Re: fuel line
Blederman,<br />Whatever you do make sure it is U.S.C.G. approved. Otherwise, you could get a hefty ticket and worse yet if there is a fire your insurance will be worthless. That said, let me admit that I find the Code of Federal Regulations somewhat ambiguous. In some locations they indicate the line must be solid metal. Other places they seem to require flexible line. It appears, however, that the flexible line requirement is between the boat/tank and the engine. Which only makes sense given that engine vibration would require flex between the engine and the "non-moving" boat. However, somewhere else in the code, and I can't remember where, it implied that U.S.C.G. approved hoses would work between the fuel pump and carberater. However, those regulations went so far as to specify the grade of hose and the interval at which the U.S.C.G. approval had to be printed on the hose. Finally, the best I can tell is that "K" copper tubing with .035 walls at 3/8 outside diameter (plumbers use inside, but coast guard uses outside) is legal. This tubing is very easy to bend without a tube bender (unless you do 90 degrees) without crimping and yes I too failed at bending the oem stainless even with a good quality tube bender. Personally, if I could have gotten an oem Mercury line to work for $40.00 I would have spent the money.
