Fuel smell after fueling up

[N1NE1]

So after putting some fuel in my boat I always smell the fumes coming into the boat from under the console and floor hatches . I always air out before driving off. I pressure tested the tank yesterday through the vent and it holds steady at 5lbs. Where is this smell
Coming from? I’m pulling the floor up above the tank tomorrow just to be safe …the boat is a 2002 and I never inspected the tank before so …. If it holds pressure I’m not sure . Any advice? I do not smell anything after it airs out, there is no fuel In the bilge .

 

[Cdn20valve]

how long did you pressure test for? a small leak can take 30 min to find at 5 psi.
Do you fill the tank till it overflows out the vent, or do you stop it early? start popping hatches and find the where the smell is coming from. might be leaking form the filler neck or vent.

 

[N1NE1]

I tested it for about 5 minutes . It only takes about 5 minutes to fuel up so I figured that was good.I smelled nothing after this, it’s only when fueling . I definitely don’t fill it to the point where it will flow out the vent . It’s almost like it’s being vented elsewhere since the smell is so strong. I will post back in a few days after I pop up floor panels .

 

[airshot]

Sure some fuel isn't running over the fill inlet ? On my boat the fill is in a bad place, hard to reach and even harder to tell when getting close to full. Some always blows out the vent, and you can't use much fill pressure or it backs up the fill tube into the motor well ! You might check your pressure test again but give it 30 minutes, the pressure of filling puts more than 5 lbs pressure into your tank. Glad to see your chasing the problem down !! To many just don't pay attention to things like this, and next thing is kaboom !

 

[FunInDuhSun]

Your boat is 23 years old, so I’d take a hard look at the hoses from the fill to the tank as well as the vent line. They can become permeable. Mine is 40 and I’ve replaced every flexible hose onboard.

 

[dingbat]

Your boat is 23 years old, so I’d take a hard look at the hoses from the fill to the tank as well as the vent line.

Yep… seen old, dried out fill hose permeate a couple of times.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The new fuel lines are better for permeation with oxygenated fuels.

The hoses last about 15-20 years

 

[Grub54891]

Yep… seen old, dried out fill hose permeate a couple of times.

Yes. My fuel lines were old, 1985 boat. I would get the same thing after fueling up. Couldn't find the issue at first. The fill line was cracked but not all the way through, but it was enough to create a strong smell. New hoses corrected it.
Very similar to plastic waste holding tanks, the smell saturates the plastic, and the smell won't go away without replacing the tank.

 

[cyclops222]

Could be as simple as gas fumes forced out of the tank during refueling........... Wind blows fumes into the boat ?