Rules for Re-Fueling Marine Fuel Tanks for Outboards?

[spinnerbation]

Posting this on a few different boards so sorry if you see this more than once! lol

Does anyone know where to find or what the Regulations / Rules are for Fueling your boat in Michigan waters? Have a Tournament Saturday/Sunday on St Clair River out of Sarnia ON. Both sides are open to fish and we do plan to spend some time in MI waters.

We are fishing in an 18' Aluminum with Two x 5 Gallon Marine Fuel Tanks. He doesn't think it will be enough for the amount of running we will do and wants to bring a 5 Gallon Jerry Can of Fuel as well just in case.

The question I have is are there any restrictions to transferred the fuel from the Jerry Can to the Marine Tank while on the water? Or do we need to Dock somewhere, remove the Marine Tank, transfer the fuel and continue? We have a funnel and a siphon so we can do it on the water spill free (barring any catastrophic unforeseen occurrences). But we don't want to get into trouble for doing it if there is legislature that restricts it.

Please let me know what the rules are so I can advise him. It's his first time ever fishing MI waters so he really has no idea. And I've only ever fished in boats where that was never required. Thanks in advance!

[djkimmel]

Boy... can't remember if there are specific regulations about something like that? I think the rules that exist are slightly different for enclosed tanks verses open/portable gas tanks.

There's this in the The Handbook of Michigan Boating Laws and Responsibilities: https://www.boat-ed.com/michigan/handbook/page/5/Fueling-a-Vessel/

More common sense than actual regulation though for much of this. I'm not sure if taking the portable gas tank and placing it on shore before filling is a regulation? Or a safety recommendation? I know there's a chance of a spark through static electricity if the tank isn't grounded somehow.

Check this out too: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Rules-Associated_Equipment_on_Vessels_438696_7.pdf and there's this from a Michigan Marine Safety checksheet: "Fuel Systems - Portable fuel tanks (normally 7 gallon capacity or less) must be constructed of non-breakable material and free of corrosion and leaks. All vents must be capable of being closed. The tank must be secured and have a vapor-tight, leak-proof cap. Each permanent fuel tank must be properly ventilated."

Make sure you have a fire extinguisher. I definitely can't guarantee that there isn't something else knowing all the safety regulations that have come up over the years. You may want to call the Lansing MDNR office and ask to speak to the Law Enforcement Division and just ask them your question. You should get the official answer that way.

I would first make sure the tournament rules allow it though I think it is most common to see it disallowed only in tournaments put on by the real big circuits like B.A.S.S. I just mention it because some tournament groups copy the rules of the bigger organizations.

[spinnerbation]

Thanks Dan very helpful! We have all the required safety gear and we are very careful. We just don't want to get busted over a technicality.

[djkimmel]

I do wonder if it is one of those gray areas hard to predict how it would turn out from officer to officer. But the odds are probably pretty low. All I can remember for sure is the actual requirements for venting and having portable gas tanks secured.

[Rangerman]

I think common sense is the rule here.  I would use a plastic jerry can for safety. Never seen anything in regs State or Federal except tanks have to be grounded, but with portable's a horse of the different color. I think just be safe and don't let you Buddy light up in the boat

[spinnerbation]

Don't get me started on the topic of "Safety". I will NEVER step foot in his boat again. I'm lucky to be alive after that tournament and I'm not even remotely exaggerating.  It's seriously a miracle we didn't wreck or capsize several times throughout the weekend. We came very close no less than 5 times by my count. Chalk it up partially to inexperience but also a great deal of stubbornness on his part. He simply wouldn't listen to anybody about how to properly run that river.

He was convinced the best place to drive was literally 10 feet from the break walls, gas / loading docks etc running full speed never letting up! He was afraid of the freighters and cruisers so he wanted to drive as far away from the middle of the river as possible. I tried to tell him that he can still keep a safe distance from them and by going over the wakes at the right angle / speed they can be manageable but he wouldn't listen.

Instead he preferred to run where the current is altered by the shoreline obstructions and wakes are repelled by the walls / docks essentially making it one the roughest and most unpredictable place to run in. Never mind the various submerged rocks / cables / pilings we almost hit periodically in our running. 

Not only that but he lied to me about having all the proper safety equipment (found this out afterwards). We were lucky we didn't get stopped because I don't know what could've happened.  Gas was leaking out of his jerry cans because they weren't properly seal and vented. I am sure some of it got into the live well at one point Saturday and that's what killed our first fish of the day.

I will tell you I learned a LOT that weekend about the importance of having a partner you can trust and that you know well. Because with everything that happened I will find it hard to get into someone else's boat again that I'm not personally acquainted with if it's not in a sanctioned event like a BFL or an Open. The series we fished they don't enforce rules like that and leave it at the competitors discretion.

Having said all that, all in all I am thankful to be alive and be home safely with my family. Time to hang up the rods for a few weeks until my wife has the baby. Then hopefully she will let me out to play some for the fall bite in October. 

[Jay-MadWags]

Glad you are safe and sound. I was on Clair Sunday and caught some fish. The fall bite is starting and will get better from here on out. Congrats to you and your wife on your new addition to the family.

[cameraguy]

As far as I know, it is illegal to throw a wake within 100' of shore. A boater is responsible for any damage caused by his wake.

[spinnerbation]

As far as I know, it is illegal to throw a wake within 100' of shore. A boater is responsible for any damage caused by his wake.

Good point I never even thought about that part of it.

[spinnerbation]

Glad you are safe and sound. I was on Clair Sunday and caught some fish. The fall bite is starting and will get better from here on out. Congrats to you and your wife on your new addition to the family.

Thanks Jay! Still waiting on the edge of our seats but we're getting close.

[djkimmel]

Yes - illegal to create a wake within 100 feet of the shoreline on either side of the river. Very unsafe. I think many of us have gone through a day or two like that and lived to tell about it. We definitely have to learn from it. You're really lucky you didn't get pulled over. Sounds like it could have been an expensive 'lesson' for your boater friend... though maybe it would have been a good lesson to learn??

Running that close to the walls up there could be incredibly dangerous and surely miserable with the rebound of waves off those walls. I actually found on the Detroit River through the 'Miracle Mile' that running as close to the wall as legally possible actually made that nightmare a little more manageable at times though I would not run as close as some people did - because it's illegal!!

Too close though is as bad or worse than just letting it all hang out in the middle of the channel! And the margin for error is about ZERO! Just fishing along there a few times I had cruisers practically land me in people's yards! If you can run right along the drop off that's about the easiest smoothest place to survive the wakes when it's busy in the river. You just have to not run over other boaters and don't hit anything.

[spinnerbation]

Been away from the computer a few days. Wife had our little one and everyone is doing well. Lots of long nights in the near future but it's definitely all worth it.

I've been in a couple hairy situations but never like this. He has a death wish due to this his own stubbornness. But like you say Dan, hopefully he gets the opportunity to learn that lesson before something tragic happens.

I've been in boats in the BFLs where they ran closer to shore, but never peein distance lol. I agree, better than the middle or right close. You only need to worry about boats on one side of you lol.