Outboard Gas tank

[glennmul]

Hi,

I am a new 7.9 owner #515 and was wonding where to put the outboard gas tank. Can it go in the locker or must it stay on the cockpit floor?

Thanks,
Glenn

#515 Sea Fever

[Tigerlily]

If the lazarette is vented properly you can operate it from there. I have seen some sailboat installations that have been vented for this purpose.

I put mine on the cockpit deck near the stern and that works for me, (tie it down in rough weather.)
Remember, gas fumes are highly flammable and if they collect in an enclosed space such as the lazarette and are exposed to a spark or flame they will explode.

[BarryE]

When I bought my boat 10 years ago the previous owner had two six gallon tanks in the lazerettes, plumbed together to give twelve total gallons for cruising, but, my surveyor nearly wet his pants when he poked his head in there, cigar clenched between his teeth.
The short answer; the lazerettes are not vented for tank storage, under no circumstances should tanks be stored or used from the lazerettes.
One six gallon Tempo, plastic tank will fit almost perfectly in the rear of the cockpit. Strap it down if you want, but mine doesn't move even in rough weather.

Barry E
#11 Aeolus

[David E]

If you have a means to force feed fresh air through the space with a blower and vents aft you may be able to do it, but I would caution against this - gasoline fumes are EXPLOSIVE and need little to set them off.

We put our six gallon portable tank in the cockpit all way aft. This works well. Be sure to vent the tank after shutting off the motor though and then shut the vent. Some tend to leak, or allow a bit of seaping around the cap when the boat heals.

[grandillusion]

#216 has a clearly non factory 11 gallon tank unstalled under the cockpit floor, properly vented and deck filled, did the outboards not have a factory built in tank?, and what was there, because there is some factory tabbing the had been partially removed, adout the size of a battery box???? I'm keeping the tank as it is convient, but the unprotected wood the some bozo used to mount the tank is getting rough, the new mount will be West coated, what was factory for the inboards?

[BarryE]

Boats from the factory intended for outboard use had no gas tank, installed or otherwise. A portable tank on the cockpit floor is the expected and safe option.
The locker behind the steps extends back to the bulkhead, and there is nothing under the cockpit floor from that point aft to the scuppers.
In fact, in my skinnier days, I could slip down inside one lazerette crawl under the floor, and come up through the other lazerette.
Any internal tank would not only need to be vented, but ventilated, with proper exhaust fans to pull any fumes out of the boat.
If your boat had an internal tank, it was either owner installed, or he boat might have had an inboard at one time.
If the tank was designed for diesel, it should have a return fitting on it, look for an extra tap that's been plugged.

[Norwalk-ROTC]

When I bought my boat 10 years ago the previous owner had two six gallon tanks in the lazerettes, plumbed together to give twelve total gallons for cruising, but, my surveyor nearly wet his pants when he poked his head in there, cigar clenched between his teeth.
The short answer; the lazerettes are not vented for tank storage, under no circumstances should tanks be stored or used from the lazerettes.
One six gallon Tempo, plastic tank will fit almost perfectly in the rear of the cockpit. Strap it down if you want, but mine doesn't move even in rough weather.

Barry E
#11 Aeolus

The same is true of TAMARACK. We have been out in some pretty rough seas on Long Island Sound and the tank, even when only a gallon or so is left in it, goes nowhere. The newer 6 gallon portable tanks fit quite snuggly on the cockpit floor at the stern and are out of the way.