Getting my boat ready to launch and topping off the gas tank heard a funny sound from the vent and didn't think anything of it until I went in the cabin. Smelled gas everywhere, the boat was low in front as my drive slopes down, so I jacked the nose way up and saw gas in the bilge. Drained the gas and washed out the bilge with hot water and dawn dish soap until everything came out smelling clean. I figured as the nose was low it had to be coming out of the vent line. Got my inspection camera out to see what I could find and the tank is too long to see the front. The tank is almost completely enclosed so I tried fishing something under the floor board to see where the vent was. I hit something I thought was the vent so I drilled a hole in the floor to put the camera in and it wasn't the vent. I searched more and finally located it and drilled a 4.5" hole over top so I could work on it. The hose was double clamped although loosely so I figured the hose was rotted and split somewhere ( it is a 1998). As I pulled the vent line out it hung up so I pulled harder and it came loose. When I got to the end, the hose had a single hose clamp, I had removed the double hose clamp on the tank vent so where did this come from? Put the camera in again and I see a pipe nipple on a piece of hose. Someone at the factory had spliced the vent line with an undersized pipe nipple and single clamped it to boot. There is no way this happened after the floor was glassed in as I couldn't pull the piece out the back, I had to push it up to the hole I made. I bought a new piece of USCG approved hose and rented a radiator pressure tester. I put some pressure in the system and let it sit for awhile to make sure no more leaks. I highly recommend pressure testing your fuel system on a regular basis. It's only by the grace of God my family and I are alive.

Wow. That's a seriously dangerous jerry-rig. A double barbed nipple with appropriate clamps would be ok for a vent line I think, but a threaded nipple, never.

Since you mentioned pressure testing, I think 2-3psi is the maximum a tank should ever be pressurized up to. Just FWIW for anyone else reading.

Good catch on not burning your boat to a crisp.

There should never be a connection of any type in an area that is not accessible.

I commend you on stopping right then and there figuring out what was wrong !

Most people, even smelling the fuel, would shrug their shoulders and continue on. Maybe getting it looked at later. I'm not joking.

the only fix thats correct is replace the line with new coastguard cert hose........ do the fill and vent line too. a fuel fire is sudden and very hot you do not want to be near one

Check out the pic of the boat that burned at Boyne thunder.

Really any boat over 20 years old should have all fuel lines replaced.

I replaced everything I could get to without cutting holes when I bought it. I inspected everything I could see every season. Little did I know I had a time bomb waiting for me under the floor. Now that I have an inspection point I will be checking it every season.

most in the industry recommend 10 year life on fuel fill and fuel line the red stripe has a date on it

that was a beautiful skater what happened? big power?