19 Gallon internal Bow Fuel Tank

[Erik Hardtle]

Added a Moeller 19 Gallon internal Bow Fuel Tank.

1. Cut really big hole (save piece)
2. Remove Foam
3. Fiberglass wood piece on top of ballast tank.
4. Insert tank and attach front & back hold downs, great stuff the sides.
5. Run fuel fill and fuel vent tube to front of boat.
6. Run fuel draw to back of boat.
7. Replace foam and cut out piece.
8. Fill tank, prime bulb... start engine. Easy.

* need more? see my web site http://www.enctrader.com/hardtlefamily/ ... tm#bowtank it has all the details and tons of pictures.


__________________________________________________________________________________________
Capt Erik, Admiral Jean, First Mate Christina & Swabbie Nicole
1999 MacGregor 26X, "KnotShore"
New Bern, NC

[mastreb]

How do you fill it? External fitting?

[Divecoz]

Mastreb... #5.
Humm I am just not comfortable .... for now.. with having a fuel tank in the cabin..

[mastreb]

Mastreb... #5.
Humm I am just not comfortable .... for now.. with having a fuel tank in the cabin..

Ah--missed that, thanks!

[kurz]

for me there is still a safety question:

What will happen if some petrol is coming out? It will vaporize of course. As this vaporized petrol is heavier than the normal air it can not easily go out of the cabin but will stay deep in the bilge/cabin. In the worst case a spark could inflame.
Because of this the petrol tanks are outside and the vaporized steam will go down to the motor/outside and not into the cabin.

what do others think?

[paul I]

Having the fuel and fuel lines located outside of the cabin is one of the things i like about my 26x. Installing an internal fuel tank would be a non-improvement for me. But to each his own. I hope its safe.

[Y.B.Normal]

I'd check with the Coast Guard Regulations on this installation.
I'd certainly install a bilge blower and associated air vents!
I've been involved in 2 boat fires (one where I was ON the boat).
One blew off the engine cover and burned to the waterline at the fuel pier. Yes, the blower had
been running (for over 10 minutes). It can ruin your whole day!

Dale

[raycarlson]

i can't stand the gas smell in the cockpit area which is in open air, i don't know how you could stand it in an enclosed area unless you have huge capacity ventilation fans.

[Erik Hardtle]

Just a note on some of the comments so far.

I did not go into to this lightly, I did my research and made sure everything I did conformed to American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) requirements.

The tank and all it's hoses and fitting meet USCG and ABYC requirments.

I did test it with the Admiral, she can't stand the smell of gas in the cockpit so I always had to be careful filling the old outside tanks. I filled the new internal tank and had her go below and smell and she could not detect anything. If she did then there is something wrong with the installation. The fuel fill and vent lines exit the top of the boat near the anchor locker. (see my website for pictures)

Blowers or vent fans are only used for inboard engine compartments, fuel tanks use separate vent lines.


If I missed some thing please let me know. Thanks, Erik

[c130king]

Erik,

What is your total fuel capacity now? Any specific reason why you wanted this?

Just wondering.

Cheers,
Jim

[Erik Hardtle]

Hey Jim,
The tank is a 19 gallons, that actually holds 18 gallons. I also have the two tempo 9 gallons, that hold 8 gallons. So I effectively can have a total of 34 gallons if needed. At WOT I have a range of approximately 54 miles with just the internal, and about a 100 miles with all.

Why... hmmm. Mostly because I added a 90hp motor (I blame Billy and Victor) on the back (127lbs more than the Honda 50hp I had on it), plus 6 pounds per gallon (96 lbs) of my existing tanks in the back, plus people, plus everything else I store under the cockpit made the back of the boat very heavy. (note photo below... doing .2 knots)


I also get storage back in the back, my wife won't complain about the fumes in the cockpit from the 2 tanks, I think it will sail better with the nose down (not that I will beat you... ever) and if we start taking longer trips (like Bimini) I would like to have more range, and a fuel guage on the pedistal will be nice.

Okay... really I was bored and having Mod withdrawl symptoms...

[c130king]

Okay... really I was bored and having Mod withdrawl symptoms...

Admitting it is the first step in recovery...

You will really be able to eat up some miles at full throtle with Knot Shore...and, yes, I have motor envy.

Here is a video of Knot Shore with Captain Erik and Admiral Jean in action at the Jacksonville Macgregor Get-Together over Labor Day Weekend 2011...skip ahead to the 1:30 point to see Knot Shore and XX with Captain Billy (and his 140HP) go blowing by me like I was standing still...

Motoring to the JMGT 2 Sept 2011

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[arknoah]

I'm antsy about the internal fuel tank, too, in addition to the weight difference in the bow and removal of flotation. (Did it go back in?)

I suppose if there was a really strong effort to ventilate before starting the engine, with multiple fans for a minimum of 5 minutes, it might be safe enough. Though I don't think I'd want to sleep in the v-berth. I'm glad it seems to be working out for you.

[Erik Hardtle]

I have put back in all the flotation, but obviously in different areas of the boat. In fact I have added more foam floatation in every nook and cranny to help compensate for all the other stuff in the boat. Remember they tested the floation with no motor, just a bare X.

Ah... you don't need to ventilate the area around a sealed fuel tank... that's why there is a separate vent tube that feeds out of them to the outside of the boat... (see diagram above) and the outboard is at the other end of the boat. The only possiblity of an explosion is if there is a leak of the tank, fitting or pipe... and you will smell it long before it becomes a terminal problem. I've had powerboats with the same setup.

[Russ]

I'm antsy about the internal fuel tank, too, in addition to the weight difference in the bow and removal of flotation. (Did it go back in?)

I agree. Having a fuel line run inside the boat is a possible leak source. However, with proper installation and ventilation there is no danger. With an internal tank, I'd also have a blower just because. Seems like a good place for a fuel tank if so inclined. Low in the boat and forward where an aft heavy Mac might benefit.


I've never been one to rely on the flotation to save me. In fact, I've never owned a boat that I didn't expect to sink and with heavy motors and equipment, I expect my Mac wouldn't sit pretty as the motorless capsized Mac in the marketing material. This mod makes me itch to use that forward compartment better.