Recommend On-deck Fuel Tank for 2003 170 MONTAUK

[coachsmith]

I recently bought a used a 2003 170 MONTAUK, the first Boston Whaler boat I have owned. This boat did not include any fuel tanks. I am leaning toward the purchase of a single 22-gallon fuel tank

Give me a recommendation for a brand and capacity of fuel tank to purchase.

Q1: what sort of two-tank fuel system can be used on a 170 MONTAUK boat?

ASIDE: This 2003 170 MONTAUK will be operated from its trailer most of the time. Fuel will be purchased at retail fuel stations on the highway.

[jimh]

Give me a recommendation for a brand and capacity of fuel tank to purchase.

The capacity of the fuel tank should be chosen based on your pattern of use of the boat. A 22-gallon fuel tank can provide many hours of operation of a small boat like a 170 MONTAUK.

The rate of fuel consumption for your boat is unknown because you make no mention of the engine on the boat. The size of the engine, the type of engine, and the typical engine speeds you plan to use will affect the rate of fuel consumption.

The expected hours of use and the expected rate of fuel flow will affect how many gallons of fuel you should carry. For some boaters, a 22-gallon fuel tank might last only two or three hours of use. For others, 22-gallons of fuel might last a month or more.

A popular 22-gallon (or sometimes cited at 24-gallon) on-deck plastic fuel tank is one made especially for the Boston Whaler MONTAUK boat. See the pinned article at the top of THE GAM forum for more information.

The MOELLER 24-gallon White On-deck Fuel Tank for Boston Whaler Boats
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=4&t=5807

Because a 2003 170 MONTAUK was made prior to 2011, the on-deck fuel tank can be exempt from the most recent requirements regarding venting and barrier resistance.

[jimh]

Q1: what sort of two-tank fuel system can be used on a 170 MONTAUK boat?

Twin 6-gallon fuel tanks are often seen being used on small boats like a 170 MONTAUK. The general advantage of using 6-gallon fuel tanks is they can be carried to the boat. This permits the operator to remove a 6-gallon fuel tank from the boat, take the 6-gallon fuel tank by car to a highway fuel retailer, and then buy fuel at a highway retail fuel station, which is generally much less expensive than getting fuel at a marina fuel dock. This process, however, can be cumbrous, and lugging around 6-gallon fuel tanks full of gasoline is still a bit of a hefty load, and there is always a potential for some spilling or leaking.

The 6-gallon fuel tank was popular in the days of pre-mixing of fuel and oil in a 50:1 ratio. Six gallons is 6 x 128 = 768-ounces. Leaving room for the 16-ounces of oil means adding 752-ounces of fuel, so one-pint of oil (16-ounces) gave a ratio of 752/16 or 47:1. This made pre-mixing simpler.

Since you have made no mention of the type of engine you have, I don't know if you need to pre-mix oil into the fuel. If you do need to pre-mix, the 6-gallon tank may offer some convenience.

A general problem with a 6-gallon tank is you can never make use of all the fuel in the tank, so typically about a half-gallon remains when the tank can no longer deliver fuel. If another 16-ounces of oil is added and then the tank filled with fuel, this results in the oil ratio getting a bit richer each time. Eventually the oil becomes very rich in proportion to fuel, and the engine may begin to run rather roughly or make a lot of smoke.

The typical rigging for a 6-gallon twin-tank fuel system is to have a connector at each tank, and to have one fuel hose with a mating connector, primer bulb, and engine connector (assuming the engine has a detachable fuel connector). Some modern smaller engines in the 90 to 115-HP range may not have a detachable fuel hose connector.

[Phil T]

Consider a Mirax C-2424 tank if you want aluminum. You can get it powdercoated in a color of your preference.

https://miraxfuelproducts.com/rectangular-tanks/