Propane locker

[gareth harris]

A couple of years ago, we had a thread on building a locker in an E35. Has anyone completed it yet?

My first thought is whether a horizontal or vertical mount would work best, since it would be much easier to build the locker with the tank already in hand, and I wonder what to buy.

And then location, either in the aft locker, or under the cockpit floor next to the rudder shaft.

And finally, venting. A few years ago somebody (Glyn, was it you?) suggested the idea of making a vent inside one of the poles of the stern rail. Are there any numbers to go with that, such as the size of the holes in the side of the pole?

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[jkm]

Gareth

I think Dan Simpson would be a good source. I believe he put one together and is a HVAC contractor so he should be able to answer most of your questions. He has a 35-2.

John

 

[chaco]

Propane Lockers

Check out www.tridentmarine.com for Propane Tanks and Locker ideas.
I am planning (2) 10LB Vertical Aluminum Tanks installed in a Locker located
in the Starboard Cockpit Locker. The vent will join the thruhull collection
on the Transom. Am looking for off-the-shelf airtight lockers as an alternative
to the EXPENSIVE Propane Locker. The Starboard Locker will give me access
to change out the Tanks.

Happy Gas

 

[gareth harris]

I am planning (2) 10LB Vertical Aluminum Tanks installed in a Locker located
in the Starboard Cockpit Locker. The vent will join the thruhull collection
on the Transom.

Happy Gas

Are you thinking within the locker itself, or just aft of it under the traveller, through the access panel at the aft end of the locker?

I agree that the price of propane lockers seems very high, so had been planning on trying to build something into the empty space.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[chaco]

The Propane Locker will be inside of the Starboard Cockpit Locker.
Am looking in to AirTight Storage Lockers which will magically be turned
in to Propane Lockers with vent and solenoid shutoff valve.
Will keep the E35II Team informed.

 

[jthistle]

Any progress?

Hi guys...

Any progress on this? I've got the boat gutted...steering, tankage, locker bulkheads and floor - all gone. So I'm starting from scratch and looking at propane storage options in the 35-II. ANy pics or diagrams floating around?

cheers
jt

 

[Mike.Gritten]

We just did this install on our 35 II last fall. I will try and get some pictures of the almost finished installation. Basically I went with a vertical, 10lb fibreglass tank (same size exactly as the 10 lb aluminum tanks) as the horizontal tanks are VERY pricey here in Canada. I cut a BIG hole in the starboard-side helm seat and installed a foam-cored fibreglass and epoxy box I custom built in though that hole. I had precut and installed fittings for the gas line, wiring, and drain in the box before insertion. There is JUST enough vertical space here to accomodate everything and still have a short drain hose flow down to an above-the-waterline through hull fitting under the stern. I glassed and epoxied the box both inside and out under the seat to ensure an airtight seal and then installed an o-ring sealed, opening white hatch cover onto the seat itself. It's definitely not a factory install (perhaps someone with more skill than I could build an o-ring seal and utilize the plug from the cutout as the lid) but it looks fine. It DOES, however, meet the ABYC requirements. It is very strong, gas tight and works perfectly. Our sniffer doesn't alert us to any gas in the boat. We check the fittings and gas pressure regularly.

 

[exoduse35]

I too installed a locker into the starboard side of the helm locker. By cutting around the non-skid then glassing in a lip to the underside and adding hinged & a latch it looks like it belongs there. I sealed the cut edges with epoxy and then glassed in a piece of plywood along the starboard side of the original door and the hole by the engine control panel. then several more layers of epoxy & cloth all around has it sealed. there was already a vent in the transom that served the fuel vent, so use it after relocating the vent hose "to make room for progress". it will hold a 20 lb. tank for the boat and a 10 lb. tank that runs the BBQ. the work wasn't too hard, just a lot of glassing upside down through a small hole!