Clear Hoses for Fuel and Water?

[philbur]

Hey All:

Just a quick question regarding my plans to finish a V-6 Merc rebuild.
Have any of you tried Clear Hose for your main Fuel Lines and Water Lines?

I am trying to think of a reason why I have not seen this done on other motors I have either owned or seen. The fuel pressure is not an issue...and there is little chance of line collapse from a vacum so I intend on incorporating them unless anyone has insight as to why I should not.

Also, I would ideally like to use 3/8" (ID) Clear High Temp Braided hose for the cooling system as well. Any personal experiences for better or worse would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Clear Hoses for Fuel and Water?

Phill, Normally the fuel line is approved by BIA. If you can find some clear stuff that is approved, it should be OK. "Normal" clear hoses do not hold up to OB use. Water lines can be made of anything, but you will want to monitor their wear, if you use substandard stuff.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Clear Hoses for Fuel and Water?

In U.S. waters, fuel lines on passenger carrying craft are required by Coast Guard Reg to be certified approved fuel hose which must pass 'burn through' testing.

Would you want anything less?

I don't think that you really want 'cute' fuel lines that could fail, and allow your boat, motor, self?, or other boats, people nearby, quite literally go up in smoke.

Do it right, or pay someone else to.

 

[DanMC]

Re: Clear Hoses for Fuel and Water?

Hi, besides the safety aspect when comes to fuel, i wonder if the uv...the sun may affect the fuel chemical composittion.The thing that came to mind...there aren't clear gerry cans...just a thought.
Dan

 

[j_martin]

Re: Clear Hoses for Fuel and Water?

The safety issue is the biggest factor. A fire while on the water is very difficult to deal with, often with a very bad outcome.

I had tygon lines on mine for a couple of years. They dried up and had to be replaced. I imagine in another year or so I would have had the fuel spillage/fire issue. Got the high dollar black stuff on it now.

So, mine are all certified hoses, except the hose from the oil pump to the mixer. It's clear for setup and monitoring, just like it was from the factory.

On high temp hoses. If not galvanized rubber, they have to resort to cross link technology for the high temp strength. Cross linking can be pretty tricky when you run it off the top end of the operating range. I wiped out a domestic wood fired boiler system by not understanding that, and when the steam hit the lines after a power outage, the **** hit the fan big time. Turned a nice tame domestic boiler into a hazmat scene in about 5 seconds.

So, for your safety and the safety of others, have at it when making yer snowmobile and racing lawn mower purty, but keep it safe on the water.