CONTINUOUSWAVE

I'm new to the Whaler ownership club and I'm fixing up an older 1987 Montauk 17. I'm going to put on an Evinrude 115-HP engine, and I want a 6-HP kicker engine or trolling motor, as well.

The boat I purchased has an area that was added in front of the transom. It is glassed in the width of the boat and about 2-feet into the length of the boat. There is a fuel tank mounded under it and the batteries would I guess go in the same location. Frankly I don't like it and would like to remove the glassed-in part. It will not be easy to remove cleanly so I need to look at it more.

I also have a fiberglass center console that has a fuel tank mounted in the front under a seat. It also has a place for one battery under the helm.

I think I have three options [for fuel tank location]:
--use the one in back,
--use the one under the helm, or
--put those red portable tanks under the helm seat I plan to build.

My thought is that having weight [of the fuel tank] as far forward as possible is good, so [the choice is to] use the one under the console.

Does anyone have a different thought?

I favor the location your boat originally used, under the helm seat. My second choice would be in front of the console, if that installation is well executed. I am leery about having the fuel tank in any sort of enclosed space where explosive fumes could accumulate, especially if a battery is located nearby.

I actually wondered about venting. The one that is enclosed at the back of the boat is vented to the stern but there is no blower to clear fumes. Funny thing is this modification was made I believe by the Fish and Game Department.

I need to get that console out and see how that other one is installed. I don't see a vent but I'm not sure there isn't a blower.

When Boston Whaler designed the MONTAUK 17, one of the most popular small boats ever made and in continuous production for decades without much change, the fuel tanks were on-deck portable tanks located under the reversible pilot seat. This configuration has about 45-years of proven utility. To move the fuel tanks to another location would require a very good reason.

Interesting thought Jim Thanks.

Where do most people put the batteries?

Also does anyone have good photos of the seating assembly. Neither boat has one and I am planning to build one. It would be good to see a few photos. I could also use a dimension from the transom to the helm. I should be able to get a close location from the entrance of the cableway.

To built a copy of the Boston Whaler Reversible Pilot Seat from scratch would be a tremendous project. You'd have to cast the leg supports, build the complicated hinge mechanism, and fabricate the seat from wood or molded fiberglass. I don't think anyone has ever done that. If you manage that feat, you could be first to accomplish it, akin perhaps to climbing Mt. Everest. Get Tenzing Norgay to help.

There is a reason a Boston Whaler boat with a Reversible Pilot Seat in excellent condition is worth [at least) $1,200 more than a boat without one: that's the value of the seat.

I wasn't going to build the reversible seat just a teak seat of some sort.

Also I got the console out. That fuel tank was indeed vented. A rubber hose ran into the battery compartment. It is a wonder that boat still exists.

You may also want to consider weight and balance. How many folks do you plan to boat with (weight and balance), where you plan to boat (water conditions, which could dictate likely speed restrictions) and 'most likely' range requirements (how much fuel is optimum for most circumstances) may all weigh in on not only what size fuel tank you will want/need but also (and in turn) where that extra weight is best suited. I'm not talking about hiring a naval architect, but BW puts a lot of thought into engineering, etc (and I assume designed for 'most' boaters) so having a think about some of those things might influence how ambitious you actually need to be. Just saying....

Jaybird77 wrote:You may also want to consider weight and balance, so having a think about some of those things might influence how ambitious you actually need to be. Just saying....

Yea a 115 HP + a 6 HP and I assume modern 4-stroke, gastank under pilot seat (where it belongs) and even with battery in the console(moved from standard aft), that 17 ft will be aft heavy/squating.