Flexible Fuel Tanks?

[danielgoldberg]

Anyone have experience with these? We're thinking of increasing our fuel capacity, and depending on what happens and how things play out, we may consider a flexible tank. It's not my first choice because the thought of having many gallons of diesel in a bag that could leak makes me a little nervous. Am I being too conservative? Are flexible tanks sufficiently robust and reliable these days?

[night0wl]

I've heard good things about them, but what about the tried and true 5 gallon jerry jug? I picked up 6 of these hard plastic ones from Home Depot for $5 a piece. About 1/2 the capacity of the Nauta flexible costs....at a twentieth of the cost. Those flex tanks are *PRICEY*...last I looked, $700!

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by night0wl

I've heard good things about them, but what about the tried and true 5 gallon jerry jug? I picked up 6 of these hard plastic ones from Home Depot for $5 a piece. About 1/2 the capacity of the Nauta flexible costs....at a twentieth of the cost. Those flex tanks are *PRICEY*...last I looked, $700!

I'm trying to avoid loading up the deck with jerry jugs for our Bermuda trip. One of the negatives of the Benes is lack of fuel capacity. We've got a cavity under our swim platform that could be used for another tank, so I'm exploring putting another 30 to 50 gallons in there (I have a friend who did that with his B43, but that was while the boat was being constructed). The issue I may have is getting access to that cavity, now that we've installed a genset. So if we can't get a decent sized plastic tank in there, we may need to resort to a flexible, or consider something else entirely.

[night0wl]

Originally Posted by danielgoldberg

I'm trying to avoid loading up the deck with jerry jugs for our Bermuda trip. One of the negatives of the Benes is lack of fuel capacity. We've got a cavity under our swim platform that could be used for another tank, so I'm exploring putting another 30 to 50 gallons in there (I have a friend who did that with his B43, but that was while the boat was being constructed). The issue I may have is getting access to that cavity, now that we've installed a genset. So if we can't get a decent sized plastic tank in there, we may need to resort to a flexible, or consider something else entirely.

Thats actually a pretty good idea for the use of that otherwise useless space. I too feel that pain...our Beneteau 343 only has a 20 gallon fuel tank. Maybe another gallon in the lines if I fill all the way up to spill valve.

The problem is that I know how dirty fuel can be. I filter my jerry jugs and the gunk, bugs, etc that get filtered out by my funnel is amazing. Imagine a 50 gallon tank that has no access at all vs Jerry jugs that can at least be washed out, soaped then dried before next usage.

If I were in your position (making crossing to Bermuda) I'd probably be evaluating the flexible tanks too...but man oh man, $600 price tag is very steep for a big plastic/rubber valve with some valves.

[timebandit]

How about a couple of smaller hard tanks that you can get in the space and then interconnect them?

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by timebandit

How about a couple of smaller hard tanks that you can get in the space and then interconnect them?

On the table, but that's a lot of complication. That's why we're considering the flexible tanks. We need to do some measuring, etc. to see how large a plastic tank we could fit in there.

[MJBrown]

Dan, not sure if it's too late to consider but I know someone that converted the aft water tank on his B49 to hold fuel. Not sure if you're willing to give up the extra water for fuel or not.
Mike

[danielgoldberg]

Originally Posted by MJBrown

Dan, not sure if it's too late to consider but I know someone that converted the aft water tank on his B49 to hold fuel. Not sure if you're willing to give up the extra water for fuel or not.
Mike

NOT! We did have that option at the outset, and having 150 gallons of water is a little light as it is (we usually cruise with 4 or 5, and we all like to take showers).

[smackdaddy]

How "tight" will the stern cavity hold the bag? It seems that if you can create smooth support all around it, it would reduces the stresses of sloshing on the bag. Of course, then you may either be into needing to build a type of hold box in the cavity - or having a custom shaped bag made.

What's the warranty period? I see Nauta only offers 1 year. I'd feel more comfortable if they loved their product for 3-5.

[wind_magic]

I'd be worried about chafe.