Knots For Deck Jerry Cans

[zboss]

I don't have a choice about the jerry cans. You should not carry gasoline below decks, we want to have extra water jugs for emergencies (and we have no place to carry them elsewhere), and we use diesel jugs for transporting fuel. They might as well be full if they are going to be used.

I wish we had 200 gallons of diesel but we don't, and I wish we could count on fresh water always being available but we can't, and I like to keep 10 gallons of gas for the dinghy and for the honda genny.

So, seamanlike or not, we will be carrying them until we actually cross an ocean.

[Connected]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

As I said, this judgement is my opinion. The opinion is based on seeing boats with stanchions and lifelines carried away by a combination of boarding seas and jerry jugs lashed thereto. It is based on not wanting a few hundred kilos of added weight at that height. It is based on reduced visibility from the cockpit when heeled. And while it is arguably not a seamanship matter, they spoil the looks of some vessels.



Your opinion may differ, and there are certainly many cruising boats that sport racks of cans on deck. My boats have never done so.



Jim

Good points Jim. Out of interest, where do you store your spare fuel?


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[CLady]

Ditto what Sailmonkey wrote for knots to use. 16 each 5+gal jerry cans completely stayed put, (8 on each stanchion board), Hawaii to L.A. including through a gale for 4 days--no problem, nothing loosened at all.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Connected

Good points Jim. Out of interest, where do you store your spare fuel?


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On this boat, the tanks are pretty large compared to our motoring habits: around 600 litres diesel. We have a sealed off lazarette where the dinghy fuel lives. Nothing on deck at all, save a fender board on the cabin top and, at sea, the deflated and inverted RIB lashed to the foredeck. Water is 800 L and not a problem.

Our previous boat, in which we did several 3000+ mile passages, had but a 45 US gallon fuel tank, and about the same water capacity. We carried one each 5 gallon jug of water and one of diesel, both in the cockpit well. We didn't motor much on passage, and learned to be frugal with water (and to catch rainwater). One learns to make do with what one has. If that must include on deck storage, so be it. I'd rather not myself.

Jim

[ryon]

If there is no separate, ventilated, firewalled locker available, then your only alternative is to stow your flammables on deck or tow them behind. Someone mentioned gasoline. Five gallon jerry cans of gasoline have no place below in the living quarters, and I'm sure that is not what anyone here is proposing.

I've made passages where the best and only reasonable place to store fuel is on deck, secured to the stanchions or other deck fixtures. You start the lashing with a cow hitch to a strong point, then alternate coils from there to the fuel tanks and back to suit. The final few frapping turns will be around those coils, drawing the lashing tight, finished off with a reef knot.

[savoir]

Just a small warning for anyone wanting to use webbing on deck. Use polypropylene rather than nylon. UV will rot the nylon in no time but polypropylene or polyester is much more resistant.

[Neptune's Gear]

Jim, I have "tank envy .

I always said I'd never have cans/jugs on deck. However, we only have a 120ltr diesel tank, so in SE Asia, where you have to motor a lot, we had 10 20ltr jugs on deck, 5 per side. Needs must.

They were tied to 2 boards in turn lashed to the stanchions, with nylon cord. They were there for abt 15000 miles without trouble, but i'd not have that in higher lats - but there you can sail anyway!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by savoir

Just a small warning for anyone wanting to use webbing on deck. Use polypropylene rather than nylon. UV will rot the nylon in no time but polypropylene or polyester is much more resistant.

I believe that you have this a bit backwards: polypro is much worse for UV damage than either nylon or dacron.

Jim

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

Jim, I have "tank envy .

I always said I'd never have cans/jugs on deck. However, we only have a 120ltr diesel tank, so in SE Asia, where you have to motor a lot, we had 10 20ltr jugs on deck, 5 per side. Needs must.

They were tied to 2 boards in turn lashed to the stanchions, with nylon cord. They were there for abt 15000 miles without trouble, but i'd not have that in higher lats - but there you can sail anyway!

"Tank envy"... I like that! One of the benefits of a one-off design is that you (or the PO/builder in this case) can specify big tanks, and put them down low where they stay out of the way and don't upset the balance too much as they empty during a passage.

And I can surely understand your need for extra fuel and agree that in SE Asia the chances for huge boarding seas are pretty slim. Ya do what ya gotta do...

Jim

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I believe that you have this a bit backwards: polypro is much worse for UV damage than either nylon or dacron.

Jim

Correct. It should just read polyester and the edit thingy just expired. After a while all those polys look the same.

Pollywannacracker ?

[El Pinguino]

Polyprop is OK for general lashings, and being cheap and cheerful a good choice for 4 tree tie offs as it floats... its what most big ships use as mooring ropes.
Nylon is a bit stretchy for use as lashings, Polyester aka old bits of boat string aka dacron is my normal choice.
Two belly bands round the 20 litre containers tensioned with truckers' hitches and a last run of the lashing through the 'handles' to make sure they can't buzz orf.

Me? Normally leave town with 200 litres in the tank ( 4 days worth ) and 300 in 20 litre drums... split between the 'garden shed' to starboard and deck stowage to port.

Deck stowage gets used first. No probs in high latitudes so far......

[jannw]

truckers hitch is the best ... see detailed graphical instructions here, (Post number 4): http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ch-133396.html

[Neptune's Gear]

The whole reason I use nylon cord IS because of it's stretch. It means, with the aid of a truckers hitch, or an alpine butterfly (which is the one I use), the cord can be tightened until that very elasticity is holding the jugs rigidly in place.

Same reason nylon is good for mooring lines - because it has some stretch and doesn't shock load.

IMO the only place on a yacht for polyprop is as a floating stern line...

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Neptune's Gear

IMO the only place on a yacht for polyprop is as a floating stern line...

Correcto, thats all I use mine for... 2 full coils and 2 half coils for long shore lines.
Only nylon I have on board is heavy stuff for docklines and anchor warps... prob with nylon is it will keep on stretching and stretching and stretching. Thats one reason that its not used on big ships for tieing up to the wharf....ship will blow off wharf and when it finally breaks it will take heads off... not a problem on yachts of course.

[Neptune's Gear]

I'm a bit out of date I know , there are some polyprop lines now with just as much stretch as Nylon, so if going with a polyprop, read the specs!

Nylon will stretch, polyprop MIGHT stretch. Good info here http://www.samsonrope.com/Documents/...AY2013_WEB.pdf