Gas tank

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birdsnest4ever

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Gentlemen, I have a question. My Ark. Traveler has only 11 inches behind rear seat to transom, and I can't put my gas tank back there. So, I'm asking if it would be more prudent to find a way to put it under the middle seat and run gas line back along the side to the motor. I don't want it banging around unsecured in the bottom of the boat. I am trying to keep things organized and out of the way as I have the trolling motor battery up in the bow and secured.
 
How big is the tank?

Not knowing your motor and fuel arrangement now, I can only tell you about my boat. I have a 20HP Merc pushing my 14' Lund. The fuel is carried in a 3 gallon tank that measures 10" X 14". It fits easily between the aft bench and the transom. The fuel tank that came with this old boat when I bought it was a 6 gallon OMC tank, and it hogged a lot of space; it barely fit in the space.

Option 1: Smaller fuel tank. Of course, that might not be practical because you have a larger outboard.

Option 2: Move your current tank forward as you suggest. I think your outboard should be able to draw fuel if the distance isn't too great. However, if your tank is bigger than the middle bench, then you're going to have to modify a bulkhead that supports the bench and provides structural strength to the boat. Can be done, it's just not as simple as cutting a hole in the aluminum and stuffing the tank into that hole.

Some pictures of your boat's configuration might help us understand.
 
Easy to put your tank on the front or rear side of that middle seat. A bracket can be made to hold the tank in place and attached to the seat. Whether wood or aluminum is used, either one can be made to hold a fuel tank. If you want add a big deck that covers both fuel tank and seat sobyou have a nice casting deck if that is your thing. Pics would help!!!
 
How big is the tank?

Not knowing your motor and fuel arrangement now, I can only tell you about my boat. I have a 20HP Merc pushing my 14' Lund. The fuel is carried in a 3 gallon tank that measures 10" X 14". It fits easily between the aft bench and the transom. The fuel tank that came with this old boat when I bought it was a 6 gallon OMC tank, and it hogged a lot of space; it barely fit in the space.

Option 1: Smaller fuel tank. Of course, that might not be practical because you have a larger outboard.

Option 2: Move your current tank forward as you suggest. I think your outboard should be able to draw fuel if the distance isn't too great. However, if your tank is bigger than the middle bench, then you're going to have to modify a bulkhead that supports the bench and provides structural strength to the boat. Can be done, it's just not as simple as cutting a hole in the aluminum and stuffing the tank into that hole.

Some pictures of your boat's configuration might help us understand.
The original tank was a metal behemoth that the previous owner let slide aound in front of the rear seat. My motor is an old Johnson 8 HP, I don't know if it will pull fuel from too awfully far, so I gave thought to putting it under the rear seat but that would (with me sitting there) put a lot of weight at the stern. I have a new plastic tank that only holds (maybe) 4 gallons, and it is too big to fit in that small space.
 
The original tank was a metal behemoth that the previous owner let slide aound in front of the rear seat. My motor is an old Johnson 8 HP, I don't know if it will pull fuel from too awfully far, so I gave thought to putting it under the rear seat but that would (with me sitting there) put a lot of weight at the stern. I have a new plastic tank that only holds (maybe) 4 gallons, and it is too big to fit in that small space.
Your motor will pull fuel a long way as long as it doesn' t make a steep incline. Most folks try to keep long fuel lines reasonably level with no issues. The kicker motor (9.9 johnson) on my 22' boat had an 8' long run for the fuel line. To start it had issues, then realized I had a two plus foot vertical climb, leveled that out and all was well.
How far you travel will determine how much fuel tank you need, actually steel tanks are not much heavier than a good plastic tank, so weight of the tank would not be an issue until filled with fuel. On my small boat, I added a flat floor, then added my deep cycle battery on the right and my fuel tank on the left side, each strapped into position. This kept the center of the floor open so my boat was better balanced ( centered) when I moved around. Using velcro, I added a 3/8" plywood shelf level with the seats which gave me a great flat place to mount electronics or just work on my gear/ tackle. Get that imagination going, you have many options to store your tank and create usefull areas in your boat.
 
Your motor will pull fuel a long way as long as it doesn' t make a steep incline. Most folks try to keep long fuel lines reasonably level with no issues. The kicker motor (9.9 johnson) on my 22' boat had an 8' long run for the fuel line. To start it had issues, then realized I had a two plus foot vertical climb, leveled that out and all was well.
How far you travel will determine how much fuel tank you need, actually steel tanks are not much heavier than a good plastic tank, so weight of the tank would not be an issue until filled with fuel. On my small boat, I added a flat floor, then added my deep cycle battery on the right and my fuel tank on the left side, each strapped into position. This kept the center of the floor open so my boat was better balanced ( centered) when I moved around. Using velcro, I added a 3/8" plywood shelf level with the seats which gave me a great flat place to mount electronics or just work on my gear/ tackle. Get that imagination going, you have many options to store your tank and create usefull areas in your boat.
 
The saddle bag arrangement did not enter my mine until you mentioned that set up. Thank you so much for that idea. That will take the strain from the motor pulling from any distance and I can add some wire to the trolling motor cables and still run it up front. I was intending to install a flat floor as I am not as agile as I once was so I need the stability. BTW, my steel tank had been sitting up since 1977 and had something resembling molasses in the bottom so I bought a smaller plastic tank thinking it would fit behind the seat but I found that anything bigger than a large lunchbox is a not go in that space.
 

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