fuel tank sizing

[blacklab]

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[scottar]

I would say the bare minimum that allows you to get the tank into place. It just needs an air gap. Are you going to sheath the tank at all or leave it bare ally? Have you considered a poly tank ( if there is one that will fit well enough). Fuel gauge - waste of time in my books. If you are getting a new engine, the fuel monitoring now is accurate enough to rely on PROVIDED you fill the tank every time out and the one system variable (you) remembers to reset it when you fill the tank. Over 100 plus litres mine would be out by 2% at the absolute worst. Depending on your filler location, I would possibly recommend getting a bung type fitting installed in the tank top if you are having a lid that just sits there - two reasons - the only failure proof (short of losing it) fuel gauge - a dip stick, can be used and it makes for a safe place to add fuel at sea without the risk of a wave slopping into your open fuel filler or it's difficult to access.

[blacklab]

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[scottar]

The only reason there should ever be expansion in an alloy tank would be if you had a breather blockage. Make sure you have two - one each end, and if room an expansion tank in the breather lines is also a good idea. Main thing with ally is to not having sitting constantly wet - hence the packers. Make sure they are attached well with sealant to the tank so no moisture can get in there. Have seen a few now that have been treated with a two pack epoxy coating - certainly couldn't hurt. It takes a long time but bare ally left with salt sitting on it will pit and hole. I have often wondered how the spray on ute liner type stuff would stick to ally and whether it would hold up to contact with fuel. !40 litres will still provide a pretty good range for day tripping. My Victory only has 150 under the floor. I considered doing a bigger tank but figured that is more than ample for 95% plus of what I do with the boat so I just carry a couple of tote tanks in under floor storage as a safety margin and jerry cans that can be stored up top once emptied on bigger trips.

[gazza2006au]

Hey Col good topic, will u ever wonder if a stray hook will peirce the bladder and leak fuel?

Epoxy the tank is a beauty idea

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[blacklab]

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[Dignity]

Col, I just this morning saw a Haines Hunter fuel tank and they welded L shaped lugs where the baffles are situated on top and the vertical surface of the lugs were then screwed into the side of the well. My new tank also sits on two 75mm x 5mm rails just in case any water gets into the voids. These rails can be either welded on or stuck down with lots of Sika to exclude any air between the rail and the tank.

I did tell you about the bladder set up but I can't take credit for it as it is what others have done.

Gazza, the fuel bladders are not used during fishing, they are purely to use first up on a long haul, when they run dry they are flat and you just roll them up and put them away snd continue your trip.

[blacklab]

personal info deleted

[Dignity]

I used ally for the rails Col. You could use Seaboard or similar material but the ally was sitting in Al's workshop so I grabbed that. Use lots of goop so that there are no voids when you stick it on. Also your Tank Well should have drainage in it, in case of leaks, I'm pretty sure it is a Survey requirement.

[blacklab]

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[ranmar850]

I wasn't going to fit a fuel gauge in the new boat back when I fitted it out, even though a sender had already been fiited to the tank and wires run to the dash. Never had a fuel gauge in a boat. I had a fuel flow/totaliser in the Raymarine network, running from the ECM, gotta be accurate. And it was . As long as you remember to manually add your fills to the system, which I did. However, I could just not get over that nagging feeling that something like an undetected fuel theft could leave me badly exposed. Without the old gauge, there is just no way of telling when you have a gunwhale-mounted filler. I can just glance at the gauge, see that it roughly tallies with the fuel remaining according to the electronics, and feel happy.

[blacklab]

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[ranmar850]

I certainly understand your aversion to them, just something else to fail, or another point for a leak. I know that, in some of the above posts, people were not happy with floor-level fillers, but at least you can visually check/dip contents. They only work if you have the deck access separate to the actual filler, ie, unscrew the deck access then have a separate cap underneath. This way, you can check, on a deck that is not actually running with water, without risk of contamination. But you need a decent gap between underside of deck and top of tank for it to work, which generally means you can't make the tank as deep as you otherwise might want to.

[gazza2006au]

Col can u possible pick up a filler neck for a car fuel tank that accepts a locking cap and fit that to your gunnel?

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[blacklab]

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