons of diesel fuel from the tank yesterday and then cleaning the tank.  I have two questions:  there is a nipple at the bottom of the tank which is accessable near the drive shaft which had a clear water hose attached to it; what should this be; e.g., is it a valve?  And, from the picture you will see that the fuel hose at the top of the tank needs replacement; is there a reason for it to be curved or can I run a straight hose to the tank?

Chris Mabel's Casse Tete

Dirty Tank

Clean tank

Fuel Hose

Chris, not definate but the nipple could be used for draining off any accumulated sludge in the tanks.

Many of my friends with more modern yachts have this arrangment and its a god send if you go cruising to be able to clear out the sludge every so often.

John B Swan 411 010  

Hi John,

Yes, I believe that is the purpose.  I was wondering if others had one and if the nipple had a valve.  It's unclear from what I can see.  Obviously a valve would be helpful.  The previous owner attached a clear hose to the nipple and then raised it above the top of the tank, held in place by a bracket.  Not ideal.

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris:

Yes that is the tank drain on the tank bottom located theoretically at the low point. Mine is located at the bottom aft end of the tank on the starboard side. After I had cleaned the tank I installed a small ball valve there with with a hose barb so one can drain away any sediment that ends up in the tank.

Be careful not to install too heavy or long a valve there otherwise you may end up super imposing a bending stress to the tank drain fitting weld from the valve assembly torquing the drain fitting.

I manually install a short piece of plastic hose to the valve every year to drain away about a pint of fuel from the tank. I am pretty careful with fuel purchase and storage so I rarely see any sediment or microbes in the fuel that I drain out.

Regards,

Hiro

Dear Hiro,

Thank you for your reply.  I will examine the current fitting carefully.  It currently has a nipple attached to a fitting, which is not completely visible.  It's hard to understand that someone would go to the effort to place the nipple but not install a valve.  I am wondering if the valve is there without the handle - I will check and get back to you.

CHris

Hi,

On my boat I also have a take-off at the bottom of the tank, which as John B. mentioned, is a real bonus for cruisers.  24 hours after I fill my tank (I give time for water etc. to go to the bottom), I drain off a pint and throw it away too.    If the boat has been standing for a long period I will drain off a pint to get rid of water from condensation. 

The clear hose running up the tank that Chris mentioned is probably marked and was used as a fuel gauge.  (I would suggest only turn on the valve when you want to know the level of fuel, don't leave it open all the time.)

Happy sailing

David 43/12

Dear David,

I have a water separator filter (Racor) filter after the tank, but your suggestion is a very good one!

Fair winds!

matteo(38/067 Only You)

Dear Members,
Thank you all for your informed replies - most helpful.
I visited the boat yesterday and determined that there is a valve upstream from the nipple. No handle. Before filling the tank I will need to determine which position is closed and then mark it. Removal seemed very difficult and probably not worth the effort.

I have removed the fill hose, which was in even worse shape than the picture revealed and plan to run a new hose directly to the tank - no bend. If you disagree, please let me know.

Finally, the nipple at the top of the fill hose, or screwed to the bottom of the SS Diesel Fuel Fill was made of gray pvc - is this acceptable?

Thanks for all your help.

Chris Mabel's Casse Tete 43/003

Chris:

I do not know what ABYC says about pvc at the fill point but I would opt for a cast metal fill assembly.
I have included photo of my fill hose. You can see it in the background.

Regards,

Hiro

Fuel Fill Hose in Background

Dear Hiro,
Thank you. I agree! Very clean area - i hope mine looks that good when finished.

Chris

HI Hiro,

I was interested to look at your hydraulic auto pilot and sensor, visible in the photo you have posted.
Please could you tell me a little about the installation, type, success etc?
I would like to fit similar to my 47 and have been wondering how much space is required.

Kind regards

Rob. Sarabande. 47/029

Hi Rob:

Actually my autopilot in the picture is a direct drive electric motor (no hydraulics)connected via a push rod to a custom bar secured across the existing steering quadrant. The direct drive motor hangs upside down under the cockpit floor over the fuel tank area and is pretty compact. I did not have a suitable location in the back of the boat so this was the compromise. Actually being in the rear quarter berth area I can keep an eye on it and keep it clean.

The direct drive unit is a Whitlock 12 volt 10amp unit connected to a Simrad brain. The unit has been in the boat for over 10 years and works well. It has plenty of power for heavy offshore use. I have used the autopilot coming back multiple times from Bermuda and it has been fine.

I believe the Whitlock unit has since been purchased by Lewmar and is now offered by Lewmar. You can see more images on this Swan web site by navigating in the "Maintenance" section under the Swan 43 section.

Happy to answer any other questions.

Regards,

Hiro

Hi Hiro,
Thanks for your reply. It is my mistake, I had misunderstood the ram to be hydraulic. But it is interesting to see the modifications to the quadrant you have made and i suppose as long as the push rod can travel freely, any angle will do. My understanding is that the movement is set to stop short of the full turn of the quadrant.
I am interested in the NKE system which has an advanced wind sensor which appears to be efficient in sailing to wind angles which is the goal I seek.
Kind regards

Rob

Hi Hiro,
Thanks for your reply. It is my mistake, I had misunderstood the ram to be hydraulic. But it is interesting to see the modifications to the quadrant you have made and i suppose as long as the push rod can travel freely, any angle will do. My understanding is that the movement is set to stop short of the full turn of the quadrant.
I am interested in the NKE system which has an advanced wind sensor which appears to be efficient in sailing to wind angles which is the goal I seek.
Kind regards

Rob

Hello ROB.
We have been using an NKE autopilot with an hydraulic ram since 1998 on our 41. It has always been working well (but has no wind sensor for the time being).
Two points to be aware of: the small hydraulic tank on the hydraulic pump should have its axis parallel to the boat's otherwise it will spill its oil when heeled(obvious but not always practical?), alternative movements of the ram are perfect to undo any screw or bolt if not properly blocked so nylstop nuts or equivalent are an imperative for the ram support.
If I remember well the B&G pilots use the same type of ram.
Happy sailing.
Philippe 41/022

Hello ROB.
We have been using an NKE autopilot with an hydraulic ram since 1998 on our 41. It has always been working well (but has no wind sensor for the time being).
Two points to be aware of: the small hydraulic tank on the hydraulic pump should have its axis parallel to the boat's otherwise it will spill its oil when heeled(obvious but not always practical?), alternative movements of the ram are perfect to undo any screw or bolt if not properly blocked so nylstop nuts or equivalent are an imperative for the ram support.
If I remember well the B&G pilots use the same type of ram.
Happy sailing.
Philippe 41/022