locking gas cap

B

bobsail

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2022
Messages
6
Fluid Motion Model
C-32 CB
Hull Identification Number
HDFMLS241917
Vessel Name
cobalt
Has anyone looked into a locking gas cap solution for Cutwater 242? Curious as the cost of fuel is going up.
 
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Bobsail, Sea-Dog Marine locking fuel cap (stainless ) cost about $75 Bob
 
If on salt water, you better keep the keyhole well lubricated and serviced otherwise I would worry more about getting fuel in rather than being siphoned out. :lol:
 
Bob, check out GAS BANDIT BLOCKER.COM a easy way to prevent fuel theft! Cost about $10 I would agree with previous post about problems with salt water and keys. Bob
 
Is theft of fuel a realistic problem? Can't siphon as the dock is higher than the tank. Need an portable electric pump and pretty long hose to fill at most a five gallon tank. Well, on my dock anyway there would be plenty of neighbors giving a "WTH" with anyone trying that.............
 
For those of us that keep our boats on trailers the answer is yes! Many posts on this site about security systems, locking systems, to keep the thieves from getting your batteries, fuel, and any thing else they think is worth anything. Security is a must to protect what you've worked for. Bob
 
I'm going a little off topic here, but it might prove interesting nevertheless. While I agree with previous posters that stealing fuel from a boat docked at a marina is difficult, it is not impossible, especially by kids looking for a few gallons or more for their outboards. We can expect the price of both gas and diesel to dramatically escalate by the late spring/early summer. It is already happening with our cars at the gas pumps. Drastic times call for drastic measures so beware! My late Dad owned a very large automotive facility in Larchmont NY. We also were dealers for Texaco gasoline/diesel. During the second gas shortage of the 1970s, we discovered that we were losing about 50 gallons of fuel every night. We finally discovered that every night after we closed, a van would pull up over one of the fuel fills for our underground storage tanks. The van had a section of its floorboard cut out. Someone would reach down through the cutout, unscrew the underground fill cover, and lower a long hose into one of our tanks while they were inside of the van and thus not being seen by anybody. The hose was connected to an electric fuel pump that when switched on, would siphon out fuel at a fairly quick rate. The thieves had multiple 5 gallon gas can in the van. They robbed us every night until they were caught. Getting back to boating, marinas, depending where they are and how they are managed, may or may not be vulnerable to scenarios like I described. My last boat held 600 gallons of diesel in two tanks. I probably would not know if someone stole fuel from me, especially that there was no fuel gauge but only sight gauges by each tank. My Ranger R-31 holds 180 gallons of diesel. Should I check my fuel readings ever time I board her even though my marina is very safe and well protected? It will be interesting to see how this all plays out as the price of fuel goes up!
 
Everyone knows their own situation, but for us the most critical thing is the locking gas door on the tow vehicle. It gets parked for weeks at a time while we are cruising with its 48 gallon tank full of diesel. I always breath a sigh of relief when we return from a cruise and find the tow vehicle and trailer just as we left them (plus a few extra bird droppings).
 
Before I would put a lock on my fuel fill I would put a valve on the fill line. You now have to remember to turn it open before filling. :lol:
 
Cruising Elvon Ray, Your site has the Gas Bandit Blocker (two pack) listed for $29.16, it's listed on Amazon for $17.96 and on the site I posted previously from the company it's listed for $9.99.
Doesn't hurt to shop around! Bob
 
I couldn’t figure out how to share the Amazon link from the Amazon app, so I just picked a site that had it. I understand shopping around. Thanks.


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This looks like a great idea (the Gas Bandit Blocker, that is)! I'm wondering if anyone in this forum has used it yet?

I have, aside from my RT, a fleet of trucks... and fuel theft is always on my mind!

Yes, it is cheaper directly from GBB, even with the $4.95 shipping. However, I noted that shipping doesn't increase with added quantities... so that extra cost is mitigated. Nice.

Now, I'm waiting to hear back because their site seems to only take PayPal, which I don't have and don't want... :cry:
 
Thanks to all for the ideas. The Gas Bandit Blocker looks reasonably effective without the locking gas cap corrosion issue. Certainly cheap enough. We store our 242 on a trailer in an RV lot or marina so siphoning is a bigger threat.
 
Hummmm, My RT is on a lift behind my home. Gravity would not be an issue since the boat is suspended 4-5 feet in the air. The canal is dark at night and sadly the fill cap is on the canal side. Yep, it would not be hard to pull up and defuel the boat some night. Not too worried about kids - they would likely be unaware that they are putting diesel fuel in their outboard's gas tank and they would only do that once. I'm more worried about a wayward TugNut on the Great Loop trying to take an additional shortcut beyond the shortcut across Florida on the Caloosahatchee River - I hear those mariners are fairly resourceful.

Believe my best defense during this gas crisis entails a motion-detected security light on the dock, a security camera and possibly my second-amendment rights...
 
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