Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by lupton on 05/08/09 - 7:47 AM

I currently have a 13 ft sport w/ a 40 yamaha using a 6 gallon gas tank. I was think of installing a larger gas tank say 12-15 gallon under the front seat to give me more gas supply. I also thought if I mounted it here it would take some of the weight off of the back of the boat. to keep the tank secure under the seat I was thinking of putting some teak pieces and screwing them into the floor 2 secure the gas tank at each corner..

Has anyone placed a gas tank in this area and is there enough room to pull the tank out from under the seat to refuel? Im just looking for some good suggestions before I purchase a larger tank and decided on placement within the boat.

Posted by moose on 05/08/09 - 9:10 AM

I have considered having an aluminum fabricator build one for me that would mount under, but attach to the front seat. The front and rear edge of the tank would wrap up along the verticle edge of the seat and could be screwed to the seat all along its length for stability. I wanted to taper it in toward the bottom to diminish ankle knocking, and it would not go all the way to the floor to allow for toe space, water flow, and ease of cleaning. The filler spout can be just to the rear of the seat on whichever side suits you. I hope I'm painting a pic you can see. It's just an idea that I thought could work very well.
Mike

Posted by TripleNet on 06/21/09 - 8:13 PM

I'm looking to do the same thing for my '92 13' GLS. I purchased a 13' gal Moeller above deck tank. It fits under either seat perfectly and is the perfect width. I've seen them under the rear seat but I'm going to try under the middle seat for better weight distribution both on the water and while trailering. I'll let you know how it works out. I still have to install it, get a longer fuel hose, and may cut a hole in the seat and install a nice deck lid or hatch to better access the fuel cap. I could just slide the tank forward to fill, but a hatch may be better.

Posted by MikeD on 06/23/09 - 8:28 AM

Hi Guys
I have '77 13 sport that I repowered with a late model heavier 40 hp 4 stroke Mercury on. I did install a 12 gallon tank under the front seat and yes it did help with the balance and the additional fuel is great!
I found a shorter (15" W x 43" L x 5.87" H) tank from Cabellas and it does fit under the front thwart seat nicely. However, it is wider than the seat so to keep from having the tank stick out and to also keep it from sliding around I built a 3 in high frame that that would fit around the tank top that I attached to the bottom of the seat. I added a 5 in wide piece of mahagony with some hinges to cover the additional open space and serve as an access flap so that I could open it and fill the tank. The additional width of the seat is also nice benefit because it is now the same size as 3 throwable flotation cushions so they fit nicely on top.
There are two other things I found that can help if you add the newer heavier engines.
1. Put the drivers seat on top of the side panels instead of under them. It give you a more comfortable ride and better visability over the people in front and it also allows you to bring the battery forwared under the seat on the port side. This not only helps in balance alittle but opens up the whole back end for temporary STUFF like craptraps, coolers, empty bottles, etc.
2. I also found if you add one of those underwater fins on the engine that it really helps keep the nose down and really pops you up on plane quicker.

My description may be a little confusing so if you need some pictures let me know and I will email you some.
Good luck with the project.

Edited by MikeD on 06/23/09 - 8:34 AM