Now that I have the engine compartment prepared and the engine sitting in the boat, I'm trying to think through what needs to happen for all of the supporting systems.
I note a large number of threads dealing with dirty fuel and Don Moyer's admonition regarding clean fuel (in the MMI manual and literature that came with the replacement engine).
The gas tank was 32 years old; I decided to replace. The piece of plywood the gas tank was sitting on was rotted and weak; I tore it out. So, I will be implementing a fuel delivery system from scratch.
My first thought is to move the gas tank to the aft locker in the cockpit.
(1) Gas tank outside the cabin rather than under aft berth.
(2) Eliminates the gas line fitting on the deck (one less hole in the deck).
(3) Only one gas line running inside the cabin rather than two (fuel line feeding the tank and fuel line from tank to engine is two lines - there would only be one fuel line from tank to engine this way).
(4) The area where the gas tank was originally installed under the aft berth would make a nice place for four house batteries.
My thinking is to build a box for the fuel tank, fiberglass up well, and fiberglass into that aft locker. I would also add some "reinforcing struts" between the hull under the floor of the locker and the locker floor due to the additional weight of the gas tank in the locker. (I expect to do a good bit of glass work here because I am going to add a deck plate so I can access the exhaust thru-hull as well as improve the area where the blower hose passes through so water can't leak in).
I assume I would place an anti-siphon valve on the fitting on the gas tank; from there to a shut-off valve mounted on the gas tank box in the aft locker, down through the boat to the fuel filter/water separator, from the fuel filter to the electric fuel pump, from the electric fuel pump to the polishing filter, and from the polishing filter to the carb. I was thinking maybe a second fuel shutoff valve right before the fuel filter/water separtor would be handy for purposes of working on the system (less gas to have to drain out of that long line) as well as increased safety. I was planning to encase the fuel line in a bilge hose as it travels from the gas tank along the hull of the boat and through the bilge until it gets to the fuel filter/water separator to prevent chaffing of the fuel line. I was planning to drill holes in the encasing bilge hose so that if any water got in the encasing hose it would drain out.
I am not sure what gas weighs; around eight pounds per gallon? The 12 gallon tank, box, and glassing in would weigh around 120 punds (gas tank full). This seems like a negligible weight movement for a boat the size of a Catalina 30 to me (but, I don't really know).
Any time one talks gasoline it seems one needs to think about safety. I assume I would mount a fire extinguisher in the aft locker. I also saw these little ports with a scored glass so you could shove a fire extinguisher nozzle through them on another thread. I was thinking of putting one of those in the middle of the each engine compartment access hatch. Anything else to consider?
I would appreciate feedback, especially if someone sees a significant weakness with this approach.
Again, I would never have even considered doing this without the good folks on this forum. Thanks in advance.
I note a large number of threads dealing with dirty fuel and Don Moyer's admonition regarding clean fuel (in the MMI manual and literature that came with the replacement engine).
The gas tank was 32 years old; I decided to replace. The piece of plywood the gas tank was sitting on was rotted and weak; I tore it out. So, I will be implementing a fuel delivery system from scratch.
My first thought is to move the gas tank to the aft locker in the cockpit.
(1) Gas tank outside the cabin rather than under aft berth.
(2) Eliminates the gas line fitting on the deck (one less hole in the deck).
(3) Only one gas line running inside the cabin rather than two (fuel line feeding the tank and fuel line from tank to engine is two lines - there would only be one fuel line from tank to engine this way).
(4) The area where the gas tank was originally installed under the aft berth would make a nice place for four house batteries.
My thinking is to build a box for the fuel tank, fiberglass up well, and fiberglass into that aft locker. I would also add some "reinforcing struts" between the hull under the floor of the locker and the locker floor due to the additional weight of the gas tank in the locker. (I expect to do a good bit of glass work here because I am going to add a deck plate so I can access the exhaust thru-hull as well as improve the area where the blower hose passes through so water can't leak in).
I assume I would place an anti-siphon valve on the fitting on the gas tank; from there to a shut-off valve mounted on the gas tank box in the aft locker, down through the boat to the fuel filter/water separator, from the fuel filter to the electric fuel pump, from the electric fuel pump to the polishing filter, and from the polishing filter to the carb. I was thinking maybe a second fuel shutoff valve right before the fuel filter/water separtor would be handy for purposes of working on the system (less gas to have to drain out of that long line) as well as increased safety. I was planning to encase the fuel line in a bilge hose as it travels from the gas tank along the hull of the boat and through the bilge until it gets to the fuel filter/water separator to prevent chaffing of the fuel line. I was planning to drill holes in the encasing bilge hose so that if any water got in the encasing hose it would drain out.
I am not sure what gas weighs; around eight pounds per gallon? The 12 gallon tank, box, and glassing in would weigh around 120 punds (gas tank full). This seems like a negligible weight movement for a boat the size of a Catalina 30 to me (but, I don't really know).
Any time one talks gasoline it seems one needs to think about safety. I assume I would mount a fire extinguisher in the aft locker. I also saw these little ports with a scored glass so you could shove a fire extinguisher nozzle through them on another thread. I was thinking of putting one of those in the middle of the each engine compartment access hatch. Anything else to consider?
I would appreciate feedback, especially if someone sees a significant weakness with this approach.
Again, I would never have even considered doing this without the good folks on this forum. Thanks in advance.
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