Show your Starcraft Fuel Tank

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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38
Hi y'all, finally started my retirement project. Like this forum, lots of info, much better site than that tinny boat website. Rockon :rockon:

Am looking for some fuel tank ideas, and thought it would be cool if everyone could post build pics of their fuel tanks.

Mine is a center console that has had the floor redone once. Would like an under deck fuel tank but don't want the fill and vent hose running up the gunnel, as I like the open look under the gunnels.

Would like the center console in the back of the boat but will probably move the console forward and put a 36-40 gallon tank on the stern.

Will start a build thread soon...its a 1977 21'
 

jbcurt00

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Dig in and start reading. No need to wait for pix, most topics have lots of pix.
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/owner...ey-re-all-here

Might see some ideas you'd like to use elsewhere on your boat.

What OB ya got hanging of the back of your 21ft CenterConsole?

40gal tank might be a load at the stern w an appropriately sized OB hanging out back there.... Some (most?) tend to move gas and batteries forward to improve weight distribution....

Take a look around, lots of great info in here, free for the viewing.

How about some pix of yours?

By your user name, I expected this to be about an Islander. Converted Islander to CC perhaps?

jasoutside converted his 21ft Islander to an openbow, and moved twin tanks forward. IIRC, he's carrying more then 40gal total.... His topic is listed at the rebuild link I posted. Get a comfy chair, and an adult libation.... its a long read...... a really long read actually. But the pay off at the end is worth it.

Welcome to iboats and the Tin-sanity.... now about those pesky membership dues (paid in full by posting pix)
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
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Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
I subscribe to the notion of having your fuel tank mid ship, seems to me that makes more sense that weighting the bow or adding to the stern heavy issue.

Photobucket has wiped out all our pics including mine in all 3 threads so you won't get to see much in mine at least. Here are my 2 boats tank locations.

1979 SS

y4myhGRweNI3A0IlAXInSrX6rprjD_uLXiqMm6efyfD8a1R6GoDa-q-rWhrrnf0HEwqjx9wWTAi7ef9ezSa10cP_0zdlWaOttpLgPgw8KSore8nnm8v426PHHXE_ecexjxOjoXoSK7NVVBgB5gWDQs1Erkp4T77zuvqlDj_Lz6H1n_P5baDLi2wqQ18P1-wblVZMCHv_L0q7Zr7Mw9SAKOpLg


1970 Chief

y4mkI6cCQGjsOj-zobZhJ2qIuxksrN2xCulUML1CmbcNMx3lwhv0VprXh_TNL1FjQS65LpfcEPDBnmlQHXU1BwIRClr9zX8ythKoQqhA6OITJBRzShrtLDoU7etaGw1uuaI1XG8jqdV3KnfsXSMct4ZxK5tFjQbFugKhXEIDaUEwmh4oHPhakyvEQYgA2fSC4Dnayt5ZYT1G8ZEhUqMeB6mqg
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
Messages
38
Thanks Mr. jbcurt for the quick welcome and you watermann for the pics. They are great will check out your threads.

Took me a couple days to learn how to post pics again, am back and have some to share.


Tried using the search function on this site and found it not easy for this request. Have been a long time reader.


Apparently you have to make 3 posts before you can upload pics .... stay tuned...

The boat is a center console, which is why I prefer the fuel up front and the console farther back.

As far as the motor goes am putting on a 90hp inline-six Mercury OB. Had one before and it was a great motor.

Watermann liked the way you have the tank in the 70 Chief. The wood strips on the floor joists is a good way to raise the floor slightly.

Who made an under deck wash? Thought I read that here once, that would be nice but looks like it would require a lot of room (clearance).
 

Watermann

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Yeah I used marine ply sealed up good for the strips but some guys don't like that method and have used 1" tube AL to do the same. I had no local supply for the AL tube and the big box store here wanted to cut off my arm and leg for an 8' piece of it. I was able to get some tube AL for my SS deck structure here from a local machine shop that started carrying it for almost cheap prices but now they went out of business.

There's a thread here somewhere in the mess of Photobucket wreckage with a center console the member just last week had a custom welded AL bow tank that's 35+ gallons. I'll post it if you can't find it let me know, I'll take a look around.
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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How would you mount the aluminum tube? Pics plz.

Been spending a lot of time searching and not finding what I want (kind of hard to look through a 425 page build thread), that's why I started this thread, if someone puts in the search box "starcraft fuel tank" this should pop up and if peeps would post more pics then lots of good ideas would be shared.

Have a question on Rivets, Looked on line and only found rivets that go up to 1/4" shank size. Most of the rivets on this boat are that size. Thought the most logical thing to do was if a rivet needed replacing to drill it out and replace with the next bigger size shank. Does that make sense?

And McMaster Carr has rivets obviously But I checked out another website and they have 2 different grades of rivets the cheaper grade is a softer aluminum and the other grade rivet is a higher strength rivet. Your thoughts on this plz and I am going to go start a build thread next....will get some pics on this thread soon too.

Hope you all had a good 4th of July....Jim
 

Watermann

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The AL tube, you have to drill out each attachment point with a 3/4" hole saw bit to get the air riveter head in there and use a blind rivet to attach it.

There are no 1/4" rivets in an SC boat, they use only 2 sizes are 3/16" and 5/32". I use the alloy solid rivets only for anything structural, so did SC when they built the boat.
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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Round or square AL tube? Imagine the round would be easier to bend for the front of the boat. Like the AL tube idea though.

Thanks for the sizes on the rivets. That's good, that means I can put the 1/4" size in on those rivets I replace.


Here is a link to my restoration thread;
 

Watermann

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That be an issue as lots of rivets are drilled through close to an edge of the material, especially the ribs. Most all of us before you have replaced solids with like sized rivets and 5200 to seal the deal for certain. To bucktail a 1/4" rivet you'll need some super duty equipment and I advise against using blinds through the hull below the waterline.

Heading over to the new thread.
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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Watermann how many gallons do those belly tanks hold that you posted pics of. Looked at a few on iboats and did not see a size that would fit under deck with the capacity that I wanted. Still contemplating what I want to do with the fuel tank, your help is appreciated.
 

Watermann

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The AL tank in my SS is custom made by Moeller and it's 25 gal, the original tank was rotten from the inside out. The Chief poly tank was rescued from a rotten glasser and it's 30 or 35 gal, can't remember now off hand.

Finding a tank that will fit is always going to be an issue, sometimes you have to make do and others you have to make changes like raising the deck height to accommodate the new tank.
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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A local shop fabricates AL tanks for boat manufacturers in the area and said they could duplicate or fabricate a custom tank for me, but its not cheap. A 100 gal. tank for my big boat would be $400+. Will keep looking around but may get them to custom fab one for me if all else fails.

Was looking at my boat for installation of the square AL tube to raise the deck and foresee difficulty in the transition area in the nose of the boat where the old floor angles in to a point, the rib ends there are not flattened as in the rest of the boat, the old floor was actually notched around the rib ends there. Noticed your chiefs deck is raised there so its not a problem there.

Any thoughts or more pictures would be appreciated as I will continue to contemplate the fuel tank in deck ideas.
 

Watermann

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400 is a great deal, to have a tank shipped costs about as much as the tank itself, don't ask me how I now that. I paid over 700 to get a tank made and then shipped from TN here to WA. Oh and yeah it was 1/4 that capacity. You do not want to suffer the consequences buying somebody's used tank. There's a reason normally why they aren't using it. People can be that way nowadays, greedy enough to sell someone a tank that leaks gas.

I only elevated the decking forward to where the cabin bulkheads are, no need to raise the bow area. Also if you're having a tank custom made why not have it fit so you can avoid that hassle all together?
 

Jim_the_Islander

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Jun 25, 2017
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Keep looking at the set up in the photo on your '70 Chief. Looks like you reinforced the floor joists on the sides to support the weight of the fuel tank. Hopefully I can modify my center floor joist so I can put a belly tank like that in, with extra support. Where the black lines are in the photo...cut the center joist at the lines and add two supports at those two black lines, add increased support at the dotted lines.
dMS1yPo.jpg

Its 30" wide between the two side joists. If I add fiberglassed wood decking over the tank it may offer enough support to make up for the interruption in the center joist run. The console would be behind the tank or slightly on top of it.

Watermann water are those 2 bulkheads you have on each side of the bilge pump? It looks pretty built up, just curious, thanks for all your help Watermann
 

Watermann

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Personally if it were me I'd lose that center stringer / deck support / joist :lol:

Going with a belly tank and having that stringer in the way is not going to work. All it does btw is support the deck, it's not a piece that is needed to add structural elements. It would make it easier to add flotation as well. Or as you suggest cut the section out.

My belly tank rests on top of the ribs that are padded with neoprene rubber, the top of the tank you can see those brackets are hold downs I made that also have the neoprene under them.

Those bulkheads I fashioned from 3/4" ply sheated with .080 AL to form a fire wall of sorts that doubled as deck support.
 
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