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I have a 15' boat with a 6-gallon gas tank. Under the seat. Not easy to check, have to pull it out. Gauge is terrible, have to open her up. I'm going to do something stupid with regard to fuel just because I get lazy checking ...

I know the 1/3 out and 1/3 back rule, leaving 1/3.

But I am thinking either adding another tank (matching); removing my current tank and adding a larger one-piece unit; or (most likely) storing a backup gallon on board.

A gallon in my little boat should allow me to cross Lake Erie ... which shouldn't ever be necessary. The Merc 4-stroke absolutely SIPS fuel. Amazing.

QUESTION: is there any better storage container than the cheap red plastic guys? Is there something absolutely sealed that I could store in my anchor locker? Something tough? Something safe?

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Bill, I tried to look at the standard tank setup for your boat on Whaler's site, but there were no good pictures of it. The pictures that do show the tank look like a big single, so that must be the optional setup. Is your tank firmly held in place, or can you lift one side of it to estimate how much is left, by weight?

If you can fit the twin of what you have, that's what I would recommend. I run two 6.5s on my Supersport 15 (classic version), and just reach behind the seat to lift one end of the tank I'm using to get some idea of how much is left. I mostly run off one tank, with the other, full one in reserve. I do alternate to keep the fuel fresh. When I am working on running out the second tank at the end of the season, I check how much is left more often, for obvious reasons.

I would not advocate running a spare can in a locker - potential problems include a leak from the cap, a leak from bouncing around with gear and getting punctured, and stale fuel from forgetting about it for the whole season.

Tim

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Bill,
If you are talking about the direct read fuel gauge on the tank, I understand what you mean about them being terrible. They do not seem to be particularly linear. I guess you could try to mark how many gallons are left through multiple fill operations at different levels of empty, but seems like it still leaves you a bit uncertain and potentially vulnerable.
Does your Merc have NMEA 2000 output capability? If so, using this in conjunction with a chartplotter/MFD could give you a very accurate indication of remaining fuel. As an example, after filling my boat back up, usually adding between 30 and 50 gallons, I find the indicated fuel consumption to be within a few tenths of a gallon of the actual.
If your boat has this capability, it could save you weight, deck space and/or worry.

Dennis

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Bill,

I don't especially like the idea of carryign the small 1 gallon gas can as your reserve, for the reasons mentioned above plus the difficulty of pouring/transferring from it in rough conditions.

You have a 6-gallon tank already, and your engine sips fuel. If you go to a single larger tank, you won't really achieve the objective of having a "reserve". You'll only delay the point when you run out of fuel (maybe even allowing yourself to run farther from resources when you do!) I would say the single larger tank makes sense only if you are routinely going out on long trips that require the extra capacity.

My vote is for a second tank. Either the same size as what you have, or one of the mini 3-gallon portable tanks. This way you have a back-up "reserve" tank in case you miscalculate. By going with the 3-gallon tank, it won't take up quite so much room, and it is light enough to be easily portable/removable even when full. Also, it will not take as long to burn through the fuel, whch is a consideration for such a small fuel efficient engine as yours. Nowadays, with all the ethanol, you don't want old fuel laying around for months and months. Better to purchase less and replace it more often.

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It looks like the smart money is on a second tank that plugs into the fuel system, rather than requiring a refill on the (possibly rough) water. Murphy says when you run out of gas, you'll also be in a storm, and near to the rocks, and the anchor won't grab ...

The 3-gallon idea is great. My brain wants to match two of the same, like Tedious Tim has. But actually with the battery hard on the port side, the original fuel hard on the starboard, the space under the seat would take that 3-gallon a little better than another 6 (which sticks out a bit in front and in back, under the thwart (bench) seat).

I'm going to investigate that direction, for now. Will report.

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I would get a 3 Gal tank and hose to connect to your engine. If something happened to your main tanks hose or fitting all you would have to do is connect the 3 Gal tank. Also when the 6 Gal tank runs below half tank simply siphon the 3 Gallons from your small tank into the 6 Gal tank then bring The 3 Gal tank home to fill at the Gas station.

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Bill, a couple of things you may not have considered regarding the choice between a 3-gallon and the twin of what you have:

- starting every trip with a full "second" tank is an easy way to ensure you'll always have enough to get home if you run the first tank dry (the obvious exception being if you start with the first one completely full)
- it's easier to just alternate tanks than to remember to use the 3-gallon from time to time to keep the fuel fresh. And you don't need another hose, just switch the line from one tank to the other.

As you say, you certainly don't want to be pouring fuel from one tank to another - it's a pain in the neck at the dock, and insane in rough seas.

On the other hand, if it won't fit, it won't fit! But if the optional tank holds 19 gallons, I'd hope there would be room for two 6.5s.

Tim