Portable tanks

C

Closecall

New member
Because my boat is older with screws into the core.
I'm thinking I want to check the core and redo the mounts for my fuel tanks.
While I'm doing it I'd like larger tanks with no flakey gauges.

I'm in Alaska were the OEM 23 gallon tanks will cost me several hundred dollars in shipping costs alone but all shapes and sizes of portables can be found on the shelf in the big city. what would be the safety concerns with the new non vented above deck tanks? Portable tanks would give me some flexibility in refueling as well. I already keep one or two portable tanks on board for extra fuel and my fuel system and racor is plumbed for portables tanks.

I read through some of the ABYC rules and I think it's ok and I think it is ok with the coast guard if I don't permanently install them.

I searched archives and only saw info concerning 16s and portable tanks.
My boat is a 22 angler with permanent bulkhead and no floor boards or fiberglass panels hiding the fuel tanks, they are just slid under either side of the splashwell.

Thoughts?

Thank in advance!
 
I use portable poly tanks on a few boats.

You will want to secure them, but they should be okay.

I find that in the conditions we have (rainforest) these tanks get more water in them than aluminum tanks. I do have one aluminum tank inside an engine compartment (sigh) that is the exception.

Otherwise, I do like them a lot.
 
Closecall,
Depending on whether you want extra fuel for seasonal long runs, or a permanent supply of extra fuel, have a look at the "bladder tanks". When full they look like large "pillows" and will stay in place without being secured down. The smaller sizes can be placed forward thereby balancing weight and vessel trim. Then when not required can be stored away off the boat.
 
Barry Rietz":1wpl9szr said:
Closecall,
Depending on whether you want extra fuel for seasonal long runs, or a permanent supply of extra fuel, have a look at the "bladder tanks". When full they look like large "pillows" and will stay in place without being secured down. The smaller sizes can be placed forward thereby balancing weight and vessel trim. Then when not required can be stored away off the boat.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, I've seen the bladder tanks and they are nice for extra fuel. Again I need to redo my anchors properly, and while I'm at it the old dirty tanks will be out and they need new sending units/wiring and fill/vent houses so I figure I'd go whole hog and install adequate fuel capacity for the far too rare week long trips in prince William sound. It would be nice to have large enough tanks to not have a bunch of 6 gallon portable tanks sliding around or a bladder laying in the cockpit.
 
I would be concerned with the "non vented" tanks in hot weather. There have been a number of instances of fuel spraying from fixtures, when the pressure increased- EPA mandated non vented tanks, to decrease atmospheric "solution". of fuel fumes. May not be an issue in AK--but still a potential, you should be aware of.

I have to disagree a bit with my friend Barry about bladder tanks. They should be secured. They are expensive --the 25 gallons tanks are about $475. Eventually they tend to have some abrasion and leakage (I have had a midnight fuel sale of 200 gallons of diesel, when one began to have a small leak) Ideally should be mounted on Ozite or similar carpets, with all conners secured. Filling bladder tanks can be difficult in boats.

Other wise portable should be fine. I carry a couple 2 gallon cans for the dinghy and generator in the cockpit.
 
Re "flakey gauges," I now have both a "Fuel Management System" on board and a flop around fuel gauge. The FMS stopped working for one tank, so I'm glad I had the flop around, but it's now going fine again. It was made by Faria and is discontinued, probably because it was for smaller boats. It can read fuel flows down to .1 gallons per hour and (my guess is) who wants to spend $200 to see if they are burning .2 or .3 gallons per hour? Much fancier units that are still available are NMEA 2000 compliant and read up to 35 gallons per hour. I suppose knowing whether you are burning 20 or 22 gallons per hour, and adjusting trim, makes the units affordable for larger vessels.

My justification is that an FMS is a piece of safety equipment as to the amount of fuel burned and remaining. I program in the amount of fuel, set the safety alarm (usually 5 gallons for my CD 16). That way, I know when I have 7.1 gallons (for instance) left on board. Much better than looking at the flopping needle and thinking "do I have 1/4 or 1/2 tank left?" Which is basically "do I have 5 or 11 gallons left?" I want more information.

I can also program in the additional amount in the portable tank (6.5 gallons) and switch to the main tank when I've used 6.4 gallons, no matter what the flopping needle on the portable tank is doing. No need to wait for the engine to miss and try to switch to the other tank before it stalls. No need to pick up the portable and shake it to get a more accurate feel for what's left.

I didn't bother changing the FMS over to read in liters (a simple process) when in Canada, but that would make it easier to fill if I knew exactly what I needed in liters. It really reduces the likelihood of spills when I know to the 10/th of a gallon how much fuel I need to top off the tank. Another bonus.

I bought my new tank by watching on Ebay for overstock, etc., that had free shipping. Here's one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Moeller-Marine- ... 1H&vxp=mtr
Mine wasn't from this seller, and I'm sure that some postage is included in the price, but I found that the postage rates vary a lot. It seems like most of the tanks are made by Moeller, and if the Ebay description doesn't have enough info, you can go to the Moeller site for lots of details.

I also checked to make sure that my tank was of recent vintage. Some new, never used tanks are still old enough to have the higher perm rating.

Mark
 
You might want to check Amazon. They had the exact replacement for my 22 and shipped free since I have Prime. They may have yours too. The tanks came quickly and the price was outstanding.
 
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