Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
aharri6
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Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Tue Feb 12, 2019 9:17 pm

I saw this fuel tank on a [2016--always use four digits for year] Montauk 170. Who makes this tank?

[Deleted terrible image of tank--jimh]

aharri6
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:32 am

tank1b.jpg
Fig. 1 Fuel Tank to be identified
tank1b.jpg (19.59 KiB) Viewed 7650 times

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Phil T
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Poor Image

Postby Phil T » Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:40 am

It does not appear to be a Moeller, Specter, Attwood or Bainbridge brand.

Is the boat in the US?
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aharri6
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Wed Feb 13, 2019 2:04 pm

[The boat on which the fuel tank was seen] was in Florida.

dtmackey
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby dtmackey » Wed Feb 13, 2019 9:18 pm

Interesting tank design that could save a lot of headache for people that want to mount a tank under a seat and still have access to the fill.

D-

aharri6
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:37 pm

I just found the information: the 19-gallon fuel tank is available as a $458 option on the 150 SUPER SPORT and the 170 SUPER SPORT from Boston Whaler. If available as an aftermarket component and the aftermareket price are unknown.

tank2a.jpg
Fig. 2. Fuel tank as installed on Boston Whaler boat
tank2a.jpg (16.87 KiB) Viewed 7664 times


tank3a.jpg
Fig. 3. Fuel tank side view
tank3a.jpg (4.78 KiB) Viewed 7664 times

jimh
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby jimh » Thu Feb 14, 2019 8:13 am

I am sure you could purchase the fuel tank shown above as a part from a Boston Whaler dealer.

Boston Whaler is not really a separate company, it is just a name used by the Brunswick corporation for a line boats they make. Brunswick also owns and operates boat accessory makers under their former names as the branding, like ATTWOOD. Perhaps the fuel tank was designed specifically for use on Boston Whaler boats by one of the other Brunswick operations. That would be a very reasonable assumption. It would not be like Brunswick to buy a fuel tank from some competitor when it owns ATTWOOD, a molded on-deck fuel tank manufacturing facility.

The fuel tank does seem like it would be very useful for mounting under pilot seats on center console boats. The fuel filler spout and the tank level gauge are very well positioned for that specific application.

The list of former independent companies now run by Brunswick with their original brand names retained is getting rather long. See

https://www.brunswick.com/brands/marine ... /print.php

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Phil T
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby Phil T » Thu Feb 14, 2019 9:48 am

While the design elements appear to be well done and allows a clean install, the option price, at first read, is a shocker.
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aharri6
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:28 pm

It gets worse. I called the local dealer, Chesapeake Boat Basin, for an aftermarket price: $759.50 + Tax + shipping.

I think this satisfies my curiosity.

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Phil T
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby Phil T » Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:39 pm

Humor me on this. Call Sue Lodel, Parts Manager at Twin Cities Marine.

http://www.beacontcm.com
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby jimh » Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:45 pm

The price of the larger fuel tank as an option would only be the incremental costs for the upgraded fuel tank. The cost of the standard fuel tank would be removed from the total boat price, then the price of the new tank added. The net is the option price.

Retail price: $759
Option price: $458
Cost of standard fuel tank would then be $759 - $458 = $301.

Also the option price would include any added costs for installation, such as the two hold down straps and what must be hidden retainers fastened to the deck to hold the straps.

If the off-the-shelf replacement part cost is really $750, then one ought to consider an aluminum welded on-deck fuel tank in a custom design. It couldn't cost much more than $750 to have one made to order. And perhaps some enterprising welder might realize there would be a market for such a tank.

Also, in the USA a fuel tank sold for a boat must meet certain federal requirements about permeability and venting. That requirement must be met with some sort of reference to the manufacturer or the certification of the fuel tank. To discover the actual manufacturer with this sort of inquiry about compliance with federal regulations should be possible. If you were stopped by a USCG inspector, you might have to demonstrate that the on-deck fuel tank complied with all applicable federal regulations. To do that, you would certainly need to know who made the tank, what the model number was, and what certification the fuel tank possessed.

aharri6
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby aharri6 » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:08 pm

jimh--I'm not sure where you came up with your pricing analysis but that's not the way it's presented on the Boston Whaler website. The Super Sport includes two 6.5-gallon portable tanks in the base price of the boat. When you go to "Build My 170" for example and click on the Notable Options you'll see that the 19 gallon single tank can be added for $458. So this price is inclusive of any deduct that Boston Whaler is giving you back for not taking the two 6.5 gallon tanks. The $769 price is simple the price you'd pay the local dealer to purchase the tank by itself over the parts counter.

Phil T-- I called Sue at Twin Cities. She gave me a price of $1,037.67 for the kit, which includes the tie-down clamps and hose. Sue also confirmed that it's EPA compliant.

I think based on the price of this I'm convinced to go back to looking at the Moeller 22-gallon tank, that we're all familiar with.

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Phil T
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby Phil T » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:56 pm

Okay, I will say what everyone is thinking.

Whaler is absolutely NUTS charging such a ridiculous price for a measly 19 gallon tank.
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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby jimh » Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:25 am

aharri6 wrote:jimh--I'm not sure where you came up with your pricing analysis...


I used simple math. The price to exchange the standard tanks for the optional tank when buying a new boat is lower than the cost of the standard tank if purchased by itself because you have to deduct the cost of the standard tanks. I simply computed the cost of the standard tanks by comparing the option price and the buy-separately price for the optional tank. I don't think you read my remarks clearly.

Let's try again: if there are two standard tanks, then Boston Whaler are charging about $150 per tank in the base boat price--which seems about right. My point, apparently not easily comprehended, was that you cannot buy the optional tank as a separate item for the price of the option to add the tank to a new boat. The option price includes a trade-in credit (of about $300) for the standard tanks. This explains why the quoted price for the optional tank as a separate item is higher than the price for the tank as an option on a new boat.

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Re: Identify Fuel Tank Manufacturer from Image

Postby jimh » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:36 am

aharri6 wrote:Sue also confirmed that [the optional fuel tank is] EPA compliant.


I have no doubt the tank is EPA compliant. A boat builder could not legally sell a boat in 2019 with a fuel tank that was not EPA compliant.

I mentioned the need for the fuel tank to be EPA compliant as a way to learn who made the fuel tank. If a fuel tank complies with the EPA, there must be some sort of certification or notification or acknowledgement that it does, and this would be a means to learn who manufactured the fuel tank. Learning the manufacturer is the goal of the discussion.