'83 Lund "Sirius" total gut and rebuild

[Mikeopsycho]

Zool"s right. Batteries emit hydrogen gas during the charging cycle, and hydrogen gas is highly explosive. Remember the Hindenburg? I think it'd be important to center the tank from the sides. I kinda like it in the bow area, although as ahmincha brought up, does the baffle orientation play into this? What about the pick-up line? I know it's a little late for this, but is there room between the main stringers to drop it below decks under a removable cover?

 

[nurseman]

I was planning on having the batteries in their own compartment. I also thought about below deck, but the tank is wider than the stringers, so it would be a lot of work to do that.
This is the biggest problem of not having a complete plan when starting a project like this. I will have to sit and stare at it for a bit tonight, hopefully the good idea fairy will drop by...

 

[Drewmanselle]

Enjoyed reading this thread. You have done some very nice work so far. on my old glassmaster the previous owner "installed" a tank above deck way in the back off to the right and the battery is off to the left. The tank covers the bilge box but it was only attached to the deck with 2 hold down brackets so surface water could still get into the bilge. The tank is just small enough to fit completely under the splash well. I plan to use my left over vinyl to make a snap down cover to hide it all from sight.

 

[nurseman]

So, I think I have come upon a location for the tank. I thought about cutting into the deck and getting the tank down as far as I could, but I wouldn't be able to get it completely below deck, and as the tank is wider than the stringers, it would require a major rework of the stringers. Not gonna happen.:nono: So I got to thinking, why not just make a bench like structure under where I am going to place the front two seats, and then just mount the seats to that rather than on a pedestal. That led to a temporary placement of the steering wheel and controls, which led to a fitting of the windshield, which led to a approximate location of the drivers seat. I had planned on doing a dry fit of the windshield after seeing the trouble that corjen ran into on his build. I am gonna mock it up out of cardboard/foam tomorrow, and then if I like what I have, I will build it with plywood. Here is the photographic evidence of my evenings endeavors.





Just as a side note, the frame for the windshield will most likely get painted black.



The tank will sit about here, and the top of the "bench" will hinge I think to allow access to the tank. Haven't worked out the finer points yet..



I would love to hear thoughts and opinions about the placement.

 

[sphelps]

That would certainly keep the weight in a good spot .. Only drawback that I can think of is having to step over it to get around ...
Have you thought about just using 2 - portable tanks to use in the back ?

 

[Tnstratofam]

As far as weight distribution goes it is a good place for the tank, however I feel you and the family are gonna get tired real quick of stepping over that bench traveling back and forth from the bow to the stern. Open deck space is at a premium on most any boat, but on a bow rider where people are switching position based on who's doing what it is more so in my opinion. Especially if you are doing any water sports.

Our 20 foot Stratos has a below deck tank while we use two 6 gallon tanks under the splashwell on our 16ft Starcraft. With the tank full to 1/4 full on the Stratos there is little to no change in overall performance or how the boat sits in the water at rest or underway. Where as on the Starcraft repositioning of people and gear is something that has to be adjusted as the day wears on based on fuel consumption which really only affects us while under way at planing speed.

Personally I would either try to find a tank that fits between the stringers.

Open up the deck and create forward and aft headers creating a place for the 30 gallon tank I have below deck.

Sell the 30 gallon tank and use two portables under the splashwell.

Or place the tank I have under the splashwell over the bilge area keeping the tank removable by incorperating straps to hold it down similar to other designs I've seen on boats with tanks of similar size.

Just my thoughts.

 

[kcassells]

Might consider 1 or 2 tanks that can fit between your stringers. Deck space sure is expensive real estate. Oppps T man just said that. Tough call but whatever you do I know it will be well planned out!

 

[Patfromny]

I agree with tnst. It is a nice tank but if it doesn't fit the boat it's the wrong tank. Sell it and try to find one that fits between the stringers or up front better. Use two portable ones until you find the right one for the right price. You will be glad that you did in the long run.

 

[Mikeopsycho]

I gotta agree with the other commenters ^^^^^^^^. Don't let the fuel tank dictate how you layout your boat. I do kinda like the bench-seat idea, but I agree stepping over it all the time will get old real fast. How about 2 portables nicely boxed in under the front seats with open floor space between the seats?

 

[nurseman]

So, I talked things over with the Admiral, and we decided to put the tank in the bow and build around it. So I was busy building everything out of cardboard, and I actually had a layout that was pretty good. I was reading through an old thread on here last night, by Sleeper-6, and he had cut his aluminum tank down to fit in his boat. That got me thinking that I happen to have a very good buddy who is a retired certified welder...and he has a TIG...So I called him up today, and he said that if I cut it apart, he would be more than happy to weld it back together for me. So I removed all of my cardboard mock-ups and got out the grinder and cutting wheel.

Sorry for the sideways pic, the stupid phone (operator?) was having issues. The tank was 23.5" wide, 40" long and held 30 gallons when I got it. I started by cutting of the end as by buddy had instructed.



Then I removed the appropriate amount of tank.



As you can see, the "new" tank will be 23.5" W x 23.5"L



Here it is, ready to go to be welded on Wednesday morning. I had to re-drill the hole for the vent tube and shorten the tube, but I think that this will work out well.



I set it in the bow after cutting it, and it sits right down on the floor nice and sweet! I will post pics on Wednesday after I get back from by buddies place.

 

[Mark72233]

Now that's thinking outside the box or tank or boat or whatever, you get the meNing. Good fix for your issue.

 

[Mark72233]

That was supposed to be you get the meaning

 

[Patfromny]

There you go. I would have hated to see you compromise on this after all your hard work and head scratching on everything else. Can't wait to see it welded up and sitting in the boat.

 

[kcassells]

Wow NM.... Great idea! You always seem to mutter it out to a fantastic finish! That gives me some "fuel" for thought. Excuse the pun.
KC

 

[nurseman]

Ha! I wish I could say it was my idea, but I was just motivated by another thread. Just another reason to bookmark threads and browse through them from time to time!

 

[Mikeopsycho]

Now you're getting what you really want, well done! Carry on.

 

[nurseman]

Happy (early) Birthday to Me! I saw this gauge set online the other week, and pointed out to the Admiral that this would make a superb birthday present!



The speedo is one of the internal GPS ones, supposed to be accurate to +/- 1 mph.



Tach, volts, and fuel complete the set.







And they were on sale as well!

 

[sphelps]

Sweet ! No pickup tube on the speedo ?

 

[nurseman]

No Sam, that is what I thought was so sweet about these. No tube, and it doesn't need an external antenna for the GPS...everything is internal.

 

[Mikeopsycho]

Hmmmm, I've never heard of a speedo like that, sounds cool! I might have to do a little shopping around..........