Re: I'm an owner! 1975 Islander 22
Yeah the people here are the only reason I could ever hope to tackle a project like this, so major thanks. I *am* however still looking for the whole 800-page Service Manual #2, so if anyone has it and needs me to store an offsite backup copy for them, I'd be happy to.
Okay moving on to... FUEL TANKS!
Here are the ones I currently have picked out. I'm hoping a few of you know-it-alls can take a peak and let me know if there's anything I'm not considering properly. These are way less expensive than any other option I can find anywhere and the sizing fits the placement I wanna do (under the seat boxes like the original layout).
I especially like that the filler necks are along the long side so the big hose that comes down the side walls can slip straight onto the neck without having to jimmy the hose around any corners n' stuff. HOWEVER, that means the port side tank will essentially be backwards; the outlet will end up facing the bow - is that going to create problems when I'm running on vapors trying to get back to the launch? How much difference does the positioning of those openings make with the flow of fuel?
I'm psyched about getting these cause the place (Great Lakes Skipper) is in Racine, WI and my wife is meeting some friends from Chicago at the Packers/Bears Game this Thursday and they've already agreed to stop in Racine on the way to the game, pick up the tanks, hand 'em off to my wife in Green Bay for the free ride home. Shipping the tanks was gonna cost almost $100, so I'm way pumped about this little development.
Since the tanks are going under the front seats, I spent some time with a pile of boards and a five gallon bucket trying to work out the exact best position for the captains seat, and thus the seat boxes, then I'll just make the first mate's seat symmetrical to that. The fronts of the boxes (bow side) are going to be 32" from the cabin wall - that gives me room to stand on the actual floor behind the wheel. The boxes will be 20" tall - that gives me plenty of room inside for the fuel tank, fittings and hoses, and possibly even a drawer at the top for storage. I still figured in a couple inches of height to fit in a seat bracket, the seat and padding to get me to the perfect height for driving while sitting down.
Am I missing anything here?
