Adding a Second Gas Tank

[BradV]

oh so your tanks arent even under deck. not a bad idea.

 

[grouperjim]

adjusting weight forward is one way to help get the bow headed in the right direction. the other way is put a Permatrim on your A/V plate........problem solved. larger tabs and a Permatrim compensate for the lack of hull planing surface between the motor foot and stern which is the result of the bracket. that's why the boat feels like it wants to squat. case and point the same boat with a notched transom handles completely different.

But, by all means if you can figure a way to add usable weight forward, go for it. That is why my ground tackle is well over a 100 lbs..........the PH likes that weight forward so i load it up.

 

[BradV]

I actually have a message sent into andy on THT asking him about using permatrim. I have looked into them but dont see many twin engine boats with them over 150's. Not sure why that is. But i have the 12 x 16 tabs already so if i went bigger id have to get the high performance ones that are 12 x 24. and would need new actuators and all that. So i guess ill try the fuel tank first since it will add range and weight forward and see if tabs or a permatrim are necessary. Im also changing out the rope on my windlass the 3 strand i have always jams itself on so im going to switch over to 8 plait and get some more chain so maybe that will help. I also took out the other captains chair in the cabin and thinking of adding the Frigid rigid console and tackle station in its place. Looks pretty neat and should fit pretty good in that spot.

 

[grouperjim]

FWIW do a search on THT. members name was "ThePig" or something like that. he bought some Parkers for his business in the Islands. one of which was a new 25 DV PH w/bracket and twin 4S. the stern heavy sensation was causing him concern so i suggested the Permas. he emailed back a few weeks later and he was very happy as the Permas completely solved his issues.

 

[Megabyte]

I also took out the other captains chair in the cabin and thinking of adding the Frigid rigid console and tackle station in its place. Looks pretty neat and should fit pretty good in that spot.

Do you have a photo of this item?
Sounds interesting...

 

[BradV]

Here is a picture of the tackle station.

 

[Megabyte]

Here is a picture of the tackle station.

Thanks!
I need to take a few measurements...

 

[pfeifferj1]

Your right the tanks are not under the deck. Most of the time I run with them empty only put fuel in if needed. Also it was alot simpler than cutting into the decking etc. I also considered, What if I ever wanted to remove them? Don't know why I would do it but you never know.
Good luck

 

[BradV]

Well i brought the stringer and bulkhead layout home today and measured the boat today and did the lay out for the tank. because of the closeness to the forward berth and helm area i have decided to move the tank back one bulkhead. Therefore I will be cutting a 28" x 46" Hole in the cabin floor. It will be about 24" forward of the main tank. so hopefully it will still give me the same weight that i am looking for forward. I am thinking that it should. Based on preliminary dimensions wihtout actually having the hole cut i will be looking at around a 100-120 gallon tank. Which does not bother me a bit. I will have the tank about 2 inches off the hull and about 6-8 inches below the deck so the cg will be low.

On to the frigid rigid cooler. I measured that up as well and it seems like it will fit but might be a bit long. I have a guy in my area that does custom fibreglass work and im assuming he should be able to do something similar and i cant imagine it would be much more. I will keep you all posted.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Well i brought the stringer and bulkhead layout home today

What does that look like?? Can you post that info?? or maybe e-mail it to me??

 

[MaxOut]

Sounds like you've been talking to the engineers at Parker to weigh your options...
Have they ever installed a fuel tank in the area that you are considering?

I know that the factory will build almost anything you want, as a special request when you order a boat. My boat is a perfect example... Whoever ordered my boat had the factory install 3 fuel tanks in her (221 total gallons :shock: ).

Talk about heavy!
I only filled all 3 tanks once. Never again.

I was wondering why you had so many deck plates...Now We Kn :lol: w!

My factory tank holds 150 gallons and is plenty for any trips I have taken. Thats a 300 mile range or better at cruise.

 

[BradV]

Alright so I did my measurements today from the stringer and bulkhead diagram that i recieved from the engineer at Parker....I now have a 28" wide by 46" long hole in my cabin floor. I missed the front bulkhead by about 4" too far and the rear bulkhead by 11" Turns out the diagram is wrong. oh well nothing major i can just slide the last few inches of the tank under the side so not a major deal. Also the entire area was supposed to be empty open space. So far after 10 55 gallon garbage bags full of foam i am almost done removing it. I will take a picture later today when i go to get rid of the rest of the foam. So far Parker engineer 0 for 2. Between the bulkheads being wrong and my seat not having the aluminum plate in im wondering if this was a Friday afternoon boat. Oh well I must say these things are built very solid. Took us almost 2 hours to cut out and remove the deck and the bulkhead based on the way they were attached and glassed in.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Can't wait to see those pics!!!!!

From the diagram you sent me it looks like there were two different stringer layout, seems they changed it in 08, which one did you use??

Sounds like alot of foam down there, i was thinking about cutting the floor just for more storage.

Nice project!!!!!

I attached the document if anyone is interested.

 

[BradV]

I gave the engineer the hull id number and he checked it and said it should be the older one. They switched the dimensions of the two end ones in the cabin. They were supposed to be 26 in from the cabin door and ended up only being 17. Oh well. Yes it was 10 full bags and 3 hours plus of digging out foam. make sure you want and or need storage it is quite a time consuming endeavor. Plus if you are only making it big enough for a hatch it would be a nightmare to dig out. I at least could get down into the hole.

 

[BradV]

Oh yeah i forgot. Inside dimensions of the hole are 30 inches wide, 23.5 inches deep in the middle, 18.5 inches on the side and 53 inches long.

 

[Bryan 2530]

WoW!!! That is alot of wasted space!!! I would love to have that for all kinds of stuff.

I was thinking of putting a large Anchor hatch down on the floor to access that space. If you made the hole watertight, it would provide some floatation if needed.

The diamond plate would be kind of cool too. 8)

 

[MaxOut]

I am going to replace that cheesy plastic deck plate to access the aft bilge. I like those diamond plate ones.

 

[Megabyte]

I am going to replace that cheesy plastic deck plate to access the aft bilge. I like those diamond plate ones.

Member Warthog5 used one of those diamond plate hatches on his X-Shark 23 Mako pilothouse project.
Bobby called it his "NASA hatch".

 

[BradV]

So i took it to the guy today whos building the tank. Based on the dimensions we agreed upon I will have 99 gallons. Next step is to cut through the stringers to run the hoses.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Where are you going to put the fill neck?

And what is going to cover tha big hole???