Gas Bottle Locker

[duncan99210]

The gas locker on Rampage is designed to take one Camping Gaz type cylinder. That's fine for the time being, albeit more a tad expensive on occassions outside of Greece. But we're thinking of longer trips and possibly crossing the Atlantic. If we do this, we'll need to think about larger gas bottles.

There isn't really anywhere to fit an additional locker of the conventional type but we do have some space in the cockpit lockers. If I were to create a small bulkhead and put in a drain from the bottom of that space over the side does the panel think that this would be a safe option? The lockers are completly isolated from the rest of the boat by the way.

Look forward to hearing your views/opinions/suggestions on the topic.

 

[prv]

If I were to create a small bulkhead and put in a drain from the bottom of that space over the side does the panel think that this would be a safe option?

If properly constructed, that seems reasonable to me. I think I would want a lid rather than an open-topped box though.

It does need to be well sealed; the military sail-training yacht that blew up in Poole leaked through some old screw holes in the side of the locker if I remember rightly. I would cover the inside of the locker with glass cloth and resin to form a single piece of fibreglass.

This is essentially what my boat has, from new. A fibreglass "bucket" lowered into a locker opening. The locker hatch is in two halves; one half closes over the gas bucket (with a seal) and the other half allows normal locker access beside it.

Pete

 

[ctva]

In our SO34 I replaced the twin Gaz bottles moulded fiberglass bucket which was very inefficient in terms of space and replaced it with a plywood box fitted to the side of the cockpit locker utilising the existing gas drain. This box was glassed in and the internal sided fully glassed. This worked a treat as I made it for to wee 3.9kg propane bottles which are nearly half the price of the Gaz ones. This construction also passed the BSS inspector as it's kept in a BWS canal.

 

[VicS]

Look at the gas bottle locker requirements of the Boat safety scheme for guidance

http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/downloads/BSS_Guide_chap7.pdf

 

[ghostlymoron]

You can check for compliance of the gas locker for gas tightness by using a bucket of water (having sealed the drain first). BTW if you store spare gas bottles in the anchor locker the size of the drain will usually need increasing and also make sure that there is not an un-gastight hatch into the forecastle.

 

[pappaecho]

Uk regs on the storage of gas on board are not good. The US introduced regs some 20+ years ago which make a lot more sense. All caravans, RV and boats, must keep the gas outside enclosed areas in free air.

In practice this means on a pushpit for a boat. We made a container from a stainless pedal bin, which takes a much large type of cylinder than the minimal size locker which came with the boat. Two years ago we had a leak from the pressure reducing unit, which leaked into free air. So the idea of designing a system which is failsafe seems attractive and practical. My old gas locker had rubber seals which I was doubtful about anyway and this seemed a good long term bet with minimal cost