Adding fuel to a 36 footer

[kmahren]

I have narrowed my search down to around 36' footers... One thing I'm concerned about is fuel tankage on these boats, mostly in the 25 to 35 gal range. I would think that would be minimal for any medium crossing.

I know it's boat specific, but in general, how easy (or necessary) is adding fuel capacity to a 36 er? And are bladder tanks dependable?

Thanks in advance

Ken

[AlanBrown]

Unless you can find enough unused space below decks to squeeze in a fuel bladder, you're stuck with carrying extra jerrycans of fuel on deck. It may not look real pretty, but you'll fit in with all the other cruising boats anchored around you.

As far as fuel capacity goes, unless you're crossing oceans, you'll always be close enough to a marina/fuel dock to top off your tank when you need to.

I always carry 2 full jerrycans of diesel when I'm cruising. When I've almost emptied the last one topping off my main tank, that's when I think about a fuel dock visit. Using this approach, I can't recall the last time I pulled into a fuel dock to add fuel to my main tank. I just dink in and get both jugs filled.

Your guestion was a good one, especially as sailboaters probably spend 50% of their time cruising on the "iron jenny".

[sailingdog]

Kmahren-

It would really depend on what boat you're looking at. Many are not really suitable for bluewater sailing, and those are often the ones with the smaller fuel tanks, since they're designed for coastal cruising, where fuel is generally readily available.

It would help if you said what boats you were looking at, and what you sailing goals are for the boat. Most bluewater boats have significantly less cabin room and more stowage and tankage than their coastal cruising counterparts.

Adding jerry cans for sufficient fuel is generally less than optimal, since you generally have to store them fairly high up, and they're fairly heavy. Having built-in tanks is usually better, but on some boats, it really isn't all that feasible.