4L: Fuel System
4L1: Fuel System Concept and Introduction
Fuel System Diagrams are on page 4.34 for your reference!
The 800 gallons of Diesel fuel aboard Hele Mai is carried in:
•
“forward” tanks of 250 gallons each side of the engine room;
•
“aft” tanks of 100 gallons each side of the engine room; and
•
a pair of “lazarette tanks” totaling 100 gallons.
This gives the boat great cruising range, but it also means the operator must have some
consideration of fuel management in the boat’s operation.
Diesel engines pump an excessive amount of fuel from the tank, injecting enough fuel at
high pressure into the engine for its operation, and use the excess to cool the injection pump
equipment on the engine. The unused excess is then returned to the tank. For instance, at a
given throttle setting for long-range cruising, an engine might be using only two or three
gallons per hour, but pumping 15 or 20 gallons through its fuel system. The unused fuel
"makes the circuit" through the fuel filters and engine fuel pump, then returns to a fuel tank.
Note: The Lazarette Tanks, though detailed in this manual, are not to
be used! The Port Lazarette Tank is empty and the Starboard
Lazarette Tank is full for trim purposes and should be left as is!
4L2: Filling the Fuel Tanks
With the six fuel tanks, you need to fuel the boat carefully using standard hose and
nozzle (like those on auto gas pumps).
Hint: Splashing water on the decks in the area of each fuel fill (before opening the
caps!), then placing an oil-absorbent pad with a hole in it for the filler before filling will help
keep any spilled fuel from staining the decks!
Fill all the tanks completely but do not spill fuel! Do not fill the lazarette tanks!
4L3: Fuel Fill Pipe Locations
Fuel fills for the two forward and aft
engine room tanks are on the side decks
(two per side), while the other two fuel fills
for the lazarette tanks are in the cockpit.
Take the hose around the boat as
necessary to fill all the tanks.
(Above) One of the cockpit fuel
fills.
(Right) You can see the mid and
forward tank fills on this side
deck.
Section 4L: Fuel System 4.32
