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Author Topic:   MONTAUK Fuel Tank

newrigs posted 03-04-2009 03:52 PM ET (US)
I will be buying a [Boston Whaler MONTAUK 17]. I want to put a 24-gallon tank in the center console on the deck. [What] tank that is commonly made would fit in the console? The boat has a [Honda] 90 so I would like to take some weight off the stern.
elaelap posted 03-04-2009 04:29 PM ET (US)
Plenty of room. My classic 15 CC has an 18 gallon aluminum tank under the console with lots of room to spare.
A good idea, newrigs, especially as affects the trim of your Montauk.
Tony
Dave Sutton posted 03-04-2009 04:42 PM ET (US)
If you are talking about a real Montauk and not a Nasuet, etc:
You will need to unscrew and lift the console to install it, but there's space. You will also need to fabricate a way to hold the battery on the top of the tank. A custom aluminum tank would be best.
But... do you *really* want your fuel to be in an enclosed space with all of your electric switches? Uhhh.... (no) This is a REALLY REALLY bad idea.
Better stick it under the seat where everyone else does. There's a reason it's mounted there.
Dave
.
Jeff posted 03-04-2009 05:03 PM ET (US)
I have seen a guy in Frankfort Mi that has around a 24-30 gallon moller tank mounted on his Montauk in front of the console where the cooler seat goes. This way he is able to store a cooler or his tackle boxes under the RPS and the forward weight of the tank helps in rough see conditions.
elaelap posted 03-04-2009 06:52 PM ET (US)
"Better stick it under the seat where everyone else does."
Everyone else who owns a small Whaler skiff has on-deck fuel tanks all the way aft, some right in the splashwell, others nestled up to the battery, under the seat (sometimes right next to or over all kinds of electrical wiring or a battery), and still others have their tanks under the console. Yep, unfortunately we're talking about gasoline here, instead of the much safer diesel fuel, and care must be taken. But not the kind of care necessary with inboard gas motors and internal tanks, whether the big honkers in offshore motorboats or the stinky little Atomic 4s in some sailboats.
We don't require blowers on our open skiffs, nor am I concerned at all about my fuel tank being located in my airy, open console. I DO check it out for leaks every now and then, just as I would if it were under the seat or in the stern. Like an idiot, I'm a cigaret smoker, and I'm much more concerned about being cautious about embers from the idiot sticks causing a fire than I am about the location of my fuel tank, which is located where many, many Whaler owners--maybe not everyone--has located his/hers without incident over the past forty years or so.
Tony
jimh posted 03-04-2009 09:10 PM ET (US)

quote:
want to put a 24-gallon tank in the center console on the deck.
This seems contradictory. Do you want to put the fuel tank in the console? Or do you want to put the fuel tank on the deck?

newrigs posted 03-04-2009 10:14 PM ET (US)
Hello Jim; both. I want to put the fuel tank on the deck in side the [console]. The battery is already on the shelf in side the [console] and the fuel tank would be below that. I have no concern about fuel vapor as the fuel vent would be plumbed out side the [console] along with the fill spout. This would leave the area to sit behind the [console]. This area will a large marine Igloo cooler with custom memory-foam seats on the lid.
Dave Sutton posted 03-04-2009 10:34 PM ET (US)
I don't know how to sugar coat this: This is a REALLY bad idea.
Putting a fuel tank in the console no matter how you vent it, is an explosion waiting to happen. There is way too much electricity there to have it make sense. It's an enclosed area.... not an area under the aft thwart seat that's open to the wind.
Anyone ever see what happens when gasoline vapor is ignited in an enclosed space?
None of those switches with their backs sitting into the console are rated for use in explosive environment. Every one produces a small spark when it's switched on or off. If you do this, wear earplugs every time you turn a switch on... one day you're gonna hear BOOM.
Putting a tank forward of the console is a tried and true method if you want to free up the area under the RPS.

Dave
.
newrigs posted 03-04-2009 11:17 PM ET (US)
[W]hat vapors[?] [T]he fuel vent is plumbed outside the [console]. If the vent were plumbed inside the [console] I would agree [that placing the battery and electrical system in close proximity to the fuel tank is a bad idea]. [Moving the fuel tank on a Boston Whaler MONTAUK to be inside the center console] seems to be a great way to clean up the deck.
jimh posted 03-05-2009 12:32 AM ET (US)
I cannot imagine that there could be enough room inside the center console of a Boston Whaler MONTAUK 17 to accommodate a 24-gallon fuel tank, a battery, and all the rest of the rigging and components already in there. Even if there were room, I would tend to be guided by the experience of Boston Whaler. They have been making boats for 50 years and they have never put the fuel tank in any of their center consoles. It would be astonishingly naive to think that the notion of putting the fuel tank in the center console in order to eliminate clutter on the deck has never occurred to Boston Whaler. I am sure it occurred to Boston Whaler about 1961 when their first center console was made. They probably thought about it and realized it was not a good idea.
Nauti Tauk posted 03-05-2009 07:40 AM ET (US)
Newrig,
You seem to be fighting the very very good advise given you here. Why? The alternative site in front of the console out in the open seems soooo logical. Believe me the folks on this site WILL NOT steer you in the wrong direction. If the most miniscule chance of a fire or worse exixts why take it? If you only boat alone thats fine but if you ever have someone else onboard, your child,your wife,or a friend and there is a fire and they're hurt, possibly seriously,because you didn't heed good advise how are you going to feel? The air is getting a litle thin up here on my soap box so I'll get down now. Just don't want you to get hurt.
wbullwin posted 03-05-2009 09:07 AM ET (US)
I just finished installing a 20 gallon Moeller tank under my RPS on my 2003 170 Montauk and it fits and looks great. Not having the boat here at work to measure the door, I have no idea how you could ever fit a 20 or 24 gallon tank in through the door and then rotate it inside there, etc., etc. I think you would have to remove the center console, put in the tank, and then lower the console back over it.
To someone else's point, there is something that just sounds wrong about this installation. First you have the fumes contained inside the console. I know you said the vent is outside, but plastic tanks will eventually get saturated with gas and then vapors will actually come out through the walls. Not as a liquid, but as fumes. When tanks are built into confined areas, there is always a blower installed into the area.
Then there is the "filling the tank" issue. What happens when you fill the tank and some splashes out? It is now somewhere inside the boat.
Just a very bad idea!!!!!!
SpongeBob posted 03-05-2009 10:45 AM ET (US)
I'm not going to tell you not to put your tank in your console. In fact that is what I'm going to do in my 13'. However in my case I will be able to slide the tank in and out of the console at will. It will be held in place only with a cleat to fit in the grove in most tank bottoms for the reserve. The console is also open in the rear thus eliminating the venting problem. What you are describing seems to be more complicated and may by some (Coast Guard, Marine Patrol) be considered a perminant install. This opens an whole other can of worms as you are then subject to all the rules that apply to a permenantly installed tank, which are consideratly more detailed than an on deck tank. In fact there are threads on CW that deal with owners of Montauks getting tickets for under RPS Pate tanks installed from the factory that the officer of the day decided were perminent installs and subject to those rules. I shudder to think what those officers would think of a tank that you had to lift the console off to remove (especially if it has remote fill and vent lines).
Jeff
newrigs posted 03-05-2009 11:07 AM ET (US)
Points well taken, I need the room for Halibut,salmon,shrimp pots, king crab pots, duneness crab pots, camping gear, hyd. pot puller, and I need to leave the front open for ATV. After all I work and play in Alaska where there are more Boston whaler's than any other state. This Whaler will make 4 boats sitting in my drive way. Alaska wrote the book on what whaler's are capable of most whaler's have the bottom built up on the keel. In my small community of 8,000 people there are over 250 or more whalers and most are used just as I described. thank,s for the comments and once again your points are well taken.
Tohsgib posted 03-05-2009 11:09 AM ET (US)
Jim...They did install the tanks under the console in 1961-1975 wooden console models but they were exposed in the rear.
Len had his tank installed in his console and he never blew up. Ward also had one. I believe the slatted wood doors would ventilate enough. I have a 24 Pate and I know it would never fit inside a console, there is not that much room in one. Lastly if you do put a tank in there, where are you gonna dry store your flares, fire ext, tool kit, etc. Coolers are not water tight.
elaelap posted 03-05-2009 08:42 PM ET (US)
Nick,
My cooler seat forward of my console is much more watertight than the console itself, which has a great big wide-open hatch portside (without even a ventilated door/hatch cover), and the console is also wide open one-third of the way up on its aft-facing side. The 18 gallon aluminum tank fits in without any problem whatsoever, and easily could be one-third larger.
My boat is wrapped up pretty tight right now during our longed-for rains out here in draught-threatened northern California. I'll take some photos and post them on this thread as soon as things dry out a little, which should be pretty soon, unfortunately.
I'm sorta amazed at the reaction to this topic. I've seen many center console Whalers with tanks on their decks inside their consoles, and I've never heard of a problem. My last BW, a classic Outrage 18, had both of its batteries under the console (which DID have hatch covers/doors and was much more air-tight than my current boat). I was somewhat concerned about the potential problem (BANG!) which could be caused by hydrogen gas somehow escaping from the batteries and getting sparked off, but I figured it would be a swift, easy way to go, so screw it...
Tony
I sure like that weight up forward, however, and I've never had a porpoising problem nor have I had any incentive to install Doelfins, tabs, etc, on any of my little skiffs.
Dave Sutton posted 03-05-2009 09:41 PM ET (US)
Now that we know it's a workboat run by a pro and not a toy run by an idiot.. (no offense to idiots):
Do what you suggest and add a few big clamshell vents on the front of the console above the tank, or just leave off the side door. Knock up a tank out of plate aluminum and have at it. Let the wind blow thru it and live long and prosper. Eat Fish. Wear Grundens... ;-)
Some of the other guys missed the point: This is NOT a 13 footer. It's NOT a wood console Whaler with an open-backed console. It's a Montauk with a console that, once filled with tank, will be damned poorly ventilated, as the tank will almost completely block the louvers in the doors.

Dave
.

Dave Sutton posted 03-05-2009 09:44 PM ET (US)
And I forgot the obvious... if you do this, you will remove the bottom floor of the console to let the tank sit on the deck directly, yes? Unscrew the console, and then drop it over the new tank and screw it back down?
You might look at the consoles sold by Carolina Skiff too, open backed and room for fuel inside. Cheap and sold as spare parts by any Carolina Skiff dealer. Do they use them up there?

Dave
newrigs posted 03-05-2009 11:41 PM ET (US)
Dave;
there are a few carolina skiffs up here but there are a few more people alive today because they were in whaler's.
I have not measured the counsole but I recon I could put a
fuel tank at least 22" long x 17" wide and 16" high with plenty of spare room. So lets see that cubes out to 5984cu. in. which converts to 25.9 galllons. So that would be approx 200lbs. when full. Honda 90 some where between 370 and 390 lbs,guessing I suppose I should look that up. So maybe the honda weighs about maybe 90 pounds more than a two stroke So all things considered and looking at weight to displacement ratio I bet that my splash well scuppers would be just out of the water when the tank is full. And I figure that would be near a perfect balance for a montauk.I will have to get the exact diminsions of the counsole to be sure may be somebody knows what size
igloo marine cooler would fit behind the counsole, as the boat is not here yet to take measurements. May I could calculate how many pounds of super tastey jumbo spot prawns,three or four secections of king crab legs and not
to mention room for the dungeness crab for the crab salad
that I would eat that night for dinner after a hard days
playing on the ocean. See one must plan these weekly little outings carefully. thanks
Dave Sutton posted 03-06-2009 12:17 PM ET (US)
Yeah... the only thing is going to be battery access.
The console will need to be modified, for starters, to remove the bottom (as-built, there is an internal floor in the console). Then screw the tank down to the deck and the console will drop over the tank. You'll need to put the battery on top of the tank: There's room, but it'll be tight. The REAL issue is that you'll need to lift the console each time you want to get to the battery, and that's a pain in the ass (need to disconnect steering cable, etc).
If you stick with the Whaler console, maybe you ought to think about adding a hatch in the front surface of the console for access to the battery, etc., without lifting the console each time. That would be a show-stopper for me, I'll tell ya.
If you decide to retrofit, the Carolina Skiff consoles are good ones: They are higher, with a higher windshield. They actually keep the wind off of your face while running standing, unlike the essentially worthless Montauk windshield (sorry guys, it's true). They are open-backed consoles, and have space for a fuel tank. They are cheap, too. It might make a good addition.
The BIG Igloo will fit athwartships behind the console. You'll need to squeeze past it, but it'll fit. I use one in the bow of my Montauk as a fish-box.
Dave
.
elaelap posted 03-07-2009 07:39 PM ET (US)
Here's why I'm not too worried about gas fumes accumulating in my little skiff's console, Dave.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/ CapeDoryandPtArguelloYC011.jpg
Your advice IS sound in many circumstances. One of the first things my dad taught me when I started going out in boats was that a cup full of gasoline has the potential explosive power of I forget how many sticks of dynamite, and that gas fumes are heavier than air and can accumulate in your bilge if you're not careful. I'm not too worried about this phenomenon with my little open skiff, but in a larger gas-powered craft it's a real hazard, especially on dead calm, funky, hot-and-humid days. Anyway...
Good luck with your new rig, newrigs ;-) Get a lot of that weight forward one way or the other, and you'll be a happy, non-porpoising Whaler.
Tony
Tom W Clark posted 03-07-2009 07:45 PM ET (US)
Whaler was putting gas tanks in the console under the electrical wiring 48 years ago. I do not recall many reports of Nausets, Eastports or Sakonnets exploding.
Dave Sutton posted 03-08-2009 08:27 AM ET (US)
"Whaler was putting gas tanks in the console under the electrical wiring 48 years ago. I do not recall many reports of Nausets, Eastports or Sakonnets exploding."
Not to point out the obvious, but, What part of the following is not clear:
Those are fully ventilated open backed consoles that cannot trap gas fumes unlike a Montauk console that will have all of it's louvers blocked by a tank and which will essentially become a closed space with both fuel and an ignition source.

Apples and Applesauce, guys.
Best,
Dave
Dave Sutton posted 03-08-2009 08:58 AM ET (US)
"Here's why I'm not too worried about gas fumes accumulating in my little skiff's console, Dave.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/ CapeDoryandPtArguelloYC011.jpg "

I agree *on that boat*, and again: That's not a Montauk console: It's OPEN BACKED console.
Let's all pay attention now: A Montauk console is a CLOSED console. Yes, it has louvered doors. That's great... *until a custom fuel tank is made that will block the vent louvers*. Take a look at the proposed size of the in-console tank and then figure out what ventilation will be there.
Uhhh... (sigh)...

Best,
Dave

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Author	Topic: MONTAUK Fuel Tank
newrigs	posted 03-04-2009 03:52 PM ET (US) I will be buying a [Boston Whaler MONTAUK 17]. I want to put a 24-gallon tank in the center console on the deck. [What] tank that is commonly made would fit in the console? The boat has a [Honda] 90 so I would like to take some weight off the stern.
elaelap	posted 03-04-2009 04:29 PM ET (US) Plenty of room. My classic 15 CC has an 18 gallon aluminum tank under the console with lots of room to spare. A good idea, newrigs, especially as affects the trim of your Montauk. Tony
Dave Sutton	posted 03-04-2009 04:42 PM ET (US) If you are talking about a real Montauk and not a Nasuet, etc: You will need to unscrew and lift the console to install it, but there's space. You will also need to fabricate a way to hold the battery on the top of the tank. A custom aluminum tank would be best. But... do you really want your fuel to be in an enclosed space with all of your electric switches? Uhhh.... (no) This is a REALLY REALLY bad idea. Better stick it under the seat where everyone else does. There's a reason it's mounted there. Dave .
Jeff	posted 03-04-2009 05:03 PM ET (US) I have seen a guy in Frankfort Mi that has around a 24-30 gallon moller tank mounted on his Montauk in front of the console where the cooler seat goes. This way he is able to store a cooler or his tackle boxes under the RPS and the forward weight of the tank helps in rough see conditions.
elaelap	posted 03-04-2009 06:52 PM ET (US) "Better stick it under the seat where everyone else does." Everyone else who owns a small Whaler skiff has on-deck fuel tanks all the way aft, some right in the splashwell, others nestled up to the battery, under the seat (sometimes right next to or over all kinds of electrical wiring or a battery), and still others have their tanks under the console. Yep, unfortunately we're talking about gasoline here, instead of the much safer diesel fuel, and care must be taken. But not the kind of care necessary with inboard gas motors and internal tanks, whether the big honkers in offshore motorboats or the stinky little Atomic 4s in some sailboats. We don't require blowers on our open skiffs, nor am I concerned at all about my fuel tank being located in my airy, open console. I DO check it out for leaks every now and then, just as I would if it were under the seat or in the stern. Like an idiot, I'm a cigaret smoker, and I'm much more concerned about being cautious about embers from the idiot sticks causing a fire than I am about the location of my fuel tank, which is located where many, many Whaler owners--maybe not everyone--has located his/hers without incident over the past forty years or so. Tony
jimh	posted 03-04-2009 09:10 PM ET (US) quote: want to put a 24-gallon tank in the center console on the deck. This seems contradictory. Do you want to put the fuel tank in the console? Or do you want to put the fuel tank on the deck?
newrigs	posted 03-04-2009 10:14 PM ET (US) Hello Jim; both. I want to put the fuel tank on the deck in side the [console]. The battery is already on the shelf in side the [console] and the fuel tank would be below that. I have no concern about fuel vapor as the fuel vent would be plumbed out side the [console] along with the fill spout. This would leave the area to sit behind the [console]. This area will a large marine Igloo cooler with custom memory-foam seats on the lid.
Dave Sutton	posted 03-04-2009 10:34 PM ET (US) I don't know how to sugar coat this: This is a REALLY bad idea. Putting a fuel tank in the console no matter how you vent it, is an explosion waiting to happen. There is way too much electricity there to have it make sense. It's an enclosed area.... not an area under the aft thwart seat that's open to the wind. Anyone ever see what happens when gasoline vapor is ignited in an enclosed space? None of those switches with their backs sitting into the console are rated for use in explosive environment. Every one produces a small spark when it's switched on or off. If you do this, wear earplugs every time you turn a switch on... one day you're gonna hear BOOM. Putting a tank forward of the console is a tried and true method if you want to free up the area under the RPS. Dave .
newrigs	posted 03-04-2009 11:17 PM ET (US) [W]hat vapors[?] [T]he fuel vent is plumbed outside the [console]. If the vent were plumbed inside the [console] I would agree [that placing the battery and electrical system in close proximity to the fuel tank is a bad idea]. [Moving the fuel tank on a Boston Whaler MONTAUK to be inside the center console] seems to be a great way to clean up the deck.
jimh	posted 03-05-2009 12:32 AM ET (US) I cannot imagine that there could be enough room inside the center console of a Boston Whaler MONTAUK 17 to accommodate a 24-gallon fuel tank, a battery, and all the rest of the rigging and components already in there. Even if there were room, I would tend to be guided by the experience of Boston Whaler. They have been making boats for 50 years and they have never put the fuel tank in any of their center consoles. It would be astonishingly naive to think that the notion of putting the fuel tank in the center console in order to eliminate clutter on the deck has never occurred to Boston Whaler. I am sure it occurred to Boston Whaler about 1961 when their first center console was made. They probably thought about it and realized it was not a good idea.
Nauti Tauk	posted 03-05-2009 07:40 AM ET (US) Newrig, You seem to be fighting the very very good advise given you here. Why? The alternative site in front of the console out in the open seems soooo logical. Believe me the folks on this site WILL NOT steer you in the wrong direction. If the most miniscule chance of a fire or worse exixts why take it? If you only boat alone thats fine but if you ever have someone else onboard, your child,your wife,or a friend and there is a fire and they're hurt, possibly seriously,because you didn't heed good advise how are you going to feel? The air is getting a litle thin up here on my soap box so I'll get down now. Just don't want you to get hurt.
wbullwin	posted 03-05-2009 09:07 AM ET (US) I just finished installing a 20 gallon Moeller tank under my RPS on my 2003 170 Montauk and it fits and looks great. Not having the boat here at work to measure the door, I have no idea how you could ever fit a 20 or 24 gallon tank in through the door and then rotate it inside there, etc., etc. I think you would have to remove the center console, put in the tank, and then lower the console back over it. To someone else's point, there is something that just sounds wrong about this installation. First you have the fumes contained inside the console. I know you said the vent is outside, but plastic tanks will eventually get saturated with gas and then vapors will actually come out through the walls. Not as a liquid, but as fumes. When tanks are built into confined areas, there is always a blower installed into the area. Then there is the "filling the tank" issue. What happens when you fill the tank and some splashes out? It is now somewhere inside the boat. Just a very bad idea!!!!!!
SpongeBob	posted 03-05-2009 10:45 AM ET (US) I'm not going to tell you not to put your tank in your console. In fact that is what I'm going to do in my 13'. However in my case I will be able to slide the tank in and out of the console at will. It will be held in place only with a cleat to fit in the grove in most tank bottoms for the reserve. The console is also open in the rear thus eliminating the venting problem. What you are describing seems to be more complicated and may by some (Coast Guard, Marine Patrol) be considered a perminant install. This opens an whole other can of worms as you are then subject to all the rules that apply to a permenantly installed tank, which are consideratly more detailed than an on deck tank. In fact there are threads on CW that deal with owners of Montauks getting tickets for under RPS Pate tanks installed from the factory that the officer of the day decided were perminent installs and subject to those rules. I shudder to think what those officers would think of a tank that you had to lift the console off to remove (especially if it has remote fill and vent lines). Jeff
newrigs	posted 03-05-2009 11:07 AM ET (US) Points well taken, I need the room for Halibut,salmon,shrimp pots, king crab pots, duneness crab pots, camping gear, hyd. pot puller, and I need to leave the front open for ATV. After all I work and play in Alaska where there are more Boston whaler's than any other state. This Whaler will make 4 boats sitting in my drive way. Alaska wrote the book on what whaler's are capable of most whaler's have the bottom built up on the keel. In my small community of 8,000 people there are over 250 or more whalers and most are used just as I described. thank,s for the comments and once again your points are well taken.
Tohsgib	posted 03-05-2009 11:09 AM ET (US) Jim...They did install the tanks under the console in 1961-1975 wooden console models but they were exposed in the rear. Len had his tank installed in his console and he never blew up. Ward also had one. I believe the slatted wood doors would ventilate enough. I have a 24 Pate and I know it would never fit inside a console, there is not that much room in one. Lastly if you do put a tank in there, where are you gonna dry store your flares, fire ext, tool kit, etc. Coolers are not water tight.
elaelap	posted 03-05-2009 08:42 PM ET (US) Nick, My cooler seat forward of my console is much more watertight than the console itself, which has a great big wide-open hatch portside (without even a ventilated door/hatch cover), and the console is also wide open one-third of the way up on its aft-facing side. The 18 gallon aluminum tank fits in without any problem whatsoever, and easily could be one-third larger. My boat is wrapped up pretty tight right now during our longed-for rains out here in draught-threatened northern California. I'll take some photos and post them on this thread as soon as things dry out a little, which should be pretty soon, unfortunately. I'm sorta amazed at the reaction to this topic. I've seen many center console Whalers with tanks on their decks inside their consoles, and I've never heard of a problem. My last BW, a classic Outrage 18, had both of its batteries under the console (which DID have hatch covers/doors and was much more air-tight than my current boat). I was somewhat concerned about the potential problem (BANG!) which could be caused by hydrogen gas somehow escaping from the batteries and getting sparked off, but I figured it would be a swift, easy way to go, so screw it... Tony I sure like that weight up forward, however, and I've never had a porpoising problem nor have I had any incentive to install Doelfins, tabs, etc, on any of my little skiffs.
Dave Sutton	posted 03-05-2009 09:41 PM ET (US) Now that we know it's a workboat run by a pro and not a toy run by an idiot.. (no offense to idiots): Do what you suggest and add a few big clamshell vents on the front of the console above the tank, or just leave off the side door. Knock up a tank out of plate aluminum and have at it. Let the wind blow thru it and live long and prosper. Eat Fish. Wear Grundens... ;-) Some of the other guys missed the point: This is NOT a 13 footer. It's NOT a wood console Whaler with an open-backed console. It's a Montauk with a console that, once filled with tank, will be damned poorly ventilated, as the tank will almost completely block the louvers in the doors. Dave .
Dave Sutton	posted 03-05-2009 09:44 PM ET (US) And I forgot the obvious... if you do this, you will remove the bottom floor of the console to let the tank sit on the deck directly, yes? Unscrew the console, and then drop it over the new tank and screw it back down? You might look at the consoles sold by Carolina Skiff too, open backed and room for fuel inside. Cheap and sold as spare parts by any Carolina Skiff dealer. Do they use them up there? Dave
newrigs	posted 03-05-2009 11:41 PM ET (US) Dave; there are a few carolina skiffs up here but there are a few more people alive today because they were in whaler's. I have not measured the counsole but I recon I could put a fuel tank at least 22" long x 17" wide and 16" high with plenty of spare room. So lets see that cubes out to 5984cu. in. which converts to 25.9 galllons. So that would be approx 200lbs. when full. Honda 90 some where between 370 and 390 lbs,guessing I suppose I should look that up. So maybe the honda weighs about maybe 90 pounds more than a two stroke So all things considered and looking at weight to displacement ratio I bet that my splash well scuppers would be just out of the water when the tank is full. And I figure that would be near a perfect balance for a montauk.I will have to get the exact diminsions of the counsole to be sure may be somebody knows what size igloo marine cooler would fit behind the counsole, as the boat is not here yet to take measurements. May I could calculate how many pounds of super tastey jumbo spot prawns,three or four secections of king crab legs and not to mention room for the dungeness crab for the crab salad that I would eat that night for dinner after a hard days playing on the ocean. See one must plan these weekly little outings carefully. thanks
Dave Sutton	posted 03-06-2009 12:17 PM ET (US) Yeah... the only thing is going to be battery access. The console will need to be modified, for starters, to remove the bottom (as-built, there is an internal floor in the console). Then screw the tank down to the deck and the console will drop over the tank. You'll need to put the battery on top of the tank: There's room, but it'll be tight. The REAL issue is that you'll need to lift the console each time you want to get to the battery, and that's a pain in the ass (need to disconnect steering cable, etc). If you stick with the Whaler console, maybe you ought to think about adding a hatch in the front surface of the console for access to the battery, etc., without lifting the console each time. That would be a show-stopper for me, I'll tell ya. If you decide to retrofit, the Carolina Skiff consoles are good ones: They are higher, with a higher windshield. They actually keep the wind off of your face while running standing, unlike the essentially worthless Montauk windshield (sorry guys, it's true). They are open-backed consoles, and have space for a fuel tank. They are cheap, too. It might make a good addition. The BIG Igloo will fit athwartships behind the console. You'll need to squeeze past it, but it'll fit. I use one in the bow of my Montauk as a fish-box. Dave .
elaelap	posted 03-07-2009 07:39 PM ET (US) Here's why I'm not too worried about gas fumes accumulating in my little skiff's console, Dave. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/ CapeDoryandPtArguelloYC011.jpg Your advice IS sound in many circumstances. One of the first things my dad taught me when I started going out in boats was that a cup full of gasoline has the potential explosive power of I forget how many sticks of dynamite, and that gas fumes are heavier than air and can accumulate in your bilge if you're not careful. I'm not too worried about this phenomenon with my little open skiff, but in a larger gas-powered craft it's a real hazard, especially on dead calm, funky, hot-and-humid days. Anyway... Good luck with your new rig, newrigs ;-) Get a lot of that weight forward one way or the other, and you'll be a happy, non-porpoising Whaler. Tony
Tom W Clark	posted 03-07-2009 07:45 PM ET (US) Whaler was putting gas tanks in the console under the electrical wiring 48 years ago. I do not recall many reports of Nausets, Eastports or Sakonnets exploding.
Dave Sutton	posted 03-08-2009 08:27 AM ET (US) "Whaler was putting gas tanks in the console under the electrical wiring 48 years ago. I do not recall many reports of Nausets, Eastports or Sakonnets exploding." Not to point out the obvious, but, What part of the following is not clear: Those are fully ventilated open backed consoles that cannot trap gas fumes unlike a Montauk console that will have all of it's louvers blocked by a tank and which will essentially become a closed space with both fuel and an ignition source. Apples and Applesauce, guys. Best, Dave
Dave Sutton	posted 03-08-2009 08:58 AM ET (US) "Here's why I'm not too worried about gas fumes accumulating in my little skiff's console, Dave. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/ CapeDoryandPtArguelloYC011.jpg " I agree on that boat, and again: That's not a Montauk console: It's OPEN BACKED console. Let's all pay attention now: A Montauk console is a CLOSED console. Yes, it has louvered doors. That's great... until a custom fuel tank is made that will block the vent louvers. Take a look at the proposed size of the in-console tank and then figure out what ventilation will be there. Uhhh... (sigh)... Best, Dave