On 27 Jul 2006 00:39:46 -0700, "brian" wrote:

i have a merc alpha one on a 1999 bayliner 1850ss capri. Anyways, my
wife came to me the other night telling me that the basement smelt like
gas. (the previous night i filled up the i/o and put it in the garage.)
when i filled it i did spill some on the back of the boat. however i
did wipe it up. well now it is 2 days later. i have not done anything
with the boat, it is still sitting in my garage. i came home from work
tonite and opened the garage door and smelt gas. so i opened up the
bottom cover between the 2 front seats of the boat. (where you may put
like skis or something) and WOOO did i smell gas fumes .. i looked all
around and did not see any leaks. is this normal and do i just need to
make sure not to fill up the boat until i am going out in it. is this
why i am smelling gas, do i have anything to be worried about? let me
know if you have any ideas with this. thanks brian

Brian, you have a *VERY* serious problem.

Get the boat out of the garage immediately.

It sounds like you've gotten gasoline in the bilge somehow, and that
is an extremely dangerous situation. Do not take it lightly.

After getting the boat outdoors I would start by pulling the transom
plug and running water into the bilge. Do not operate any electrical
equipment in or near the boat until the gasoline odor has gone away.

After that, you need to figure out how the gasoline got there. I'd
recommend having your tank fill and vent line checked by an expert.