Quote:
Originally Posted by SailorChlud
Very interesting. My coffin has a 48 inch deck under it, not 60 inches. I wonder if having 12 inches of tank length unsupported would be a problem?
I have about 8 1/2 inch of depth to work with in the coffin, and a tank height of 7 3/4 is possible, because once the tank is under the lip of the lid, the under deck clearance rises to 9 1/4 inches.
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The calculated capacity of OEM tank is about 35 gallons. I was able to put 36 gallons in it when filling to brim, probably due to additional volume in the fill and vent lines, but I put 34 gallons into I-Command system for fuel/range remaining calculations. If you install the quick connect fuel fitting on one of the output ports on filter to permit siphoning gas out thru the filter, you can find out how much fuel is unusable by dumping in 5 gallons, draining it out, and measuring how much you drain out.
I would just extend coffin deck with some 1/4" PVC or starboard. To maximize fuel capacity with the available space, one way would be to install a bladder tank, if you can find one with the right dimensions, although that may be a long shot. The other way would be to install 2 tanks that would each fit thru the hatch without having to tilt them, which would allow you to use more of the vertical space. (The OEM tank just barely fits thru the hatch, so Moesly designed it very carefully! I'd recommend modifying your mockup to those dimensions to verify fit before ordering one like it.) Before going the 2 tank route, I'd do some calculations to see how much of an increase you could get to see if the extra cost/work is worth it. On my Bahama trips with the old carbed gas guzzling 2S motor. I typically carried at least 24 gallons on deck in 6 gallon tanks and jugs, which was enough if we refueled at West End or Walkers. However after we couldn't get gas at Walkers one year, (fuel barge had not shown up and they didn't know when he was coming!) I started carrying about 80 gallons, which was enough to run all the way to Green Turtle. The E-Tec has proven to use about 50% less gas however, so fuel situation would be much better with current motor.