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Author Topic:   Guardian 18 Fuel Tank Capacity

elvis posted 04-02-2014 08:54 PM ET (US)
I know my Outrage 18 had a 63-gallon tank, but I am not sure on my latest acquisition, a 1987 GUARDIAN 18. I have the floor out, and the tank is long: 103-inch long, 21-inch wide, and not sure how deep. Does that sound right for a 63-gallon tank? Is volume in gallons calculated LWH divided by 233 = gallons? I'm thinking this tank may be bigger than a 63-gallons. [What are your] thoughts [about the fuel tank capacity of this GUARDIAN 18]?
jcdawg83 posted 04-03-2014 12:19 PM ET (US)
63 gallons would only be about a 7" deep tank. Is there any way to put a ruler or measuring tape into the tank by removing a fitting?
elvis posted 04-03-2014 04:51 PM ET (US)
Yes, I'll be taking the inspection cover off soon and can measure then.. This tank just looks a lot longer than the one that was in my Outrage 18, but that's been a few years ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. Any Outrage-18 ownersout there that maybe would have their measurement handy [for a fuel tank of 63-gallon capacity]?
welldan18650 posted 04-07-2014 07:13 PM ET (US)
I had to order a new one for my GUARDIAN 18; I think it has a capacity of 78 gallons.
elvis posted 04-07-2014 08:27 PM ET (US)
Do you know the dimensions? Mine is 103-inch long, 21-inch wide, and not sure how deep.
I've heard such a tank could cost $700. Wow, that sounds like a lot.
I'm leaning towards pulling it out and having a local welding shop build me a stainless one that matches the old one.
welldan18650 posted 04-08-2014 07:21 AM ET (US)
Sorry several years ago, no data. I want to say I paid $300 for a new aluminum tank shipped from Florida Marine Tanks. It was basically rectangular but then the bottom was a v to contour into the hull. Rather easy to measure, you don't have to get the angles, once tank is out, with the width and the two different heights, they can calculate the angle of the 'v'. great company to do business.
welldan18650 posted 04-08-2014 07:25 AM ET (US)
Think of the tank as a triangle, with the v nesting cleanly into the v of your hull, and a rectangle stacked atop. Calculating volume is above my pay grade.
leadsled posted 04-08-2014 07:46 AM ET (US)
The V might not be in the middle.
welldan18650 posted 04-08-2014 07:47 AM ET (US)
I'm sure it wasn't $700, as I would have attempted to fix my old one at that price point.
Water Has a habit of getting down into the V-cavity so, when you re-bed the tank, put a short garden hose into the deepest part between the aft part of tank and aft bulkhead leading up to the closest inspection hatch. Then you can periodically attach a drill pump to evacuate water from this previously unreachable area.
hauptjm posted 04-08-2014 12:36 PM ET (US)
I purchased a new tank from FMT in 2012 and paid $700 plus $140 to ship. It fit perfectly and the necessary hookups were exactly where they needed to be. I also got a bid from a local fabricator and his quote was for over $800 and would have to "figure" everything out to get it matched up. I went with FMT and was very pleased with their service and product.
As far as dimensions, here is the drawings from the standard 18 Outrage 63 gallon tank from the 1980's era boat: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/18Outrage/Outrage18FuelTank. pdf
hauptjm posted 04-08-2014 12:45 PM ET (US)

quote:
I'm leaning towards pulling it out and having a local welding shop build me a stainless one that matches the old one.
You may want to look into that a bit before you decide. I'm certainly no expert, but I would bet that a stainless tank of these dimensions would cost north of $3,000.00 or more. Additionally, the weight alone would be triple that of aluminum.
The $700.00 price I paid in 2012 was more than fair compared to local fabricators for quality .125 aluminum. Most importantly, I felt confident it would be correct from the get-go.
Slippery Eel posted 04-08-2014 02:17 PM ET (US)
I just purchased a 77 gallon tank for my 1988 Revenge from Florida Marine Tank. It was $800, and an extra $200 for shipping. If you have the deck up there should be a sticker from FMT on the tank near the sight gauge.
jimh posted 04-08-2014 03:28 PM ET (US)
Considering a new Boston Whaler 18-footer costs about $80,000, to spend $700 on a new fuel tank to replace one that is 27-years old is not a bad deal.
elvis posted 04-08-2014 09:20 PM ET (US)
Wow, 2 of the recent replies mentioned in this thread are particularly helpful and interesting...
1. The link for the drawing of the new tank, nice! The drawing shows it weighs 88 pounds!!! Didn't expect that of an aluminum tank! Figured a lot lighter, but guess that's because it's thick metal.
2. Price of the tank...and even moreso, a new 18 is $80,000???!!! Didn't see that coming, is that for a new Guardian 18 hull only or with motor and trailer? Wowwwweeee!
Not sure what I'm going to do yet, the current tank isn't leaking but has heavy pitting on the top in some places...it's a lot of trouble to disassemble the boat, take t-top, console, and floor out, so while it's all out, I'm probably going to replace it as a pre-emptive strike, so to speak...erring on the side of caution when it comes to a gas leak.
$700 for an $80k boat is noted! Good point. Thanks!
dfmcintyre posted 04-09-2014 05:30 AM ET (US)
The owner of marina where we store our boats just took delivery of an aluminum tank that was locally produced. Tim mentioned that the local outfit (S/E Michigan) was charging about $10 - $10 per gallon for a .125 marine certified tank.
Regards - Don
leadsled posted 04-09-2014 05:55 AM ET (US)
$80,000 seems high for an 18' Whaler. I priced a 25' Guardian a few weeks back and the hull was around 45 -50 thousand.
jimh posted 04-09-2014 09:15 AM ET (US)

quote:
$80,000 seems high...
Exactly--that's why $700 for a fuel tank does not seem high.
hauptjm posted 04-09-2014 10:39 AM ET (US)

quote:
...while it's all out, I'm probably going to replace it as a pre-emptive strike, so to speak...erring on the side of caution when it comes to a gas leak.
Exactly! When I replaced mine in 2012, the tank (and boat) was 27 years old. My tank was actually in better condition than I thought. But, because of all the work to re-core the deck, dismantle the console and put back together again, I opted to err on the side of caution. If this tank last in a similar fashion, my boat will be 54 years old: then my boys can decide what to do with it!

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Author	Topic: Guardian 18 Fuel Tank Capacity
elvis	posted 04-02-2014 08:54 PM ET (US) I know my Outrage 18 had a 63-gallon tank, but I am not sure on my latest acquisition, a 1987 GUARDIAN 18. I have the floor out, and the tank is long: 103-inch long, 21-inch wide, and not sure how deep. Does that sound right for a 63-gallon tank? Is volume in gallons calculated LWH divided by 233 = gallons? I'm thinking this tank may be bigger than a 63-gallons. [What are your] thoughts [about the fuel tank capacity of this GUARDIAN 18]?
jcdawg83	posted 04-03-2014 12:19 PM ET (US) 63 gallons would only be about a 7" deep tank. Is there any way to put a ruler or measuring tape into the tank by removing a fitting?
elvis	posted 04-03-2014 04:51 PM ET (US) Yes, I'll be taking the inspection cover off soon and can measure then.. This tank just looks a lot longer than the one that was in my Outrage 18, but that's been a few years ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. Any Outrage-18 ownersout there that maybe would have their measurement handy [for a fuel tank of 63-gallon capacity]?
welldan18650	posted 04-07-2014 07:13 PM ET (US) I had to order a new one for my GUARDIAN 18; I think it has a capacity of 78 gallons.
elvis	posted 04-07-2014 08:27 PM ET (US) Do you know the dimensions? Mine is 103-inch long, 21-inch wide, and not sure how deep. I've heard such a tank could cost $700. Wow, that sounds like a lot. I'm leaning towards pulling it out and having a local welding shop build me a stainless one that matches the old one.
welldan18650	posted 04-08-2014 07:21 AM ET (US) Sorry several years ago, no data. I want to say I paid $300 for a new aluminum tank shipped from Florida Marine Tanks. It was basically rectangular but then the bottom was a v to contour into the hull. Rather easy to measure, you don't have to get the angles, once tank is out, with the width and the two different heights, they can calculate the angle of the 'v'. great company to do business.
welldan18650	posted 04-08-2014 07:25 AM ET (US) Think of the tank as a triangle, with the v nesting cleanly into the v of your hull, and a rectangle stacked atop. Calculating volume is above my pay grade.
leadsled	posted 04-08-2014 07:46 AM ET (US) The V might not be in the middle.
welldan18650	posted 04-08-2014 07:47 AM ET (US) I'm sure it wasn't $700, as I would have attempted to fix my old one at that price point. Water Has a habit of getting down into the V-cavity so, when you re-bed the tank, put a short garden hose into the deepest part between the aft part of tank and aft bulkhead leading up to the closest inspection hatch. Then you can periodically attach a drill pump to evacuate water from this previously unreachable area.
hauptjm	posted 04-08-2014 12:36 PM ET (US) I purchased a new tank from FMT in 2012 and paid $700 plus $140 to ship. It fit perfectly and the necessary hookups were exactly where they needed to be. I also got a bid from a local fabricator and his quote was for over $800 and would have to "figure" everything out to get it matched up. I went with FMT and was very pleased with their service and product. As far as dimensions, here is the drawings from the standard 18 Outrage 63 gallon tank from the 1980's era boat: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/18Outrage/Outrage18FuelTank. pdf
hauptjm	posted 04-08-2014 12:45 PM ET (US) quote: I'm leaning towards pulling it out and having a local welding shop build me a stainless one that matches the old one. You may want to look into that a bit before you decide. I'm certainly no expert, but I would bet that a stainless tank of these dimensions would cost north of $3,000.00 or more. Additionally, the weight alone would be triple that of aluminum. The $700.00 price I paid in 2012 was more than fair compared to local fabricators for quality .125 aluminum. Most importantly, I felt confident it would be correct from the get-go.
Slippery Eel	posted 04-08-2014 02:17 PM ET (US) I just purchased a 77 gallon tank for my 1988 Revenge from Florida Marine Tank. It was $800, and an extra $200 for shipping. If you have the deck up there should be a sticker from FMT on the tank near the sight gauge.
jimh	posted 04-08-2014 03:28 PM ET (US) Considering a new Boston Whaler 18-footer costs about $80,000, to spend $700 on a new fuel tank to replace one that is 27-years old is not a bad deal.
elvis	posted 04-08-2014 09:20 PM ET (US) Wow, 2 of the recent replies mentioned in this thread are particularly helpful and interesting... 1. The link for the drawing of the new tank, nice! The drawing shows it weighs 88 pounds!!! Didn't expect that of an aluminum tank! Figured a lot lighter, but guess that's because it's thick metal. 2. Price of the tank...and even moreso, a new 18 is $80,000???!!! Didn't see that coming, is that for a new Guardian 18 hull only or with motor and trailer? Wowwwweeee! Not sure what I'm going to do yet, the current tank isn't leaking but has heavy pitting on the top in some places...it's a lot of trouble to disassemble the boat, take t-top, console, and floor out, so while it's all out, I'm probably going to replace it as a pre-emptive strike, so to speak...erring on the side of caution when it comes to a gas leak. $700 for an $80k boat is noted! Good point. Thanks!
dfmcintyre	posted 04-09-2014 05:30 AM ET (US) The owner of marina where we store our boats just took delivery of an aluminum tank that was locally produced. Tim mentioned that the local outfit (S/E Michigan) was charging about $10 - $10 per gallon for a .125 marine certified tank. Regards - Don
leadsled	posted 04-09-2014 05:55 AM ET (US) $80,000 seems high for an 18' Whaler. I priced a 25' Guardian a few weeks back and the hull was around 45 -50 thousand.
jimh	posted 04-09-2014 09:15 AM ET (US) quote: $80,000 seems high... Exactly--that's why $700 for a fuel tank does not seem high.
hauptjm	posted 04-09-2014 10:39 AM ET (US) quote: ...while it's all out, I'm probably going to replace it as a pre-emptive strike, so to speak...erring on the side of caution when it comes to a gas leak. Exactly! When I replaced mine in 2012, the tank (and boat) was 27 years old. My tank was actually in better condition than I thought. But, because of all the work to re-core the deck, dismantle the console and put back together again, I opted to err on the side of caution. If this tank last in a similar fashion, my boat will be 54 years old: then my boys can decide what to do with it!