Gas smell in Aft Cabin

LMBoat said:
DO NOT USE A SHOP VAC ON A BOAT THAT HAS GAS FUMES! BOOM!!!
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The assumption here is the shop vac is on the deck, engine hatches are open, blowers are running, only thing going into the engine compartment is the hose. At least that's how I always did it.
 
We have rinsed it out the engine compartment with water. The smell is not just in the cabin but also when being off the boat for a while when I walk up to the cabin door before I open it, I smell it. Obviously, worse when I go below. I run the blower open the hatches and run some fans and 20 - 30 minutes the smell goes away. It is when I close up the boat that it gets stronger. My boat sits out in a covered slip. there is plenty of air circulating outside. This time when I left it I did leave a couple of the portals open. I will be going back in another week and will start with the fuel sending unit on the starboard side since that is accessed through the aft cabin, that makes sense that something isn't right there. I have never seen any fuel leaking in the engine compartment.
 
Creekwood said:
I have the same boat and there is absolutely zero gasoline smell on my boat and that includes in the bilge itself (and my boat has carburetors).

Start by taking out all of the cushions in the aft cabin and sniffing in the storage that is under the seats. Smell inside the floor hatches too. There should be no gasoline smell at all.

The tanks in a 330 are not in a wet location so corrosion leaks should not happen. If there is a tank leak, I suspect it is in a fill tube, vent tube, or fuel gauge sender gasket on one of the tanks. None of which are easy to access. But you need to find the source for sure.

What about the gas lines? Are they all solid with no leaks or smell? Rub a cloth over them and smell the cloth. There should be no gas smell.
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As the temperature changes, small amounts of water vapor enter the tank and condense on the tank side wall, unless the tank is completely full. This will accumulate at the deepest part of the tank. A boat in the water is going to be in a high humidity environment at all times. If these tanks sat for 9 years, there is going to be water IN the tank and the tank can corrode from the inside.

Try to find a bad component, and open up all of the areas you can to try and pinpoint the source. Usually, there is access to the fuel gauge senders and you can see if the smell is strongest there. If could be a bad seal/gasket.

You can also add a dye to the fuel to help identify the leak location, although, there are a lot of blind spots on boats.
 
Sorry you are going thru this. Like the others have said I would not use the boat until it's resolved. Consider leaving the engine hatch open a bit as well, since you are in a covered slip, when leaving the boat.

You cut shut the fuel valves off with the engines running as well, let the engines shut down from lack of fuel, to drain all fuel from the lines and see if the smell is present the next time you are on the boat. You'll need to prime when you are ready to start the engines again.

I accidentally put the dock fresh water hose into my fuel tank when I first bought the boat. My guess is I put 5+ gallons in before catching it. I remember buying some water remover stuff I poured into the fuel tank, never had an issue.
 
Cant imagine. Last week i had a fuel line to carb drip fuel issue. I didn’t want go near my boat. Had a pro fix it. That was super minor compared to yours. Good luck. Cant imagine.
 
I agree with Dtfeld. Water corrosion from the inside. Pin hole in tank. (and more to come) Pressure testing entire system would be an easy route to take, for starters. The inside of the tank is raw aluminum. Add 9 years of condensation... no movement...
 
Mechanic says it is leaking from the Starbord side fuel sending unit. He can see some gas running down the side of the tank from it. The question is how do you get to it? You cannot from the engine compartment.
 
Tim60 said:
Mechanic says it is leaking from the Starbord side fuel sending unit. He can see some gas running down the side of the tank from it. The question is how do you get to it? You cannot from the engine compartment.
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Not being rude, if he saw it, didn't he tell you?
 
Check the fuel filler hose and vent hoses. Also check the vent on the outside. Long term storage make me think of spider webs or mud bees.
 
Tim60 said:
He is not a Sea Ray Mechanic. He was winterizing the engines.
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I think the question was more directed to your original post where you mentioned that the dealer had performed $7k of work on the boat. Maybe his sniffer wasn't up to snuff.
 
Nater Potater said:
I think the question was more directed to your original post where you mentioned that the dealer had performed $7k of work on the boat. Maybe his sniffer wasn't up to snuff.
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The gas tank was not full at that time.
 
We have since determined that they fuel send unit needed a new gasket. When we filled the tanks a little bit of gas was running down the outside of the tank. We have replaced the gasket and the smell has gone away. She has now been winterized and put to bed for the winter.
 
Glad everything has worked out. Hopefully this is the end of surprises for a season or two.
 
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