Senior Gas Locker

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keithpryke
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat March 21st, 2009, 11:13 am
Location: Faversham

Senior Gas Locker

Post by keithpryke »

Hi

I am currently restoring an old senior and am a bit confused as how to vent the gas locker overboard.

By putting a skin fitting through the side of the boat what is to stop water coming in when heeling over? The only way I can see to make this work is to connect a pipe to the skin fitting to come as far inboard as possible (still within the locker) to allow extra heeling before water comes in or/and to put a bung in the end of the pipe in rough weather. Or is there some special skin fitting for this purpose?

Any advice would be welcome.

Regards
Keith Pryke
chris s
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun March 5th, 2006, 6:55 pm
Location: Netherlands

Post by chris s »

I used to stand my gas bottle on the aft deck, lashed to the rails, I never did get round to making an inboard locker for exactly the reasons you describe. :wink:
steve

Post by steve »

I have a book on boatbuilding which advises that the vent exit through the transom. I am unfamiliar with the senior, so I can say no more.
chris s
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun March 5th, 2006, 6:55 pm
Location: Netherlands

Post by chris s »

The problem on nearly any boat the size of the Senior is that wherever you mount the skin fitting for the drain you just cannot get it low enough to completely ventilate the gas locker, if water enters the drain it will effectively block it (any escaped gas being lighter than water and will just sit on top) this can lead to your gas locker being 1/2 full of escaped gas, which is not recommended, :shock:
keithpryke
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat March 21st, 2009, 11:13 am
Location: Faversham

Thanks

Post by keithpryke »

Hi

Thanks for the replies so far. Not an easy one to solve then! The Transom could be an easier option.
chris s
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun March 5th, 2006, 6:55 pm
Location: Netherlands

Post by chris s »

Also please don't forget that the "run" of the vent pipe from the bottom of

the gas locker to the skin fitting must be downhill as well or it will not vent

properly,

Honestly I thought about this for months and I dont think it is possible,

thats why I ended up with my gas bottle on the aft deck where it drained

directly overboard.

The only place which I thought might have been possible is right up in the

forepeak in an airtight (gastight & watertight) locker tucked under the

foredeck and draining directly overboard through a hole drilled in the Hull,

it would not be very convenient to change the bottle though or even to

turn the gas on or off! :cry:
Billaboard
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu October 5th, 2006, 9:48 pm

Post by Billaboard »

We only really do day sailing in our Wild Duck, but the last time we changed the engine we took out the pressurised methylated spirit stove to make room for the control panel. The stove frightened me and previously we had only needed a starting handle.

I've bought a very cheap camping stove to lash on deck if we ever feel the need, but we haven't yet.

One work colleague's boat used to be moored near ours, but was destroyed by a gas explosion. Separately, a 'personality' that I used to work with in NW England had a semi-detached bungalow that ran on bottled gas. His installation was fine, the next door's wasn't, and gas built up beneath my friend's floor. The explosion blew his baby through the window onto the lawn. Amazingly, no-one was hurt in either incident and the baby is now a young adult.

I know this is no help, but it does sort of relate to the subject.
Wooden Boat Fittings

Post by Wooden Boat Fittings »

I'm just wondering if there might be a possibility of running the drain hose across to the other side of the vessel, a la cockpit drains? If you can get a down-hill run and still vent above water level, then draining would occur when on an even keel and also (possibly) on one tack if under way.

But I confess I'm not very familiar with a Senior's design.

Mike
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