Even if you find the right rubber to handle gasoline, it needs to be thick enough to have some strength, and that particular hose is a pain in the neck because there are a couple of bends in it, that I would think would be impossible to use an off-the-shelf hose to make do with. Hell, I had a difficult enough time trying to get the correct hose (with all the bends in it) to fit.
My opinion. I wish there were an alternative, because you're right, takes too long, expensive, etc. I just don't think there's another way around it.
-Gary
"I can't believe I'm sitting here, completely surrounded by no beer!" -Onslow