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Hello all, I have an 83 V20 Outrage and the fuel tank is bad. I am currently using a 26 gallon above deck tank. My question is do I need the 63 gallons of fuel or will 26 do? I have heard that because of the ethanol and other reasons the fuel goes bad pretty fast even with stabiliizer. On my normal outings I use between 10 and 16 gallons of fuel and fill up at the pump afterwards. Sometimes I may go 3 weeks between trips. I'm wondering, Do I really want 63 gallons of gas just sitting there going bad. Thanks in advance for your responses. Patrick
More fuel though nice to have means more weight. With gas about 6 pds per gallon, an extra 40 galllons is like a good sized person along. More weight, use more fuel. If you can get by with what you have, maybe carry 1-2 6 gallon portable cans as get home gas. If the tank is above deck, easier to fill, can see any problems developing, and more gas, more oil (if 2 stroke) more stabilizer to put in. etc.
I have a 10 and a 14 gallon tank. Just in case 1 tank has bad gas, I still have a backup.
While your above deck tank is fitting your needs, will you see yourself going out on longer trips and or with more people?
Keep in mind the "1/3 rule". 1/3 of the fuel to get to the destination, 1/3 to get back and 1/3 for reserve. Does this fit your usage?
Personally, I never use the entire 32 gallons in my below deck tank since my 4 stroke sips fuel. I run it till 1/3 full and then fill it. With every tank treated with a fuel stabilizer product, I don't have any issues. With my low usage (~50 hrs a season) I fill up for the 1st time around July 1, then again in late August. Final topping off in October.
In planning for the NYC trip in June, I am glad I have the capacity.
While I like the space under the RPS for storage, If your setup works, stick with it.
When we bought our Outrage almost 2 years ago, the previous owner said he hadn't used the internal tank in over 8 years. So while we're deciding if we're going to keep the boat or not, we picked up 2 - 6 gallon and 1 - 9 Gallon portable tanks and we use those. The benefit for us, keeping the boat moored, is that we're able to take the portables to the gas station and not pay dock fuel prices. It's a bit of schlepping them around, but well worth it.
But like Phil says, range (and safety) will determine how much you'll need.
I had my deck tank fail on a 1978 Outrage 21 a few years ago. I pulled the old tank & use the space for storage of gear & for three deck tanks. I have two 6 gal deck tanks under my leaning post & a 12 gallon under the rear bench (along with a 3 gal tank for the kicker).
I do travel with extra fuel if I feel I may need it. We have made some long runs with the boat, but for the most part I am just fine with the fuel capacity I currently have with the deck tanks.
Like the others said, it really depends on your needs. Personally I probably will not replace my tank.
Patrick,
It seems you have answered your own question but here is a thought. Would you go farther if you had more gas? If you trailer your boat you can always fill the internal tank as easily as the 26 gallon?
As for fuel going bad, I have not had that happen. Been using ethanol for years now with no issues. I have even left my internal tank 1/2 full over the winter. Tossed stabil in and left it until spring, no bad gas, and the new engine liked it just fine. I do have a water separator filter which I check often but other than that, not doing anything special. I pull the boat to fill my internal tank, not sure I would like to haul 26 gallons up to the truck, and then back down to the boat.
The other though is, if you plan to sell the boat it will be a selling point to have a new internal tank. I would replace it as part of a larger batch of work, since you need to pull the floor up. If your not planning on any work soon, then leave it as the 26 is working for you now.
If my tank went bad, I'd replace it. Since I've only had this my 84 V20 a couple years, I don't have a ton of experience, But it is nice to be able to go a long way between fillups. I've never had gas go bad. I think it probably takes more than a winter. But then, I just took my boat out last weekend and it will be likely to go back in within 3 months.
