1987 President 37

I normally put fuel in the starboard side, however i notice the boat leans that way after putting in fuel. Are there two fuel tanks? I only have one gas gauge so i would imagine there is only one tank.

When i tried putting in fuel in the port side, the boat stank of gas. Im currently waiting on the mechanic to replace the hose so i can try to put fuel on the port side and see if it makes a difference with leaning to the starboard side.

Any feedback would be appreciated

Welcome aboard. I have never seen a President 37. We have a 41. Ours is diesel powered. Do you have gas engines? If so,be really careful with possibly spilling fuel inside the boat. We have 2 tanks outboard of our engines. We have 2 fillers and the tanks are not connected so we have to fill each side. If you are not sure how your boat is configured then maybe hire the mechanic for an hour or 2 to show you what the different things are and how they work so you will feel more comfortable with the boat. Good luck and keep us informed. Oh, BTW we need photos...

Thank you. My mechanic can't seem to figure it out. There is another person with the same boat at our marina, ill go chat with them and ask.

Yes, gasoline engines.

How does the single gas gauge work if there are two fillers? This is our 3rd season and I've only ever put gas in the starboard side.... The port side engine hasn't died yet.

I had it listed for sale but recently moved onto it for the summer and took the ad down, I've re listed it so you can see. Ive added new caramel cushions in the aft since taking the pics https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1423973301&siteLocale=en_CA

Sean Smith said:

When i tried putting in fuel in the port side, the boat stank of gas. Im currently waiting on the mechanic..

Any feedback would be appreciated

Click to expand...

If you smell gas strongly you may have gasoline lying somewhere and evaporating as a gas into the air in the boat. That sounds highly dangerous to me. A spark could cause ignition and an explosion in the confined area of your boat.
Can you open up safely to air the boat while you wait for the mechanic. Be careful,refueling a gas boat is high risk when there is a leak in the fuel system. Do not start engines.
This boat sounds "new to you". Did survey cover the fuel system?
I`m not sure I would even go onboard. Is there a "gas sniffer" onboard, what does it indicate. I`ve heard it said the best sniffer is your own nose, but don`t forget olfactory/smell detection turns off with exposure, so you may smell gas, and later not smell it, although still present.

I would recommend spending some time educating yourself in your bilge. Especially if you plan on listing it for sale. These would be simple questions that a surveyor, broker or customer may ask.
As mentioned, gas can be deadly if uncontained. Every switch has the potential for a spark.

Absolutely find the source of the gas smell, now. You are looking at a potentially deadly situation. Unless you find and fix the problem you will likely have a real problem if you find a buyer and then the survey shows a gas leak that you cannot find or fix. That would be a huge red flag to a buyer and their insurance company. I would walk away from the boat if I were the buyer if you told me the gas leak could not be found, why would I want to assume the problem? Good luck and I hope you find it quickly.

Your mechanic can't determine the location of the leak? Your mechanic can't determine if there are two tanks or one?

Time for a new mechanic.

This is a very dangerous situation. I wouldn't go on the boat until that fuel smell is chased down, and I surely wouldn't be turning lights or anything else on and off.

Are both of the fills you've used marked "fuel"...? With filling only one side, most double tank systems have a cross-over that ties the two together, maybe even a transfer system to control. Diesel boats have a supply and return, with more diesel fuel being returned to the tanks than is burned in the engines. But with gassers, you never know. If you've never filled one side, but have never ran dry on that engine, my guess is there is a crossover.

Surveyed only 5 President 37's. One with SS tank and four with a painted steel tank. Only one athwartship tank was fitted on these boats and only a very small area of a top edge was accessible without major removals. Most stupid fuel tank installation I have ever seen.

Extremely difficult to access and inspect without significant work.

Mine has 2 tanks port and starboard