Lavezzi 40: Where does fuel tank vent?

[sv Grateful]

I've sailed this boat for six years, so feel extra dumb asking, "Where does the fuel tank vent?"

The hose goes forward from the tank in the lazzerette, but where it exits the hull, I cannot tell. Needless to say, it's clogged.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by sv Grateful

I've sailed this boat for six years, so feel extra dumb asking, "Where does the fuel tank vent?"

The hose goes forward from the tank in the lazzerette, but where it exits the hull, I cannot tell. Needless to say, it's clogged.

Well, you have to follow it. There is no easy way out (unless some other guy with the same boat can tell you. Actually I hope not. Get in there and do it)

You follow the hose until it disappears into a bulkhead or some thing. Then you go to the other side of the bulkhead (taking off panels as needed) and find where it comes out, and go to the next disappearance. Repeat.

Once it took me a whole day to find the hydraulic oil reservoir on a 72 foot custom race boat. You just have to do it.

[sv Grateful]

Well, thank you for that astute advice wingsail.

I posted my query in the Fountain Pajot page in hopes that someone with experience in Lavezzi 40 systems might be able to save me the trouble of dismantling the space below my saloon sole to figure out the routing.

[Hudson Force]

You would think that the outer fitting of the vent would be apparent, but for reasons I don't understand, some are cleverly disguised. The "disguised" vent that I've seen before is within a lifeline stanchion base. Maybe someone with a sensitive nose could track it down.

[sailingchiro]

Can you take it off and blow air through it?
It will unclog it and tell you where it is located.

[sv Grateful]

Yeah, that's the problem. I cannot blow air through it, as it is clogged.

[sailingchiro]

Air compressor? 90psi with blow attachment should blow it out.

[osprey877]

If you’ve had the boat for six years and haven’t found the vent yet, then I’m betting the vent is higher up than the fill cap level, otherwise you’d have had a spillover or two through the vent at least a couple of times when filling the tank. So check the stantions near the deck fill cap. My vent is about a 1/8” diameter hole about 3” from the top of the stantion nearest the fill cap. I found it by tracking down the air hissing out of it as the tank fills up. Hope that helps.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by osprey877

If you’ve had the boat for six years and haven’t found the vent yet, then I’m betting the vent is higher up than the fill cap level, otherwise you’d have had a spillover or two through the vent at least a couple of times when filling the tank. So check the stantions near the deck fill cap. My vent is about a 1/8” diameter hole about 3” from the top of the stantion nearest the fill cap. I found it by tracking down the air hissing out of it as the tank fills up. Hope that helps.

On Lavezzi the vent pipe ends in the same lazarette where the fuel tank is located, just in the very front on the highest point in the Lazarette under the salon satee.
...guess I found out how...overfilled the tank in a dumb trail to fit more fuel in Gibraltar for the Atlantic trip and it came out through the vent hose
Now cleaning up the Lazarette since 2 days and everything that’s in it has a nice diesel smell
And even after flushing it 3 times and let bilge cleaner sit for 3 hours it still smells like a diesel swimmingpool as the lowest point is exactly underneath the diesel tank where you cannot get to....
French engineering at its best