Fumes!

1975 Southwind 20 closed bow / escort 351W.   I am having a real problem with gas fumes in the boat. Does anyone else have a similar issue or HAD a similar issue. I can't seem to find the culprit. There are no gas leaks anywhere that I have been able to find. Turning the blower on doesn't seem to make any significant difference. Can someone offer me some insight? I'd surely appreciate it.

Orlando76 wrote: Fumes as in burnt gas or Unburnt gas?

These are raw gas fumes.

8122pbrainard wrote: John, At the engine or aft by the tank? Does the bilge blower pull air out of the bilge and then out the vent?

To be honest, it's hard to say exactly where it's coming from. It's really strong all over the boat, at the helm, underfoot near the bow, at the stern seat and everywhere in between. My eyes were watering when I took her out on Saturday, and one passenger had to be taken back to shore due to a bad headache.
I believe the blower pulls draws from stern blower (fan), and pulls air from the bow vents, into the bilge or engine compartment and out the rear vent.

8122pbrainard wrote: John, I'd suggest a bilge flush first. Get the garden hose out and start adding water all over in the bilge. while running the bilge pump. (get the battery charger connected so you don't run the battery down). Let the bilge dry out and then start the "hunt".

Okay, I will do that right away. Is there any kind of spray cleaner that would be safe for that area that I could add to the hose? Simple green or anything to cut through any old engine fluids that water may not get loose?

As for cleaning bulge I always used hot water and Tide laundry detergent. More intelligent people might say Tide is hard on hoses and wires but we’ve been doing it for over 40 years now.

Orlando76 wrote: Hold off on the battery charger part if fumes are as bad as you say.

Todd,
Good thinking. Thanks.

Okay, So based on this information, the steps to take:
1) Don't Blow up
2) Dawn and hose to clean and spray out bilge area
3) Pull stern seat and bulkhead to inspect filler tube and gas tank connections
4) inspect direct fuel lines and connections

Does that bulkhead head easily remove?

Just to be clear, fumes are there with boat off correct? Bulkhead should be a dozen screws, I never pulled one on a SW. I wouldn’t pull floor just yet.

So update. I cleaned the bilge out. pulled the back seat. There is no bulkhead. Once the back-pad of the rear seat comes off, the fuel tank was exposed. I took the filler tube off and I believe that I found the problem. The P.O. had taken quite a large piece of what looked like braided stainless steel cable an ran it from end to end of the filler tube on the outside and attaching it with hose clamps. at each end though he tucked the remaining steel cable into the filler tube and pressed it on to the fuel tank neck, up over the fuel fill point neck. so essentially there was the filler tube with a fat piece of steel between it and making a tight seal on the tank. So when I was fueling up, I had raw fuel leaking out into the bilge area, and if I filled it all the way up, then any fuel that was in the fuel hose just ran down the side of the gas tank. I replaced the fuel tubing between the tank and the external fuel point and hope that will fix my fumes issue. I will be taking it out this weekend to see if that solves my issue.

Once question though. I can only deduce that the P.O. had put that cable there as a ground to the tank. Was that a necessary precaution?

John,
One more thought. Heavy cable is not needed. Your normal 16-18 gauge wire is good.

How big was the SS braided cable? I’m kinda thinking anything less than a 14ga and good hose and clamp would conform around it, No?

Oh, well yeah 8 would create a gap.

Hmm.. didn't think about lightning... maybe I should put it back...

Problem solved. Took her out this weekend, and there were no fumes, even after filling the tank at the marina. So problem solved. Thanks for everyone's help.

I did have another question though, I don't know if I should start another thread. How much water is normal in the bilge of a Southwind 20?

GottaSki wrote: As a rule I prefer to hunt down and address all sources of bilge water. Then if i see water, i'm certain something is amiss.

So no bilge water is the appropriate amount of bilge water. Okay. I have search then.   For a boat that apparently had no issues when I purchased it, it has a new one every time I take it out. This last outing to check my repair on the fuel tank I noticed a pretty heavy amount of bilge water, I pumped it out, thinking nothing of it. When I pulled the boat out of the water, I popped the engine cover to remove the drain plug, and it was pretty full again, so I am taking on water from someplace.