Fuel Tanks? (& when to reef)

[Captain Wm Hook]

I have two questons before my Admiral & I take our first trip on the Mac 26X through the San Juans.

#1). At what point should I reef the main sail? (knots of wind). There are two reefing points on my main.

#2). I have 2 X 6 gal tanks. Where can one find the 12 gal ones that Macgregor says will fit under the cockpit seats?

Thanks,

Captain Wm. Hook

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

i believe that the TEMPO brand is the one that fits best. Although some cutting is required for install and a deck plate must be placed in the bench seat in order to fill the tank as removal to fill is painful.





here are a few links...

http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm ... goryID=365
http://www.boatfix.com/bymfg.ASP?make=T ... hichpage=5
http://www.jbeezwatercraft.com/store/pr ... ts_id/3643
http://www.marine-products.com/engine/f ... gallon.jsp

although here's another "tried & true" option that several on this board (including me) subscribe to. the benefit is that they are removeable and hold 6 gallons each (12 gallons per side).





Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki[/url]

[Harvey]

I have installed deck plates to ease the problem of filling the 9 gal. Tempo tanks I have on my X. They are the same height as the low profile tank noted by Bobby T. Before I did it was a horrific battle, complete with blood and spilled gas, to remove the tanks for filling. If you would like to see how I did it, you are welcome to drop by my house on Vine st. in Salem. It's the house with the MacX driveway ornament.

Harvey

[Don T]

Hello,
This was my solution LPT12 tank installation

When filling, I lift the tank up and pull it out to expose the filler. Only drawback is that a small amount of fuel will be left in the tank cuz' the draw tube is in the rear where it's higher. Usually I lift the tank when it's about to run out and rest it on the locker edge to draw out the remaining fuel. Kind of like a reserve.

As for reefing, with my boat it depends on the point of sail. I've had no reefs in at 17 kts on a broad reach although I had the sails twisting off at the top (sheet blocks all the way aft and boom vang eased). When pointing as soon as it begins to heal more that 15* and the boat is not speeding up I will put a reef in the main. Also, if I get the sense that the winds are building and will continue to do so I will reef anyway cuz' I know I will have to eventually. It is much easier when the seas have not begun to build, which they will after a while.

YMMV - It's a matter of being familiar with your boat and the way you have weight distributed.

Good Luck

[eric3a]

..

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Just my 2 cents worth.

Any tank larger than 6 gallons and you should consider them built in from a use standpoint and not plan on removing them for filling purposes. It's easiest to cut a deck hatch opening in the seat to fill either the 9 gallon or 12 gallon tanks. Of course on a M this is not an issue as the seat lifts up to give easy access.

Shown above and here is my solution



These are Tempo "Valu-6" six gallon tanks. They cost a lot less than the Tempo "Ultra-6" tank and two will actually fit side by side in the X locker. There is even room for quarts of oil and stove fuel beside them. I have 4 of the tanks and over filled up to the fill neck I can get just over 25 gallons on board.

You do have to do some trimming of the lip at the bottom and one side then add some sort of retension strap as I did to keep the tanks in place. The bottom lip needs to be trimmed down near flush to the locker floor, you need about 3/4" trimmed off the aft lip, and I enlarged and lowered my drain holes so they drain the locker comparment better while I was at it. I did all the rough trimming with a dremel tool starting with a roto zip spiral saw blade, then rough finishished with the belt sander then final finished with a drum sander on the dremel tool.



The beauty of the "Valu-6" is the fuel line connection and the fill openings are on the end not the top. They can be filled without releasing the retaining strap and pulling the tanks out. This makes it super easy to switch tanks and fuel up at the fuel dock. Yet because they are only 6 gallon tanks they can easily be pulled out and taken to a shoreside gas station where gas is cheaper.

[Catigale]

Not only should the sailor consider them permanent, they are considered permanent fuel tanks in some local codes and so may require more sophisticated mounting, etc..

[Frank C]

Not only ... considered permanent fuel tanks in some local codes ...

Not only 'in some local codes' but significantly ... by the Coast Guard.

A "portable" fuel tank is one that can be removed for fueling.

A "permanent" fuel tank is one that cannot be (practically) removed for fueling, and is therefore regulated by numerous installation, venting and grounding specifications. Discussed many times in the archives.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

A sure clue that it should be treated as a permanently installed tank is the fact that these larger Tempo tanks don't have built in handles for carrying.

Also beware of one tank in the Tempo line I think is just plain misleading. It's model number is the 9GAS but it only holds 7.5 gallons.

http://www.reddenmarine.com/site/new-de ... =TEM630014

[delevi]

To answer the first part of the question on reefing:

Depends if you have jib or genoa, also on your point of sail. If your beating and using the working jib, I would reef the main to the first reef at about 15-18 kts. Go to the second reef at 20-22 kts. If you have roller furling, you may want to roll in a bit of headsail to balance the boat out. You can sail well in 20 kts on the first reef if you have about 1/3 of the jib furled in. Off the wind, you can use more sail area unless you have large following seas. Since I don't use a genoa, I can't comment on that config.

As for gas tanks, I use 4 6-gal tanks. Much easier to lift in and out of the boat. The one drawback is you will make more frequent tank changes. Mine were desgined to work with the Etec engine, so they may require a different intake hose fitting for a different motor. Self-venting tanks are the way to go.

Have a great trip!
Leon

[Morimaro]

Eric,

where did you get the fuel line selecta valve from and is it one selecta for four tanks?

Cheers

Morris

[Scott]

Old adage, Best to reef as soon as you think about it.

[James V]

Reef when you feel the heal is to much, Your boat is reefing anyway by the angle, you might as well be more at ease. With the jib and main, the reefing may be determined by the direction and sea conditions when you want to reef. If you are not sure, start with a reef, you can always take it out if going to slow.

Fuel tanks, Most people think that the 12 gal is to heavy to move around by it self. If you need to take the tank out to get fuel, then you should get the 6 gal. Otherwise, get the 12.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Old adage, Best to reef as soon as you think about it.

Older adage, If you think it's time to reef, it's too late.

[bhmurray]

I agree with the adage "when you think it might be time to reef then it is time". As far as at what wind speed to reef, most of the time you are not aware what the actual wind speed is and you should rely on visual clues from nature ie when white caps start to form on the waves the the wind speed is about 15 knotts and that is a good time to think about reefing