How Big is Your Tank?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by atoll

expedition yacht!
one of the great benefits of having such a large capacity(4000 liters) is the ability to buy cheap fuel duty free in bulk!

Good point. One of the problems with my measly 100 gal tank is that I never buy enough fuel to get the bulk rate.

I have a friend who buys directly from the truck--never takes on fuel unless he's got room for 1,000 gallons.

[micah719]

Never bothered measuring it, so here's a pic. Tanks for askin'!

[SkiprJohn]

175 is more than enough in my humble opinion. My old 35 foot ketch had 80 gallons and it was way more than enough.
kind regards,

[Iskoteo]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

35 gallons x 2 (1 per engine -- Volvo MD2020's...about 0.6GPH at cruising RPM). Always proven more than adequate (after all....we're talking about SAIL boats right?)

Heaven forbid a sailboat having large tankage for fuel and run the risk of being bashed as a motorsailor! There are few sailboats that never motor. Having the ability to sail when winds are up and yet still able to make headway or explore the coast on a calm sea is for us what its all about ..Choices. Not to mention the advantage (along with solar) of self sufficiant extendid expiditions far from any marinas. We also have a dual racor fuel polishing system, polish back to front, burn front. Just wondering..does having large freshwater tanks create a stigma as well?

Fair winds, (and if not consider motoring)

[Saltyhog]

About 55 gallons (US) in the main tank. I think I can add another tank for about 30 more gallons without much trouble. That had better be enough because I refuse to keep cans on deck.

[Visarend]

90 gals, Ford BSD 332 48HP, cruising at low revs (1300) makes for 600-750 Nm range (obviously less against strong winds).
Truth is, that here in the Mediterranean when you cruise in summer either there is no wind, or too much. Take one of our favourite passages, south France to the Balearic islands: in august mainly no wind when you leave the coastal breezes, or a blow of mistral 35 kts and up, gusting 45-50. Nobody likes going back to the mainland against a mistral.

[Hudson Force]

I have two 55 gallon diesel tanks that are rarely less than one third full. I do use some of this fuel for my 7kw generator,- sometimes a little AC and rarely any use for heat. I love to sail and I enjoy motoring when I please,- "real sailor, motorsailor, standing or sitting, adventurering or wandering, offshore or coastal". Yes,- I'm comming out of the closet! I carry more that two gallons of fuel per boat foot! ........ chase me down when the wind dies! I bet most are pleased with what they have.

[Matt sachs]

Twin 83 gallon tanks and an unmeasured volume in the keel.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Iskoteo

Heaven forbid a sailboat having large tankage for fuel and run the risk of being bashed as a motorsailor!

Nobody's bashing motorsailors here. The strong correlation between certain designs and tank size are being noted. That's all.

Years ago I delivered a boat from SF to Monterey after a regatta. The owner told me that he'd put five gallons of diesel in the tank, but I sailed the boat all the way, careful not to use the racing sails. This irritated the owner because we were going to have to race the boat heavy the next week--he'd expected me to use at least four of the five gallons getting home. So I went back to the boat and syphoned out four gallons so I wouldn't be blamed if we lost the next race.

Different strokes. How many folks get in trouble for NOT motoring?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Bash

Nobody's bashing motorsailors here. The strong correlation between certain designs and tank size are being noted. That's all.

On a related note I have always felt you could tell a lot about the designed use of a sailboat by its' tankage. A 25,000# 45' boat with 35 gal of fuel was probably a lot more aimed at being a coastal boat than one than has 100 gal of fuel.

And there isn't anything wrong with motorsailors!

[sailorboy1]

And from the thread title; I'm still waiting to find out the size of people's Ianks!

[banyandah]

The amount of fuel is totally dependent on the type of vessel and area of use.

Banyandah is a water sailing">blue water sailing machine that explores remote areas. We carry 400 litres of Diesel in 4 SS tanks, two on each side, interconnected. That gives us nearly 500 NM motoring range with our 70 HP engine. We sail most of our miles. We have a diesel heater, but use it infrequently.

Carrying too much fuel can be a blessing when finding it cheap, or a problem with weight or storing fuel a long time.

Hope that helps

[micah719]

Range is one thing....I wonder about time, efficiency and reliability.

My plan doesn't feature an engine but I've included the ability to retrofit hybrid diesel-electric in case I win the lotto or come up with a carbon trading scam, er, scheme to get rich on.

If I did go that route, I'd figure out how long I could use the engine in emergencies, such as station-keeping in heavy weather where the loads are heavy and sustained. Another aspect is coming up with a fuel management procedure so that the diesel isn't festering away in the tanks only to fail when it's most needed due to water and bacteria and whatnot getting stirred up. I'm thinking that a fairly regular transfer of fuel in a closed system of small compartments would be an idea, since nothing is being added after the initial fill, one can open a recently emptied tank for cleaning, and with inline filters one can remove any nasties accumulating in the fuel. What is the expected shelf life of diesel with such a system?

[Jimbo485]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

On a related note I have always felt you could tell a lot about the designed use of a sailboat by its' tankage. A 25,000# 45' boat with 35 gal of fuel was probably a lot more aimed at being a coastal boat than one than has 100 gal of fuel.

Our fuel tanks carry 100 litres (25 gallons). Another 50 - 80 l in jerry cans. 5.5 - 6.0 tonne, 40' boat, little outboards, one motor gives 4 knots and 2 nm per litre, which means a range of 300+ miles. We added another 150 l in a flexible tank for the Panama - Galapagos leg but didn't need it.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by micah719

What is the expected shelf life of diesel with such a system?

I was paranoid about 12 year old diesel. I sucked it strait from the bottom of my (aluminum) tank - no filtering. It Looked perfect. No debris or water. Gave it to a friend who used it in is vehicle. It worked perfectly. I should not have bothered to replace the fuel.

Steve