outboard fuel pump strength

wgwl13736 · #1 08-11-2004

hi,
i''m wanting to add a larger fuel tank,say 40 gallons,for my 9.9hp outboard,and there''s plenty of room under the cockpit.(i say "add",there''s no tank on the boat at all right now).can the fuel pump on my outboard raise the gas four or five feet from the tank to the motor?thanks,frank

capttb · #2 08-12-2004

I don''t think pump is very strong but that''s why there''s a bulb in an outboard fuel line. My 88 HP Johnson works fine from a belly tank on a runabout where tank is about 2.5 ft lower than motor. I think once line is filled with bulb it doesn''t require much to keep flowing. 40 Gallons seems like a lot of fuel, wouldn''t that be an awful lot of hours of run time on a 10 hp engine ?

Yodagwb · #3 08-13-2004

The motor shouldn''t have a problem pulling fuel. The in line bulb is used to fill the line prior to starting. Once started the motor itself will draw the fuel. My 5hp has a 8'' fuel line to a aulxilary tank, no problem. Just make sure the tank is vented to allow the draw of fuel.

wgwl13736 · #4 08-13-2004

thanks for the responses,guys.you''re great!i''m a green beginner as you might have seen from some other silly questions i''ve asked.the reason for the 40 gallons is more of a safety/preparedness issue,i want to cross the gulf stream to the near bahamas and i want to be ready in case i have to motor all the way,as well as avoiding the high gas prices i''ve heard about over there.should my 9.9 johnson be up to the task?thanks,frank

capttb · #5 08-15-2004

Just a couple thoughts here Frank,
Don''t forget that 40 gallons of gas is going to weigh 250 Lbs. and if you are looking from a safety standpoint is the extra hazard of that much fuel offset by the ability to motor all the way ?
A sailboat is a belt & suspenders kind of transport anyway, if you can''t sail you can motor, but you can almost always sail even if very slowly. Slocum made it around the world with no motor. No offense, but many would consider extra food, water, sailcloth and equipment to make repairs or jury rig a sail in emergency to be a better safety margin than about half that fuel for the weight & space.

wgwl13736 · #6 08-16-2004

and i thought i was being soooo clever to think of greater fuel capacity,i see your point.no offence taken,i need all the advice i can get.thanks,frank