Sometime during almost every passage, I hear that someoneís engine died
after going through all of their fuel filter inventory and clogging up their
injectors. I towed a boat into Bermuda this spring with exactly this problem.
News Sunday, May 7, 2006 Contact us
Yachts towed into Island
Two yachts had to be towed into St. Georgeís harbour after suffering engine failure yesterday.
The first was a UK-registered 31-foot sailboat called the Sea Gypsy which had sailed from St. Maarten and was on its way to the Azores. It requested assistance shortly before midday as it arrived off Bermuda. It was eventually towed in by the US-registered sailboat Kimberlite which noticed the yacht was in trouble as it was making its way out of St. Georgeís Harbour.
The gunk that STICKS to the bottom of an American made fuel tank will
not be removed by simply circulating the fuel through another filter system.
the trouble happens offshore when a boat really starts rocking and rolling
and breaks up the sludge on the bottom of the tank.
Most USA systems use a pickup tube that is anywhere from 3/4" to 2" off the bottom of the tank. This leaves a lot of room for sludge.
I always polished my tank on my old boat by making a wand out of soft copper
Tubing and using that as a pickup I sweep the bottom of the tank and then through a Racor turbine filter and a Jabsco Vane pump. Then back into the tank.
This is all accomplished through the fuel gauge hole. To get around the baffles you need inspection ports.
My current boat is European and the fuel comes off of the Bottom of the Tank thus no crud buildup. Incidentally BioBor and such products Just kill the bacteria etc and leaves more gunk in the tank.
I also have a pre filter system where I pump my incoming fuel through a
Humongous Racor filter and then through a 16gpm pump and into the tank.
Thus no water to grow bacteria.
If you would like to see a pix of this E-mail- me at Kimberlite@optonline.net
Amel Super Maramu #376 Kimberlite