Is thirty gallons enough???

[georgeviking]

I am repowering a 23 foot Grady for a customer 5.7 Carb. tank had to go,pulled out the old hundred gallon and am thinking of a thirty, boat is on long island to be used mostly in the bay inlet is three miles away and fishing grounds for this skipper is four miles when this boat was sold new with it's 5.0. Companies tried whatever they could to get an edge one trick was RANGE stuff in a huge tank and our boat does something there's can't!!! But I'm second guessing myself figuring the worst he will run is 3mpg so rule of thumb he can go thirty miles out thirty miles back and have a safety margin of 1/3 tank of gas left...any thoughts???

 

[Augoose]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

What did the customer say when you asked him what he wanted? Options are always good- start with a 30 gal, explain what he can do with it then explain the cost involved. If he needs more, talk about a 60 gal option. If you've already quoted him a cost and now you've got to keep expenses down to keep profit up, then I'd do what's best for the customer- and keeping him happy which ultimately keeps business going!

 

[dave11]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

My guess is that 3MPG as a worse case is optimistic. That boat may get 3MPG on a good day. I was looking at a 23ft boat with a 150 gallon capacity. With a 30 gallon tank, he is going to have to fill up every trip. If you are going to cheap out like that, I wouldn't want you working on my boat.

 

[tincanman]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

let the customer decide. Its his boat, let him fit it to his needs. If it were me, 30 gallons is way to small. Even if it would work for my needs, what if I go to sell the boat? A 23 with a 30 gallon tank would be a hard sell, atleast if you are trying to sell it to me. The little $$ saved now could hurt him big in the long run.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

^+1. I would want more capacity, not less. my 19' had 37 gallons, and I wanted much more.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

If you put a 30 gallon tank in my boat I'd be very, very unhappy. I have a 100 gallon main and a 54 gallon reserve tank on my boat.

I run a 22 Grady with a 200HP outboard. My cruise MPG ranges from 2.5 MPG on a flat day to 1.25 MPG when it rough. A half day of trolling for Stripers within sight of the marina runs me 20-25 gallons. If I have to run down Bay looking for them, figure 30-40 gallons a morning. I’ll burn 60-70 gallons a day running offshore. If I fish a weekend tournament I’ll put a hurt on that 100 gallon tank.

Not to mention if you do any cruising. You can go thru 30 gallons of fuel just going out to dinner.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

I have 44 gallons in my 21' with a 5.7 Merc 4bbl... if I run around all day I'll burn most of it up...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

If you put a 30 gallon tank in my 23' Grady I would be pissed! Or are you talking about the fresh water tank? live well?

What boater wants to worry about topping off the tank every time he uses it?
Who are you to put him on that leash?

I probably ran 30 gallons or more on my last "long day" of 60 miles. Sure am glad I knew I had half a tank crossing the harbor on an outgoing tide! And I got to go out the next day without going to get gas!

I take it you do a lot of repairs but not much boating?

 

[Outsider]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

There's nothing quite as useless as the fuel you want or need, but can't fit in your tank ... :facepalm:

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

30 gal is too small for a boat that size, and downright negligent on a boat running offshore... Even my little 19.5' cuddy made for cruising lakes and rivers has a 35 gal tank in it.

Unless this is the customer's call (and even then I would try to talk him out of it), put a tank at least double that size in.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

IMO, 30 gallons is useless in that type of boat. It came with a hundred gallon tank for a reason. If the owner is new to boating or isn't sure himself, I'd replace the old with the same size.

I live and boat in the same area- 'fishing grounds 4 miles out' means he'll be ocean running out one of the inlets (Moriches, Fire Island or Jones). It isn't a place to fool around. If he runs into trouble he'll need the fuel capacity.

Finally, by swapping in a smaller tank you're also taking away a selling feature of the boat. Who'd want to buy it from him if he decides to sell?

My .02

 

[Philster]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

65 gallon tank in my 24' boat that gets 4-6 MPG.

You need 100 as bare minimum on a boat like the OP posted.

 

[drrpm]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

It wouldn't take much more than an hour to burn 30 gallons of gas in that boat if you wanted to. I have a 42 gallon gas tank on my 20 footer and that seems to work well. Maybe dual 30 gallon tanks would be OK, but I'd rather have 100 gallons on a boat like that.

 

[shrew]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

If the boat came with a 100 Gal. tank, then i would replace with a 100 Gal tank. Just because it's typical range of use is limited, doesn't mean the boat should be limited. If you don't want to burn so much fuel, don't go as far or don't fill it up as full or as frequently. By reducing the tankage, your now permanently limiting the boats range.

Fantastic, just what the next owner wants, a fishing boat that can't get to the fishing grounds.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

At 30 gallons he's going to be thinking/worrying constantly about sufficient fuel....especially in any kind of bad weather or emergency situation. What's he gonna do one day when he has to tow some poor disabled boat 15 miles back to the ramp and bad weather coming in fast? One thing you can do without is that queasy, "wonder if I have enough fuel?" feeling!

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

The 18 foot Glastron I use has a 30 gallon tank. It has a 3.0L inline 6, and usually just me on board going around a lake. I can burn through 30 gallons in a few hours. A 30 gallon fuel tank in a bigger boat, with a bigger engine going off shore? Do you plan on including free tow insurance WHEN he runs into a situation where he needs more fuel, and doesn't have it?

You're going to hobble this boat by installing too small of a fuel tank. Putting in a large capacity tank wasn't just a marketing scheme by the manufacturer.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

I'm with the rest. My 24' had a 100 gal tank and I wouldn't of wanted anything less. Also, I would think a smaller tank would potentially upset the balance and running attitude of the boat.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

A pilot's 3 best friends are: the runway in front of him, the altitude below him, and the gas in his tanks!.... a similar application, as regards the gas in the tanks!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

It's interesting that Roger and Phil's boats have relatively smaller tanks for their length than other's, but when you look at their design and function, they are speed boats where I'm sure weight and space are important issues, adn typical use would be day use/trailer home.

Another circumstance where the word "boat" just isn't enough information, nor is length, alone.

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: Is thirty gallons enough???

What is he thinking !! I think he has lost it ,, totally !! I would not even consider going out, with 30gal. of fuel on board ,, and would even consider adding the 30gal as a reserve tank to a new fresh 100 + GAL TANK !!
If he lowballed the job to get work i feel sorry for him because he is going to need to go to the bank on this one. 100+ gal. fuel tanks don't come cheap !!