sceptre 23 fuel tank specs
 

Hi, just bought a 1980 outboard 23 scepter, previous owner removed original tank and improperly installed a much smaller one, Does anyone know the max height of fuel cell for placement back into original location?

I have a 1976 Scepter and the fuel tank is out of the boat because I am going to have a new one made. I can tell you the height of that tank. In fact, I can take pictures of it and give you all the measurements if that helps. You may just want to try to confirm that the tank size is the same 1976 and 1980 models.

that would be great! from what I could gather they should be the same. Thank you, Gerry

Max height has a huge variable. The filler fitting needs to be as close to the tank so that the fuel filler hose has enough room for the wall of the pipe to fit in. So get your max height with this in mind. I know because I had to grind my fuel tank cover to make it work. Each tank manufacturer makes their tanks different. Sunshine Marine is where I had mine made.

Fuel tank replacement
 

I had a similar situation a few years ago when I replaced my fuel tank. I had to grind the cover and any high spots where the tank sat to clear the fuel filler. I had the tank made to the original measurements. The culprit was a bow to the bottom of the tank during fabrication. It was not planar. If I were to do it again I'd reduce the height maybe 1/2" for some margin.