DEVLIN BLUEBILL FUEL TANK IDEAS

G

GIL SEAY

Member
HELLO TO ALL. I AM A RECENT NEW MEMBER AND ENJOYING THE SITE, AND WAS LOOKING FOR SOME INPUT FROM THE BRAIN TRUST.

I AM CURRENTLY DOING A LIGHT REFURBISH OF A DEVLIN BLUEBILL, AND WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER A FUEL CELL OR TANK IN THE OPEN FOWARD AREA UNDER THE DECK. IT IS NOT A HUGE SPACE BUT AM LOOKING FOR A WAY TO PLACE A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT FORWARD AS WELL AS FREE UP SOME FLOOR SPACE.

ANY INPUT OR IDEAS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

GIL
 
Gil,
Welcome aboard. Might be a good idea to fill in your profile so we have an idea who we're working with. Also, please drop the CAPS........the shouting is hurting my eyes. :0
Lou
 
the cheapest way is to see if a 3 gallon tank will fit and then get two. the most expensive way, short of tearing out the deck and installing a custom tank, is a 6 gallon neoprene bladder imported from france for $200. oh, by the way, i'm wispering.
 
Sorry for the caps, I have an injury to a couple of fingers, its more diffucult for me to work the shift key.

thanks for you replies

Gil
 
Gil,

I built a shelf, surrounded by a "lip" of wood about 3/4" high. then I put a stock gas tank on it and held the tank in place with a bungy.

The added benefit is that I can store an anchor underneath the shelf, snug as a bug.

Good luck and welcome.
 
Hey Woodroe,

My partner is an architect of almost 40 years and he is so used to using all caps on his drawings that I can't get him to write an email any other way. He doesn't see it a yelling, he just thinks it's easier to read that way. Sound like you have a good excuse anyway.

Welcome to the forum,

John
 
I don't know so much about architectual drawings. The ones I've seen are all caps. It may be a style thing, but for mechanical drawings, and all drawings for government contracts - ASME Y14.2 specified in ASME Y14.100 (was Mil-STD-100) all drawing notes to be all caps.

FYI,

Hitch
 
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High School drafting freshman year. All caps in a nice neat line. If you can't do it you have to use a template for every letter. Still writing with all block caps to this day. Try to explain that to your 8 year olds teacher at a parent meeting.
As for the fuel tank, Google aluminum fuel tank fabricators. Luther's in RI is who we have been using at work, but saw some nice tanks in Fla. at the boat show. My partner at work thinks Rhino Lining on a tank is going to be his next experiment. Painted tanks can't take the salt water. Plain tanks don't like salt water held against them. But done right they last a long time and can be made to any shape.
A factory tank from the outboard OEM is your best bet. I do not feel the Tempo line is as well made as most OEM tanks. Bake it in the sun and the plastic goes away faster.
 
IMG_1790.JPG[inline "Copy of IMG_1792.JPG"]IMG_1795.JPG This is the blue foam template I made for my broad bill project. It was the easiest way I could get all the angles right,and check capacity. The tank will be aluminum with a deck fill cap. It will be semi permanent. I will post more pic as project take shape.
JR
 
Gil,

I built a hatch cover into the deck of my Bluebill so I could fit a 6 gal portable tank. The deck has a little more height than Devlin's plans called for, and a Tempo tank with a low profile cap just fits under it.


HATCH1.JPG


The hatch cover was made by scoring the underside of the ply and curving it to match the deck and filling the cuts with thickened epoxy.
hatch2.jpg


Here's how it looks finished.
P11a.jpg


Since your boat is already built, I don't know if you would have room to fit a low-profile 6 gal tank. You would have to measure it to make sure. But if you do, you might want to consider a hatch. It's a much less costly option than a built-in custom tank.

Rick
 
If your having a tank fabricated consider stainless. It will hold up much better in a marine application. You should also check a Sumit Racing or Jegs catalog. They will have fuel tanks in many sizes and shapes.
 
I may be all out in the rain..

But Come on guys the Bliebill just isn't that big of boat that you are gonna need more than a 6 gal tank. With my AA Widgeon I've been using a 4 gal tank, its easy to push up into the bow out of the way and my 15 just dosn't use that much gas.

You know I like being out in the rain, and I'm not all wet.

b
 
Bob,
You are absolutely right. You would rarely need a 6 gal tank with a Bluebill. The only exceptions are when you are hunting for several days at a remote site, which I do every couple of years. And, the boat tends to porpoise, and having a full 6 gallons in the bow helps it ride better. Sandbags would work fine for that. How much is a gallon of sand these days?
Rick
 
They don't make these anymore but you can find them on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OUTBOARD-MOTOR-FUEL-TANK_W0QQitemZ130115555624QQihZ003QQcategoryZ50439QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The little 3 gallon squatty metal fuel tanks are perfect for a broadbill or bluebill. The OMC are a bit lower than the Merc ones. If the bluebill was built to spec I'm not sure the merc one will fit, I know the OMC will. We tried a merc in Kenmack's bluebill and it was a no go but he might have made is opening a tad smaller. He can verify.

Eric
 
If I recollect correctly, my opening has 3" of wood around it. If I had made it 2.5", a 3 gallon plastic would have fit.
 
THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT IDEAS. WILL HOPEFULLY BE MAKING A DECISION SOON, BUT PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!!!

(AGAIN, NOT SHOUTING)

GIL
 
Hey Gil- I cut the opening into the forward storage compartment just big enough to fit a three gallon tank. What size engine you running on it? I have a 9.9 2stroke and run ~8-9miles/hunt in mine with dog and gear, never hit empty. Where did you pick the boat up from? -Jason
 
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