portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

[mtduckhunter]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

i dont understand, would a grounded portable tank be safe to fill without taking it out of the boat? you wouldnt take out a perm. tank to fill.

im probably just gona move the cranking batt. up front and put a 12 gal. perm. tank in the back.

 

[jtexas]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

thinking about tanks being "grounded" - theoretically, it seems to me that a tank in the boat on a trailer *not grounded*, would be like an "open circuit", how does an arc happen in that case? I obviously have no formal training in electricity.

... I read no reference to portable tanks in the boat building article above...

I knew it was obscure, so note my followup post with quote from page 30.

Manufacturers are required to comply with the USCG regs - that pamphlet is sort of the "readers digest" version, for backyard boat builders. If Lund made it, you gotta feel pretty good about it.

i dont understand, would a grounded portable tank be safe to fill without taking it out of the boat? you wouldnt take out a perm. tank to fill.

im probably just gona move the cranking batt. up front and put a 12 gal. perm. tank in the back.

Would it be safe? Safer than checking the fuel level in the dark by using a match for illumination. Less safe than a permanent tank. It's not just about static electricity, its also about fumes.

I noticed that Tracker aluminum boats have the filler located in the splashwell - seems a good idea to me, easier installation and keeps spills out of the boat.

On placing a battery in the bow, consider that shock & vibration are a big cause of premature battery failures and will be way worse in the bow - just something to think about.

 

[Expidia]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

Not to keep being the devils advocate here but . . . most boats now a days that are rigged for the bow mounted electrics come equipped with a bow plug to plug it and and a "battery box in the bow" for the trolling motor in a hatch in below the deck towards the bow! At least mine does!

 

[Expidia]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

The picture that really scares me is the one above that shows the owner with a portable tank right at his feet. If another boat strikes you in the bow area or a spark sets it off . . . it ain't gonna be pretty

Just my opinion . . . but I'd give serious thought to riding around sitting on an unenclosed gas tank in that position.

I know there are above deck tanks like on pontoons, but I've yet to see anyone riding around with one under their feet like that.

True, there are tanks that Boston Whalers use that go under their seat.

I carry a small emergency 2.5 gal tank in an enclosed hatch in my bow and that scares me two. It reminds me of the terrorists that place a bomb in the front of their boat and ram into a bigger boat at full speed. I guess I'll get to see those 72 virgins if that happens

 

[JCF350]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

I carry a small emergency 2.5 gal tank in an enclosed hatch in my bow and that scares me two. It reminds me of the terrorists that place a bomb in the front of their boat and ram into a bigger boat at full speed. I guess I'll get to see those 72 virgins if that happens

A gas tank will not explode (an empty that has been sitting around might), not enough oxygen to support combustion. it could leak and burn though. All the ads of the explosive power of a gal of gas neglect to tell you that air needs to be mixed in with the fuel vapors before it will even start to burn.

 

[jtexas]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

There's always trade-offs - lot of bass boats in my neck of the woods with three or four batteries in the stern, with trolling motors and onboard chargers in the bow and long runs of cable. My trolling battery is amidship, I'm thinking of moving it back for better weight & balance.

grew up fishing in open jonboats with fuel tanks underfoot. a spark really doesn't pose a threat unless vapors have accumulated, in the right concentration.

reminds me of the time my fishing buddy decided he needed a wasp nest for a souvenir - 14' jonboat, small lake in Louisiana lots of standing timber, red wasp nests about the size of watermelons. He took off his shirt, soaked it in gasoline, draped it over a nest, lit it with a cigarette and waited for the gas to burn off, at which time he knocked it into the water with a paddle, recovered the shirt unharmed and the empty wasp nest. Which is a good thing cause I don't know what we'd a done if any had survived, what with the lake being full of water moccasins and all. Those were the days.

 

[mtduckhunter]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

newer Bass Cat bass boats fuel tank is under the floor right under the seats also.

i will try to post a pic of my setup and you guys can tell me a little more about what to do.

 

[mtduckhunter]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

this is where i want to move the cranking batt. to, maybe i could strap it down to where it doesnt bounce?

this is my batt. box in the front deck, there will be two batts. in here.

this is where the cranking batt. is now and where the perm. tank will be. im gona put a piece of carpeted plywood with a hatch to access it.

what yall think?

 

[kalla man]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

i think that a tank next tothe battery in a vented area is no problem,but if you have the option to move them away from each other....take the extra margin of safety

as for the battery in the front... just strap it down and make sure your connections are tight...you will have no problems.

and........... my good friend in the Bahamas has two albury brothers boats (some of the best built CC's in the world..IMHO) that have the gas tanks under the console,right in front of your feet.....if its acceptable to high quality manufacturers like albury..............i wouldnt be too worried

 

[mtduckhunter]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

do i need a vent on the plywood enclosure if theres nothing but the fuel tank in it?

 

[jtexas]

Re: portable fuel tank as permenant tank??

only the first picture is viewable.
the United States Coast Guard says that any closed compartment containing either a fuel tank that vents into the compartment, or a non-metallic fuel tank must have
*supply openings or ducts from the atmosphere and
*exhaust openings or exhaust ducts into the atmosphere.

The supply openings must be located on the EXTERIOR SURFACE of the boat.

The exhaust openings must originate in the lower third of the compartment.

All the openings must be above the normal accumulation of bilge water.

The size of the openings depends on how much space there is surrounding the tank in the compartment. Larger the enclosed space, more fumes can accumulate, so more venting is needed.

That's a requirement for boat manufacturers, but for us do-it-yourselfers it's just a suggestion - we all have to make our own decisions. Myself, I complied with the USCG guidelines by leaving one side of my fuel tank compartment open. I'm sure there's lots of boats with portable tanks inside compartments that never blow up at all. Just make sure your fire extinguishers are in good shape.

Remember, its the fumes that are explosive, not the liquid gas.