what happened to my gas???

[pete44]

Have a 87 searay bowrider with a 20 gallon belly tank..thought I had a fuel gauge problem..upon taking sender out I discovered nill to no gas..No wonder gauge was reading "Empty" (after checking everything out..sender;gauge).. DUH!...I had transom work done so I removed engine;drive;etc..This was last JULY 5..How can 20 gallons of gas evaporate in 14 months time??? When I had everything out tank was FULL and with sta-bil added..all hose inlets were taped except overflow/vent hose..I wanted to leave that open for expansion/contraction..should I have taped that too??? My tank does not leak cause I have been through that before..It doesnt take much fuel to "notice" that...Thanks for any help...Pete44

 

[craze1cars]

Re: what happened to my gas???

Originally posted by pete44:<br /> My tank does not leak

If you truly lost 20 gallons in 14 months, yes it does.<br /><br />Or.....is it parked outside? Gas theft is a big problem these days, might have got siphoned out and you didn't know it.

 

[pete44]

Re: what happened to my gas???

It is always in my garage..cars take backseat to it...sorry..this boat was an abuse case before I got it 3 years ago..Under pines trees and NOT COVERED..I was new to boating and previous owner was honest that bow area was soft..I have replaced 2/3 of wood..good shape but not as good as a total restore..So in a garage you would notice REAL fast that it leaks gas...I have had my belly tank out and spot welded..cause when I was replacing my deck I popped drill holes in it (Ouch!)...and it doesnt take long to notice it..Its like you said..gas is GOLD and it could have got siphoned out...I just hope it cranks OK today..and I will spend $60 filling it up..It could be worse..I could spend $120 filling it up....Thanks for the advice..I have learned alot but I am STILL learning..maybe I can enjoy my boat before it snows..Anybody else have any ideas providing it is not leaking..Thanks,Pete44

 

[vipzach]

Re: what happened to my gas???

I am with craze1, that is alot of gas to evaporate out of a tank. The syphoning out is a good idea. I know you said it is is the garage and you can smell gas easily, but I would inspect the heck out of the boat, just to make sure there is NO GAS LEAK!!!!! That could be a real bad thing. Good Luck!!!!!

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: what happened to my gas???

Have kids that drive??

 

[rbezdon]

Re: what happened to my gas???

Pete, I had about 35 gallons dissappear over 3 years. I couldnt understand why it wouldnt siphon and I spent money on several types of syphon hoses over the internet. I finally pulled out the antisiphon and pickup (cleaned them while out) and found the tank basically empty. Like you, I was stunned a full tank could dissappear. Did solve the problem of disposing of 35 gallons of old worthless gas though.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: what happened to my gas???

I can't see that much gas evaporating....Ron, were your kids driving at the time? ...JK

 

[rbezdon]

Re: what happened to my gas???

no but my boat was out side. It is VERY slim but the gas may have been siphoned. Worked fine for me as I was wondering what to do with over 30 gallons of bad fuel so I didnt care. My boat sat when I started having issues with nthe old 5.0 and before I got to putting in the 5.7 for about 3 years

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: what happened to my gas???

Just funnin' ya . That's too much gas to evaporate in a closed tank, though....JK

 

[pete44]

Re: what happened to my gas???

Well...after a couple of days..I put 2 and 2 together...I had a Searay dealer put my engine and outdrive back in for me (wanted it done right)..I dropped by boat/engine/drive off 3 weeks ago..that means my boat/fuel tank sat OUTSIDE in a "gated" area for 2 weeks..BUT...on Saturdays service department is CLOSED..only boat/part sales in front of facility is open..they leave the back gate open for boat dropoff and pickups...hmmmmmm...I think someone helped themselves on my and other boats that had fuel in that back area....and usually a "winterized" boat will have a full tank of sta-bil treated fuel..anyhow no use crying over spilled milk or gas for that matter....if I go down there again I will inform them of improving their security measures..you know they have a showroom in their service area and someone could drive off with a new one if they put their mind to it..sad world we live in today...Pete44