CONTINUOUSWAVE

Q1: How far below the cockpit deck is the top of the fuel tank on a 1987 OUTRAGE 18?

BACK STORY

I plan to replace two captain's chairs with a leaning post on my 1987 18' Outrage. The screw pattern will be different for the feet of the leaning post than for the captain's chairs. I am not sure if [the screws for the leaning post] will be clear of the fuel tank and anything else below the deck surface.

Information on the distance between the deck surface the top of the fuel tank was not available from WHALER.COM.

I want the new screw fasteners for the new leaning post to not compromise the fuel tank.

An idea that avoids drilling any new holes in the deck of the OUTRAGE 18:

• fabricate a 3/4-inch-thick piece of KING StarBoard, sized a little larger than the base of the leaning post
• position the new plate underneath the new leaning post
• fasten the new leaning post to the new Starboard plate, using stainless steel T-nuts on the underside of the new Starboard plate and machine screws to hold the leaning post to the plate.
• use the original holes from the Captains Chair base to fasten the new StarBoard plate to the deck

andrew14 wrote:Q1: How far below the cockpit deck is the top of the fuel tank on a 1987 OUTRAGE 18?

The spacing between the deck and the top of the fuel tank can be measured by removing the clear circular pry-out deck access plate at the FUEL TANK LEVEL gauge.

MarkCz wrote:An idea that avoids drilling any new holes in the deck of the OUTRAGE 18...

Re the alternative method proposed:

I believe that the original swivel chairs were mounted with a circular hole pattern with a circle diameter of perhaps 10-inches or more.

I would expect that a leaning post would have four feet, and at each foot there will be a rectangular pad to meet the deck surface.

If those assumptions are true, the proposed KING StarBoard base for the leaning post would be very large encompass both the old screw holds and the four legs on the leaning post.