Gas tank preference.

Looking for anything gas tank related. What do you use and like?
Scepter vs Moeller plastic tanks. Do you pull them out of the boat and fuel them up on the ground?
Plastic vs steel vs aluminum tanks. I miss the old steel tanks.
Has anybody done a built in tank conversion?
Today I just loaded a 3 and a 6 gallon and am thinking there has to be a better way. One of my plastic 6 gal tanks split in the heat but it was old. What do you think?

Stump - I am so glad you mentioned the issue of a plastic tank splitting at the seam !!!
a few years ago, I filled up an old 6 gallon plastic tank and headed to the lake.
I always put the transom drain plug in before I leave the house.
upon arrival at the dock, the very strong aroma of gasoline was all around me.
The gas tank had ruptured and there was about 3 or 4 gallons of fresh, raw gas sloshing
around inside my aluminum boat !! (it did not have floor boards).
there were two Fish n Wildlife officers launching an airboat at the dock and I ran over
to address the issue with them..... one of them grabbed a big bottle of dish soap they
had in their boat and carefully poured the whole bottle into the puddle of gas.
then he told me to take my 5 gallon bucket and put several buckets of water into the
boat and go back home . . . the sloshing soapy water would "help prevent" any kind
of flash fire ..... I also emptied my 5 pound PKP powder fire extinguisher I carry in my van
into the mix and went back home which was only two miles away.

the sun's UV will destroy the integrity of a plastic tank if left in the open all the time.
- - - when in doubt ~ throw it out - - -




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I've tried them all over the past...ahem..(over) 40 years. Steel, plastic, aluminum, etc. And have gone back to steel. They just work, and are rugged.

Stumpalump"]Looking for anything gas tank related. What do you use and like?

I have a 3 gal plastic tank. Would like 6 gallon but simply don't have the room for one. I suppose I should start carrying a gas can "just in case".

Scepter vs Moeller plastic tanks. Do you pull them out of the boat and fuel them up on the ground?

I have a Scepter. I always put in on the ground when refilling it. Six gallons of gaso will weigh 36 lbs. I have very bad shoulders and wouldn't like lifting that back up and into the boat. But even with that I would still always refuel them on the ground. My Orthopedic Doc says they will give me the cortisone injections when things get too bad. I'm not quite there yet. Can't comment on Moeller. Have never used one.

Plastic vs steel vs aluminum tanks. I miss the old steel tanks.

Me too but I'm not even sure where I would get one these days unless used. Local West Marine has a sign up the that says, in essence, that a ballooning tank is normal so don't return it if it swells up like a blimp. I'll stick with plastic. One thing about the new tanks is that you are almost required to add a fuel demand valve unless you modify the cap.

Has anybody done a built in tank conversion?

I've never done a conversion but have owned boats with built-in tanks. A built-in tank would really not be practical in my current tin boat. Also, being able to throw the tank in the back of the truck and get it filled is very convenient. I can do that the day before if I'm leaving early in the morning.

Today I just loaded a 3 and a 6 gallon and am thinking there has to be a better way. One of my plastic 6 gal tanks split in the heat but it was old. What do you think?

Split tank sucks. This is kind of like my second "boating career". This time around I want to keep things as simple/easy as possible. Hence, light boat, small outboard, nothing too fancy. I'm not sure what would be more simple than a small portable tank. I mean being able to open a gaso cap on the gunnel and add fuel to a built in tank is pretty easy too, but that means you always have to tow the boat to the pump. It will be interesting to hear what others think.

Johnny said:

Stump - I am so glad you mentioned the issue of a plastic tank splitting at the seam !!!
a few years ago, I filled up an old 6 gallon plastic tank and headed to the lake.
I always put the transom drain plug in before I leave the house.
upon arrival at the dock, the very strong aroma of gasoline was all around me.
The gas tank had ruptured and there was about 3 or 4 gallons of fresh, raw gas sloshing
around inside my aluminum boat !! (it did not have floor boards).
there were two Fish n Wildlife officers launching an airboat at the dock and I ran over
to address the issue with them..... one of them grabbed a big bottle of dish soap they
had in their boat and carefully poured the whole bottle into the puddle of gas.
then he told me to take my 5 gallon bucket and put several buckets of water into the
boat and go back home . . . the sloshing soapy water would "help prevent" any kind
of flash fire ..... I also emptied my 5 pound PKP powder fire extinguisher I carry in my van
into the mix and went back home which was only two miles away.

the sun's UV will destroy the integrity of a plastic tank if left in the open all the time.
- - - when in doubt ~ throw it out - - -


.

Click to expand...

Nicely done. A lot of guys would have simply dumped it somewhere.

Johnny said:

Stump - I am so glad you mentioned the issue of a plastic tank splitting at the seam !!!
a few years ago, I filled up an old 6 gallon plastic tank and headed to the lake.
I always put the transom drain plug in before I leave the house.
upon arrival at the dock, the very strong aroma of gasoline was all around me.
The gas tank had ruptured and there was about 3 or 4 gallons of fresh, raw gas sloshing
around inside my aluminum boat !! (it did not have floor boards).
there were two Fish n Wildlife officers launching an airboat at the dock and I ran over
to address the issue with them..... one of them grabbed a big bottle of dish soap they
had in their boat and carefully poured the whole bottle into the puddle of gas.
then he told me to take my 5 gallon bucket and put several buckets of water into the
boat and go back home . . . the sloshing soapy water would "help prevent" any kind
of flash fire ..... I also emptied my 5 pound PKP powder fire extinguisher I carry in my van
into the mix and went back home which was only two miles away.

the sun's UV will destroy the integrity of a plastic tank if left in the open all the time.
- - - when in doubt ~ throw it out - - -




.

Click to expand...

Gas docks always have dish washing liquid to pour on spills that come out of the air vents ect. a dock worker said it helps breakdown and biodegrade the gas but your explanation of making it explosion resistant makes way more sense. I had a old steel built in tank split. Dumped about 8 gallons in a 16' Glasstron. I asked for a tow back to the dock. Once home I flushed the heck out of it and moved on but three years later I riped up and replaced the floor. The gas desolved every bit of floor foam. Glastron used foam inside of plastic bags. The bags were just a slimey wet mess and the still stunk like old gas. I collected foam from the boxes at work and tested it with gasolene. About half dissolved and half did not. Styrofoam that's made of little balls turns to liquid and the stuff made like pool noddles did not. Im betting the foam boards we get from the home store is the good stuff. IDK.

Some gas stations in the know will yell at you for not putting portable tanks on the ground. Portable tanks aren't grounded and are more apt to static charge. Sometimes I cheat and make it look like I am filling up a permanant tank in my little tin when it's really the portable on the floor .

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.yeah - I agree - it is okay to "cheat death" once in awhile






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Reminds me of warning signs I see around lasers.

What to put in your 2 stroke tank is easy. 40:1 TCW3. Why not 50:1? Because the worst lubricating and most carbon build up 2 stroke oil you can buy is any TCW3. It's crap. More oil keeps it wet and keeps the carbon from building up. Any other type two stroke oil is far superior in every way to TCW3 except for protecting the environment. Chains saw, dirtbike or snow machine oil has phosphates and heavy metals to keep engines clean but is a horrible pollution to our waters. It also has real heavy lubricating oil in it. TCW3 does not because it gets in the water. Non TCW3 is rated to 11000 rpm and your TCW 3 is rated to 6000. Too bad and another reason to run 40:1. I prefer the Penzoil semi synthetic from Walmart and believe only Mercury Reguvanate or what is now Mercury Racing 2 stroke are better. Twice the price but if you want the best that is it. They were invented for the military. Never use TCW3 in anything but a boat because it's crap and most other two strokes rev way beyond what an outboard does.

Full synthetic TCW3 is a no go. The corrosion properties in it evaporate off of your cylinder walls and cause a rusty film. This is why the new Johnson etec 2 strokes come with a built in fogger. You should use it every time you pull out for more than a week or your cylinders rust. Semi synthetic or full dino oils are a better choice for an outboard. Nothing stops rust and corrosion better than a Dino oil. Full synthetic also drops out of suspension in a premixed tank leaving all the oil in the bottom so you have to shake it.

Outboards need 87 octain but buy premium instead unless you are sure you are going to burn all of the 87 in a weekend. The first thing that degrades in gas is the octane. Your 87 can be 85 in a week and after a month who knows. At least if you start with premium it starts out higher and ends up higher. Premium also has a better additive package to keep things clean in the fuel system. Three things rot your gas and cause problems. Heat. Venting to air lets the good light aromatic compounds evaporate and let's moisture from the air soak into the ethanol that is in the fuel. Ethanol is like a sponge on steroids to any trace of moisture in the air. The last bad thing is sunlight. The sunlight goes right thru red plastic tanks so keeping them out of the sun as much as practicle is important especially when stored. Give them a good shake to remix the oil and phase separated ethanol if it sits for a few days. I wish I could write and explain stuff better but read between the lines or do you own research and let me know what you think.

Lot of theories discussed, and I'll offer my experiences.

I've had all of the major brands. Moeller, etc. Academy has sold me 2 or 3. The newest stuff (since 2008) is unvented, so pressure is going to build inside the tank, period. The aftermarket tanks are mostly garbage. Yamaha tanks are the only ones worth having, IMO.

Gas. What it does is evaporate. When it does, it's kinda like saltwater. Leaves the junk behind, which is what is left in the tank and which is what the motor tries to burn. Junk. Premium fuel. Burns dirtier than 87, due to the additives that are put in it that are "supposed to" clean the engine. Gas station companies want you to believe that it "cleans" everything but it's just the opposite. Every engine I've had apart that's run premium all it's life, is carbon'd up horribly-rings, intake valves, combustion chambers, etc. If the motor runs fine on 87, and doesn't have a high-test recommendation from the manufacturer, run 87 and call it a day. The new ventless tanks won't let fuel evaporate as quickly. They'll still vent if pressure gets high enough, or that's how they're "supposed" to work. Not all of them do. While on the subject of evaporation of fuel, as it evaporates, it cools. When it cools, it draws moisture in out of the air. Especially in humid climates like we have here in the South and East. Grab you a glass jar, pour it half full of FRESH gas, mark the level with a sharpie, and set it to the side in the shade. Come back in 8 hours and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Ethanol. I ain't seen any yet that's ethanol free. Not that it makes much difference since most engines since the late 1990's will run fine on up to 10%. The government doesn't require the 10% labeling if it's 7% or lower, so some oil companies have taken advantage and added 3-5% and labeling it no ethanol. Only way to know is to test it yourself, using a test strip (available online).

Prevention of carb/injection problems. Run it once in a while, even out of the water, about once a week will suffice, for a few seconds. That's all it needs to circulate a little fuel through the system. Keep fuel fresh if possible. If it's going to sit a while, dump the contents into a lawn mower, or your car, or whatever, as long as it gets used up. Doing those will almost eliminate fuel system related problems, based on my experience.

TCW-3, I think most 2 stroke oil is 3 now, probably has been for a while. Big deal. Actually I remember it going to 3 way back into the 1990's when I sold/serviced personal watercraft (which at that time were all 2 stroke). Glad I got out of that business. TCW3 is just a marine specification, nothing more. I have heard of guys complaining about it too, but the same guys are running month+ old fuel (which might have started off as 50:1 and after evaporation is now 30:1, or whatever), the oil itself evaporates a little too-or some of it's contents do, again leaving junk behind (dirty burn). Then finally some motors are designed to run 100:1 gas/oil, and a lot guys are dead set on running 50:1. You bet it's going to dump some unburnt oil oil, it's running double the amount of oil it was designed to. Gum up rings, black junk runs down the foot out of the prop, etc. At one time there was talk of TCW4, but I have not heard of any further announcements, the last time I asked, it was made known that 2 stroke outboards are a thing of the past and thus the 4 classification was not really needed, as manufacturers of the high tech 2 strokes specified their own lube oil, specifically designed for their engines so that it meets EPA standards.

X2 on the Yamaha tanks along with their fuel lines and fittings top quality.I like the old Mercury steel tanks with the push and turn fittings.Why doesnt anyone make a portable tank out of aluminum?
You can make your own tanks out of jerry cans and secure them within seat boxes provided the are properly vented.

Lost another plastic tank yesterday due to cracks. This was my best tank.



Tiny crack with the tell tail oil residue on the bottom.

muddywaders said:

Why doesnt anyone make a portable tank out of aluminum?

Click to expand...

Race car fuel cells are aluminum. This one will fit my application. Can anybody think of a reason that this would not work well?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-293252/overview/

Boat I have is 04. Motor is 02. PO always drained tank during winter. I will probably do same and just add small amounts if running during winter unless hunting multiple days in a row. Original 12 gal red plastic tank is under aluminum back deck. No vents are set up on top, but air can flow through fore to aft underneath back deck. Back deck stops about 12" from transom. I'm running 5oz of stabil for every 12 gal of gas. No issues with tank at all. When I move 2 of the 3 batteries from that back compartment to the front of the boat I may have room to either install a larger plastic tank or a metal tank of some sorts. Not sure what I'll be doing yet.