fitting underfloor fuel tanks?

[castamasta]

hi all,can anyone advise on do,s and dont,s of fitting an under floor fuel tank?...sounds a bit of a silly question but any advice would be great.also does anyone know of someone around caloundra who supplies and fits them and roughly what sought of doe would i be looking at?.......thanks for any help forth coming,cheers,casta.

[redspeckle]

I got marine mob to fit a under floor tank now wish done it myself in the first place here some of don't ( i had fix and modify myself )

First of all make sure that fuel tank is clean has no aluminum filings left in it
make sure the all pipes coming off than fuel tank are at 3mm thick not 1.5mm like my pick up pipe it cracked make sure fuel tank is bolt down stop from moving that's how crack the pick up pipe over time and staring wearing marks on bottom of tank
The breather pipes should be at back of the boat instead of side where pick up boat spray ( I end putting covers over it because getting saltwater into tank) deck filler out of the way getting boat spray
lid on fuel tank itself should be protected from when washing down the floor of the boat because I end up with dirty fuel and put a rayco fuel fitter on as well with the plastic bowel not glass
yes the above cause to breakdown 4 times and 3 of them on South Passae Bar Area
Just one more thing of all this make sure have an inspection hole towards back of boat where the fittings are, its let fumes escape away from under floor and see any leaks while on the water because i have under floor bile located their as well so i don't try blow myself up its a safety measure by having the inspection hole not just for fuel to cek see if water is coming into the baot I only cover it up whens it real rough weather
I hope this [smiley=helpa.gif] you I don't know anybody on the Sunshine Coast fits fuel tanks in boats
Mitch

[castamasta]

jez mitch thats a bodgey job mate :o....and thanx there are some helpful tips there,cheers,casta.

[Reef_fisher]

Make sure you properly plumb the lines. This means supporting them and use propper grommets to stop lines from rubbing on anything. If the fuel lines come up from under floor make sure there is plenty of room, cut little round outs if needed,crushing fuel lines in any way will give you problems and cause the lines to split long before they should. As mentioned above check tank for crap, taking out the fuel sender unit should allow you to do this. As a precaution flush out tank with metho to get any water out. you don't need a lot of metho to do this just make sure you swill it all around. Tank needs to be bolted in. This stops above mentioned plumbing problems and any rubbing of hull. Last but not least fit a Rayco filter, the filter on you motor is not good enough, no matter what brand. Fit a marine grade fuel gauge, cheap car part place gauge will rot in no time. Solder wiring, joiners just aren't reliable enough.

Take it from someone who has had to fix all above problems(2nd hand boat) Do it right, Do it once. Hope this helps.

[blaze]

How ever you look at an under floor fuel tank it MUST be inside an isolated chamber, that is to isolate it from the boat hull, so you have a tank inside a fully sealed compartment, that sealed chamber then MUST be ventilated to atmosphere. I personally like the concept of a full inbuilt glass tank that utilises the area between the strings and becomes an integral part of the hull.
cheers
blaze
ps
my vents in my 200l tank exit the tank at the back and front and are vented out on the side of the cabin about 200mm above the gunnel, the filler enters the tank on the rear starboard side inside the boat about 300mm above floor lever sort of under the gunnel but with good access still. I still need to lower the front of the trailer to take on max fuel load

[cbs]

Go to www.nmsc.gov.au and download the national standard for commercial vessels Part C 5A (Machinery) then look at the sections that deal with fuels that operate at a flashpoint less than 60 degrees (petrol). All you need to know and do is there.


cbs

[castamasta]

thanks alot guys,very helpful info,cheers,casta.