Friday, February 28, 2014

Fitting a fuel bladder

The big mission for us in 2014 is to sail to the Louisiade Archipelago off the SE corner of PNG in September and October.


There has been a famous rally of boats that have gone over last few years. Read the brochure and Rally Briefing here. But we have just heard that the leader, Guy Chester, will not be going this year.

We will therefore be going with George's brother Ken, who has an Atlantic 48 cat, somewhat bigger and faster than ours.

Because the Louisiades are very poor, and have few resources, it may be difficult to get reliable supplies of diesel fuel.

So I have been considering alternatives to carrying a number of jerry-cans, which is the default option. They clutter the boat up, break loose in heavy weather and may get stolen.


Nimrod has a couple of secret compartments in the bilge. They were built in for the American market as places where 'grey water' (ie shower and sink water) holding tanks could be fitted. I thought they would be ideal for extra fuel tanks.



This bladder will carry the equivalent of nine jerry-cans.

3 comments:

  1. I'd have to say that multiple jerry-cans are inefficient in carrying large amounts of fuel. Using larger fuel tanks is a better way to maximize the space. As for lack of fuel, it's actually great that you scouted beforehand, so you'd be ready for any eventuality. Getting spare fuel tanks would prevent you from being stranded if ever fuel runs out, and there's nowhere you can get one. Happy sailing!

    Abraham Yates @ Apache Oil Company

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  2. Sounds like a great idea to use the space to create a custom fuel bladder. Looking at doing something similar with one or more of the compartments on my 2006 Regulator 29 Classic. Looking at getting up to 100 gallons more fuel. I understand that you need to make sure that the enclosure is vented.
    Just wondering if you vented the enclosure and whether its a simple air vent or a blower?

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  3. The bladder is only active when being filled or decanted into the normal fuel tank. When being filled, there is a breather in the top which needs to be unscrewed. When the bladder is being emptied into the normal tank, the lid of the space is opened so air can get in easily.

    If I was doing it again, I should be tempted to try to paint the inside of the cavity with a diesel-proof paint and dispense with the bladder entirely. I believe another Seawind 1160 has done that.

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