Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Right now I have the small 3 gallon tank that came with my new motor....plus a 2 gallon emergency tank, a bottle of 4 stroke motor oil, and a bottle of Stabil....all of that in my fuel locker.
With my old Yammy 5HP, I had a 6 gallon tank and bottles of 2 stroke oil.
If I remember correctly, a guy got one of those large tanks at West Marine.
I think...pretty sure I remember that right but I'd have to dig around for the thread. He said it fit perfectly...snug....like it was made for it. I thought about getting one myself, but I figured the fuel would start to have issues before I'd ever come close to using it all.
With my new Tohatsu SailPro, the little 3 gallon tank is plenty for my use. I got about 8 hours, almost 30 miles, on only 2 gallons....so I could go a whole weekend motoring half the time and be just fine....especially with the little 2 gallon emergency tank I bought and treated with Stabil.
I think the first thing you have to ask yourself is how much motoring you will be doing. IIRC, we get about 6 hours out of a standard marine grade gas can. I can check our logbook tonight and give you a more accurate number. It could be more. Our experience is with an Evinrude 2 stroke 9.9 HP. We normally carry a standard 5 gal. tank and a few quarts of 2-strok oil in the fuel locker.
When we transited the Trent Canal, we carried 2 or 3 gas cans. One fit in the fuel locker, and a second went under teh tiller in teh footwell. I know there were times we had one on top of teh fuel locker but I can't remember if it was teh one in teh footwell relocated.
Next time we do the trip we will carry 2 as we never ran out of fuel, and there was always someplace to top off a tank even though we motored for days on end. What I am saying is unless you plan on travelling for days on end someplace where you have to drop the mast, one standard 5 gallon fuel tank should always be enough, and it fits neatly into the fuel locker.
I have a 3 or 5 gallon tank on mine with a 1984 Honda 8 HP 4-stroke. I was amazed at how little fuel that engine actually used. Like Scott, I'd be reluctant to go much bigger, because, unless I'm going on a long trip, the fuel will likely go bad before I get a chance to use it all. How far will you be motoring before you can switch to sails? Do you plan on motor-sailing the whole time? Does your car use regular-grade gas?
One of our cars uses regular, and here's what I'm planning to do. I'm going to keep the gas can that came with the boat (the 3/5 gallon) aboard the boat. I also have a 2 gallon with a pour spout. I'm going to fill the 2 gallon on every other trip to the boat, add Sta-Bil, then top off the boat's gas tank. Once topped off, I'll put the rest in my car.
I carry a 6 gallon tank and I don't think you're going to get anything much bigger through the seat hatch. When looking at tanks, just make sure the dimensions are such that it will fit through the opening.
As a rule, I never sail farther out than my fuel supply can get me back as the wind could die (has happened) or I could experience a rigging failure (hasn't yet, knock on wood). So if I have only four hours of fuel in the tank, I'll only sail three hours off shore.
One 6-gallon tank fits easily or two 3-gallon tanks will fit very snugly. I found that two 3's were more convenient. I put extra fenders in the "dumpster", the storage locker just forward of the fuel locker, on the floor of that locker, then the extra sails, tarps, etc. on top of the fenders. If any water gets into that locker, the extra fenders will help keep the sails dry.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by CarbonSink62</i> <br />...... it seems like there is loads of storage; I know how quickly it fills up. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
You should see my quarter berth.....I do plan to do something about it.....
<i>Originally posted by Joe Diver</i><blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">You should see my quarter berth.....I do plan to do something about it..... <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> I intend to remove the inboard cushion and turn mine into a single; I'll make some cabinets to fill the space and have a lot of extra storage on the centerline.
We just got new cushions for our boat made up, but didn't make replacement QB cushions. I'm only using that area for storage. I have the originals just in case we have a guest along, and we have extra fabric in our new pattern in case we or someone down the line wants to make matching cushions.
We have a 3 gallon tank and 4 stroke engine and it seems like a good size. For longer trips I plan on getting a second 2-3 gallon tank that can be used for emergency purposes. That'll be easier to dump into my car if I don't use all of it, and it makes it easier to keep an eye on consumption so that we aren't caught in a surprise situation.
I just need to get rid of a bunch of extra "crap" I don't really need. The QB is a good snooze place when the weather makes the v-berth a bit on the stuffy side. It's the coolest part of the boat. I use the centerline area, directly beneath the cockpit, as the storage area. I really like the cabinet idea for under there! I may stew on that one and see what I can come up with. Cabinets and maybe a few drawers. Hmmmm....got me thinkin now.....
I just bought and placed a new 6 gallon tank in my 86 Cat 25 which just barely fits the fuel compartment, but allows room for a bottle of oil and Stabil. I don't think a larger tank would fit and still allow a non binding fuel hose path.
Sometimes I just like to putt around and investigate areas where sailing might be a bit tough or risky until more familiar.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Joe Diver</i> <br />I really like the cabinet idea for under there! I may stew on that one and see what I can come up with. Cabinets and maybe a few drawers. Hmmmm....got me thinkin now..... <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I've got other projects ahead of this one, but my rough idea is for 2 drawers at the front that are accessed through the companionway ladder.
A cabinet unit in the forward part and another in the after part, both joined by slats to form a 'crib' that could hold jerry cans of water or other supplies.
The forward cabinet would also have a small area to serve as a 'bedside table' for the berth; a place for eye glasses, cell phone and a book.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Drjohn71a</i> <br />I just bought and placed a new 6 gallon tank in my 86 Cat 25 which just barely fits the fuel compartment <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Who made the 6 gallon tank, and what is the model?
As the boat is 200 milea away rightt now, I do not have the exact brand name. However, it is the cheap one from Walmart which has a rather large molded in handle on one end and does not look like it would fit. I have only seen two different common 6 gallon tanks with molded handles and either would fit. My measurement of the Catalina 25, 1986 fuel locker is 21 inch back wall, 16 inch deep, and 23 3/4 inch front wall. I bought their fuel line with the Johnaon adapter attached, but the new Johnson adapter would not fit my old 1985 Johnson Sailmaster. I had to cut the adapter off the old hose and clamp it on the new hose.
I have read that the old hoses can cause problems with the new fuels and the old one was dried out and cracked so replacing the whole thing seemed a good idea. I am amazed at how well that old Johnson motor works. My son was out with me last week and he said he had never heard an outboard start the instant the starter button was pushed. You could not even hear the starter turn the motor before it kicked in. Think I will stick with this outboard!
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Drjohn71a</i> <br />My measurement of the Catalina 25, 1986 fuel locker is 21 inch back wall, 16 inch deep, and 23 3/4 inch front wall. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Sounds spot on....wish I could find the post...but I do remember a guy buying the 12 gallon tank, installing it and saying it fit like it was designed to go there.
Some 12 gallon tanks are wide and flat, some are more cube shaped - taller with a smaller footpring. The wide, flat ones like we used on our old pontoon boats would definitely not fit, but maybe a taller, more cube shaped tank would. I wonder if there would be enough room for the fuel line and tank cap manipulation, though. The instructions indicate the well was designed for a 6 gallon metal, self-mixing tank.
Scott The six gallon Tempo tank is great for longer trips as I burn no more than 3 quarts an hour at 4.8 kts I can motor all day. For day sails it's overkill, but if you get out on frequent short trips you'll use the gas in a month in the height of the season. The nicest thing about that tank, aside from the fuel gauge, is the "reserve" in the bottom of the tank. If you should flat run out of gas, there is a moulded in dam in the bottom behind which is another pint of gas. That may be just enough gas to get you out of trouble!
I just like the six gal although I also have a three gal. Honda tank. You don't have to fill it as often and I never have to think, Gee do I have enough gas to get back? If It fits why not have the extra capacity.
I really like having two three gallon tanks so my fuel doesn't sit around so long. It takes a long time to use 6 gallons with a 4 cycle, and they are a lot easier to lug around.
Dave makes sense but for me the boat gets used 2-3 times per week so the engine is on say 40min to 1hr per day motoring out and back. 890 nautical miles last year and 1133 the year before. I never remove the tank but bring a 2gal can every 2-3 weeks to top up the 6 gal one so the gas never gets stale.
That certainly works if you motor a lot, but topping up a big tank is asking for moisture problems if you don't. It is more of a moisture issue than "stale" gas in my mind. I don't typically use a lot of fuel over the season and like having half my fuel waiting in a tank that has been sealed since filling. Your best approach depends on your usual usage. I had a six gallon tank with my 2cycle, but I probably used twice as much gas mix.
The old standard for motorboata is 1/3 for out, 1/3 for back, and 1/3 for the unforeseen. Someone said they use about 3/4 gallon per hour at about 5 smph, so 3 gallons is about 20 miles. That'd be good for 6.7 miles out, 6.7 miles back, and 6.7 miles for the unforeseen. Maybe inland lake cruising could use less, but to me the unpredictable inland wind shifts would offset the coastal tides and currents. Exploring narrow inlets means I use the motor more than those who stay in open waters, and I'd have been happy with a small motor sailer... I also go out in the winter and rain and snow, so like having the extra capacity of a six gallon tank. If I were back on the coast, I'd be trying to fit one of those 20x14x14 inch, 12 gallon tanks aboard.
I've run across boats in distress situations where I'd not have been able yo help or stand by with only 3 gallons. I do always use Stabil.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.