HapCabbage
2009-03-23 21:31:56
Does anybody know where a guy can buy fuel tanks (100 to 150-gallon size) that are already made? A friend of mine needs to replace his old rusty leaky ones, and is hoping to avoid the cost of getting 'em custom-made. He's looking for steel but might also be interested in aluminum. Seattle or Juneau area would be best. Thanks.
f/v henrietta w
2009-03-24 03:02:38
I've been going through this myself this winter. My tanks are 225 gallons each, and I can't find anything premade in that capacity with anything approaching the correct dimensions. The manufactured tanks are either round or too shallow and wide. Many prefab tanks are for farm or trucking applications and don't have adequate baffles for at-sea duty.
Our local welder quoted me $650 apiece for steel tanks, three baffles, all the connections. I couldn't find anything to touch that for custom orders from manufacturers. The other thing to remember is boat stability - if your troller has operated with the original tanks for years, any change in configuration changes center of gravity, stresses the hull, changes your handling charachteristics, etc. After looking at all the options, it turns out replacing the originals custom to the boat is the cheapest and best option.
My two cents, anyway. Good luck.
mswkickdrum
2009-03-24 03:47:23
Use semi truck tanks, I talked to the guy at the first choice below, said around 150 for a decent steel tank.
I was facing the need to put a tank in the port side of my boat. The previous owner removed the last one and now the boat lists. Not sure if that, or his lifestyle
caused the name "never level". Anyway, I was fortunate enough to find a pair of 50 gal tanks in great shape that came out of a tollycraft on craigslist here in Seattle.
My point is, (since this is fast going too long) prior to that I was planning on using a semi truck tank. They often are aluminum but also come in steel. 50, 75, 100, 125, etc,
based on how long they are. Also, you could probably get them in your boat without cutting up bulkheads. They are ready to go and also have a sending unit
for the gauge, which you could probably also get out of the truck's dash at the same place, 12volt. Easy.
Washington Truck Rebuilders 125 Mulford Road Toledo, WA 98591 Phone : 360-864-4040
Washington Truck Wreckers Inc, 801 Southeast Craig Road Shelton, Washington 98584 (360)427-7007
KC Truck Parts, Inc. 183 State Highway 508. Chehalis, Washington 98532 800-622-5170. Office: 360-736-3344
MSW
HapCabbage
2009-03-24 14:38:01
Thanks msw, for the advice on the truck tanks. Sounds like a good solution for a short time frame and a budget to match. And tanks with sending units and gages... wow! That should be cool. I've never had that in 25 years of fishing. I've counted myself lucky when I could use a stick to dip the tanks (which I can't with my current boat, thanks to dog-leg shaped filler spouts).
And thanks henrietta w, for the insight on how new tanks can change the boat's stability. As you suggested, his boat has been operating with the existing fuel tanks since back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the new tanks probably will change how the boat sits in the water. But he's also replacing an old rotten bowstem with a new purple-heart bowstem, which will likely change how the boat sits. He'll be putting in the new fuel tanks AFTER he replaces the bowstem, so he'll already have some idea how the stability of the boat will change. Overall, it'll be a change for the better, but yeah, it might require moving some ballast around. Isn't that why they invented ice?