Boater pumps 100 gallons of gas in wrong hole

South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | May 13, 2008

[kingattax]

PORT SALERNO - Members of the Martin County Fire Rescue Hazmat team responded to a fuel clean-up Tuesday morning after a boater pumped gasoline into his fishing rod holder instead of his gas tank.

The boater pumped about 100 gallons of gasoline at the Finest Kind Marina fuel dock before he noticed the problem, but only about 15 gallons polluted the water, marina employees said.

The rest of the gasoline seeped into the boat's bilge tank, witnesses said.

The man's fishing boat was towed from the fuel dock to Sandsprit Park so Hazmat officials could secure the fuel, said Jeff Alter, Fire Rescue bureau chief.

Marina employees said it's not uncommon to see boaters pump fuel into fishing rod holders because the holder is often close to the fuel tank hole.

[bigfootbob]

Perhaps, wise one.

I was a sheltered child...grew up in the Midwest... born on a powerboat...not enough whiskey in Tennessee to make me that stoopid.

[Arrowhead1952]

You’d think he would have noticed the rod holder did NOT have a screw-in cap hanging next to it when he started.

I have to agree with what some other FReeper said earlier: “Must have been some beer involved”.

[river rat]

It’s called Floriduh for a reason...

On Blackburn Bay - a sheltered area inside Casey Key on Floridah’s West Coast — I once had a boater following so close in my wake - I could call out to him and warn he to back off...

He refused...

I returned to the transom with our stainless steel marine service 12ga Shotgun in clear view...

That convinced the damned fool to back off a safe distance.

He obviously wanted his ride smoothed out by my hull...by riding in my wake — far too close for safe maneuvering..

There are PLENTY of fools, who purchase boats whose complexity exceeds the fool’s I.Q. to operate safely or efficiently.

[Old Professer]

“Marina employees said it’s not uncommon to see boaters pump fuel into fishing rod holders because the holder is often close to the fuel tank hole.”

Right beside the near-empty beer cooler.

[Yo-Yo]

You’d think he would have noticed the rod holder did NOT have a screw-in cap hanging next to it when he started.

You'd think. But it's not always as easy as you might imagine to notice something that's not there.

He probably unscrewed the fuel cap, turned around and grabbed the pump nozzle (which usually have very long hoses, btw, so the pump might have been 10 feet down the dock), and walked back to the boat and stuck the fuel nozzle in the wrong chrome ringed hole. He squeezed the pump handle, set the holding lever, and probably wandered back over towards the pump. When the pump didn't shut off after X amount of gallons, that's probably when he wandered back to his boat and smelled lots of gas.

Stupid, yeah, but not world-class Democratic stupid. Could have been some beer involved, or simply some bikinis.

And no, I've never done it! My boat has no rod holders, and has this style of fuel filler (in white plastic):

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

must be a homo. wrong hole and all.

[fredhead]

I have a 23 foot boat with a 125 gallon tank. I also know that boating and alcohol aren’t a good mix.

My Bonnie looked into the gas tank
The fill of its contents to see
I lighted a match to assist her
Oh bring back my Bonnie to me.

[Harold Shea]

Bet you`ve also also seen tourists lie
on the beach till they require hospitalzation
with severe sunburn too.

Got a cousin in Fla sees that all summer long.

Had a hired man that poured 3 gallons of oil
in a tractor the other day without putting the
oil plug back in.