My boat had 100 gallons of fuel drained sometime between when I stored
the boat (Boston area) and when they put it back in the water last
week.

Anyone else experienced something like this? What to do? The storage
place of course denied this happened while under their eye, yet they
had no suggestions for when this might have happened. (Perhaps the
night after they put it in the water but before I got on it the next
day?)

I asked them if they recorded the amount of fuel (and hours on
engines) when they got a boat for storage, and then when they launched
it (possibly after any repairs etc) and they said no.

Suggestions for anything I can do?

"Paul English" wrote
Suggestions for anything I can do?

Locking fuel cap? (I just did a google search on that and the first two hits
are sold out. Maybe I'm not the first person to think of it.)

Paul English wrote:
My boat had 100 gallons of fuel drained sometime between when I stored
the boat (Boston area) and when they put it back in the water last
week.

Anyone else experienced something like this? What to do? The storage
place of course denied this happened while under their eye, yet they
had no suggestions for when this might have happened. (Perhaps the
night after they put it in the water but before I got on it the next
day?)

I asked them if they recorded the amount of fuel (and hours on
engines) when they got a boat for storage, and then when they launched
it (possibly after any repairs etc) and they said no.

Suggestions for anything I can do?

Check your bilge?

Sorry, I (and I assume many others) have been the victim of minor theft
over the years; there really isn't anything to do about it. It might be
different if your boat was in indoor storage, and you had a record of an
end of season fillup, and you checked your fuel before launch. But if
it was outdoors, in a yard accessible, anyone could have slipped a
siphon into your tank. In fact, a boat below yours could siphon
directly into his tank.

If you were really convinced your yard was guilty, or negligent, you
could reveal their name here.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:35:48 -0700 (PDT), Paul English
wrote:

My boat had 100 gallons of fuel drained sometime between when I stored
the boat (Boston area) and when they put it back in the water last
week.

Anyone else experienced something like this? What to do? The storage
place of course denied this happened while under their eye, yet they
had no suggestions for when this might have happened. (Perhaps the
night after they put it in the water but before I got on it the next
day?)

I asked them if they recorded the amount of fuel (and hours on
engines) when they got a boat for storage, and then when they launched
it (possibly after any repairs etc) and they said no.

Suggestions for anything I can do?

Just be glad they didn't do any real damage. Now that fuel is getting
so expensive, it's become a target for theft like it was back during
the 70's "shortages". The difference this time around is that thieves
who steal gas from cars no longer bother with a siphon. They just
punch a hole in the victim's gas tank.


What to do? Taking into account the actual economic situation we may have to
re-think the way we store our boat for a long period of time. The first
thing that comes to my mind is to store the boat with a minimum amount of
fuel. To do that we have to find a way to eliminate condensation within the
fuel tank. Locking fuel cap, cameras, secured and well lit boat yard may
act as deterrents do discourage the stealing of fuel.

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Or, you could put in a fuel system like mine

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/StriderFuelSystem.htm

with both fill select valves closed for the winter, they'll give up trying
to siphon pretty quickly and move on to the next boat.

(Just kidding)

Locking gas caps will work as long as you are one of the few that have
them because the thieves will just move on to the easy pickings.

Wait until the figure out the scrap value of bronze fittings and lead
keels

--
Roger Long

By not leaving (if possible) fuel in the tank and making it known that your
tank is almost empty. Then no fuel can be stolen or very little.

At our Yacht club we use to have a large tank to store fuel for the ongoing
activities for our crash boats, diving piles and junior sailing. We had
regular deliveries of fuel and the tank was under lock.

Nevertheless we ran out of fuel now and then at the most inopportune moment.
The fuel bills were high and something had to be done not to mention the
insurance cost. We got rid of the problem by removing the fuel tank in its
entirety. Then the club superintendent got the fuel from a near by Service
Station as need it and receipts were accounted. Our insurance cost went
down and the fuel bill reduced by more than half.

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Or, you could put in a fuel system like mine

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/StriderFuelSystem.htm

with both fill select valves closed for the winter, they'll give up trying
to siphon pretty quickly and move on to the next boat.

(Just kidding)

Locking gas caps will work as long as you are one of the few that have
them because the thieves will just move on to the easy pickings.

Wait until the figure out the scrap value of bronze fittings and lead
keels

--
Roger Long

I think it's mostly about not getting too stressed, reporting it, and
deterring the thief as much as reasonably possible. Most criminals are
looking for easy pickins, and they move on if any brain power or effort is
required. That's why the police recommend locking your house, keeping your
garage door closed, and having lights on timers (and/or motion sensors).

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Paul English" wrote in message
...
My boat had 100 gallons of fuel drained sometime between when I stored
the boat (Boston area) and when they put it back in the water last
week.

Anyone else experienced something like this? What to do? The storage
place of course denied this happened while under their eye, yet they
had no suggestions for when this might have happened. (Perhaps the
night after they put it in the water but before I got on it the next
day?)

I asked them if they recorded the amount of fuel (and hours on
engines) when they got a boat for storage, and then when they launched
it (possibly after any repairs etc) and they said no.

Suggestions for anything I can do?



It's only a paltry four hundred bucks. No big deal! Chicken feed! Get over
it. Somebody stole the fuel in the storage yard. Probably some Rube on a
boat stored next to it. Consider installing a ball valve on the filler hose
that can only be operated from inside the boat, close it and lock the boat.
Anybody who tries to stick a siphon hose into your fill won't get very far.


Wilbur Hubbard

On the subject of "hot" fuel,
My neighbor, the fuel polisher, got a phone call the other day from a
40 something Island Packet on their way from Hawaii to the west coast.
They were 1000 miles out and had lost their engine and generator due to
highly contaminated fuel they picked up "cheap" in Hawaii. Want him to
clean their system when they get into Pt Angeles.
WATCH where you buy your fuel!
Gordon

Leave only 20 gallons or so in the tank but add octane booster to get it up
to about 200 octane. If it gets stolen and used it will damage the engine in
goes into. In the spring just fill the tank up and the octane level will go
down.

Have a "dummy" fill cap going to a tank of gasoline mixed with styrofoam.
Let them try to run on that.

Kapt Krunch brought forth on stone tablets:
Leave only 20 gallons or so in the tank but add octane booster to get it up
to about 200 octane. If it gets stolen and used it will damage the engine in
goes into. In the spring just fill the tank up and the octane level will go
down.

You are confused, Wilbur, as to what the octane rating of gasoline
means. Higher octane rating means that the gasoline is *less*
explosive, not more explosive.

Have a "dummy" fill cap going to a tank of gasoline mixed with styrofoam.
Let them try to run on that.


Now that would work.