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bearbait1
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Posts: 74
Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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Fuel Onboard
Hi all, I will be bringing an 18' Bayrunner with a 2 stroke 55hp Suzuki to Baja in the spring. I am considering building a permanent fuel tank to get
rid of the clutter of the portable tanks. For anyone with a similar setup, how much fuel should I plan on keeping onboard for a days fishing with 1
way runs to the fishing grounds of up to 30-40 miles? Also where would you suggest putting the fuel tank? I am considering putting it under the
center console to move some weight out of the stern? Do you find that the bow is too light?
Thanks
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Minnow
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You bought it, awesome!
I have the same boat, and it runs best with the weight as far back a possible.
Tinker around with it though. I would not put the tank all the way to the bow though.
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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bearbait1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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Thanks Minnow, I haven't even been able to put it in the water yet. The day I got it back I busted shore ice with an axe for 20 minutes so I could
put it in a lake and run it. After clearing a launching lane I found that the shifting cable was frozen and ice is forming fast here so I won't even
be able to put it in the water before I head south. How much fuel do you carry? I spent 2 years in Vegas, my condolences to you!
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Minnow
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bearbait1
I spent 2 years in Vegas, my condolences to you! |
 Look at it this way, it is closer to Baja.
My tank is 30 gallons and I can/have done about 150 miles with that much gas. MDR to Catalina, around the island and back. About 85 miles of it was
WFO. That was in the Pacific. You will do better in SOC. Oh, yeah I have a 50 Hp Yamaha. Good luck and have fun. Where you fishing that you will
have runs of 30-40 miles each way?
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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bearbait1
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Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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I'll be in east cape and certainly don't intend to normally run that far. I just want the capability if needed occasionally. Do you have a built-in
tank, if so where is it? When I lived in Las Vegas our best entertainment was going to a 4 or 6 lane boat ramp on Lake Mead and finding a shady spot
to watch. We saw a few sinkings, the beginnings of many divorces, and hundreds of heated explanations of which way was left and which was right and
how to make the trailer go that way. By the way, most boats take about 20 minutes to sink without a plug.
[Edited on 10-12-2007 by bearbait1]
[Edited on 10-12-2007 by bearbait1]
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Minnow
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That is no mierda. The best entertainment in Vegas for sure. That is so damn funny. My wife and I are laughing our burro's off right now.
Damn, you just made my day.
If you go when it is really hot there are fist fights. And this is not lie, Now there are only two real ramps on the west side of the lake.
Calville, and Lake Mead marina. The wait to launch and retrieve is long on weekends. It was so bad last time we were there, my wife and I swore if
we ever did go on a weekend again we were going to bring a video camera and put it on U-Tube. I figured the boating lobby would pay us big bucks to take it down.
One time I saw a lady sink the boat, trailer, and the truck. The brakes gave out after they had the boat strapped to the trailer, and the whole
works slowly slid into the lake as the hysterical lady tried to get out of the truck via the window.
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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bearbait1
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Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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I wasn't kidding, we would go to just watch. I never saw a truck sink but saw 2 boats drug up the ramp after forgeting to remove the winch line, one
made it about30-40 yards before the woman driving heard the screams of her husband in the boat. I believe that was one of the "seeds of divorce" we
saw. My kids learned some new words once the husband got out of the boat.
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BajaBruno
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I have a 20' Bayrunner with a 75HP Honda and a rather large bait tank. I get about 1 liter per NM with much of the day at trolling speed (8-10k),
though the fuel use is much better at planing speed. I'm not sure how that would translate to your smaller 2 stroke. I never run WOT, as I think
it's hard on the motor life.
60-80 NM RT is not an unusual day for me, and I have plenty of reserve. With Minnow's input in mind, you might consider just carrying a couple of 5
gallon jerry jugs on board, so you can move them as you see fit, since with a bait tank, gear and a person or two on board, weight distribution can
markedly effect the trim of the boat. You may find you don't need any auxiliary fuel at all and it's a lot easier to take off two jerry jugs than a
permanently installed tank.
Having said that, I may be misreading your post--are you saying you only have portable tanks? If that is the case, I would suggest you send a note to
Klamath Boats http://www.klamathboats.com/index.html (they now have the Valco line), and see what they recommend. Their catalog shows that the 18' comes
standard with an 18 gallon below deck fuel tank, but they would be the best resource for placement of any fixed tank.
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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bearbait1
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Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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Thanks Bruno, the boat only has portable 12 gal tanks. I also will be putting in a bait tank so I am trying to figure out how to keep things
balanced. I will have some moveable ballast with me but sometimes she won't stay where I tell her when it gets rough,women . Good idea about talking to the factory.
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Minnow
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Bruno, I don't normally run wide open either, because it effects gas consumption and if you throttle back just a little you get way better mileage,
but I wanted to make it across the channel as fast a possible while the conditions were optimal. I agree with the jerry can theory.
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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Minnow
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bait, you are funny.
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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BajaBruno
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I sympathize, BearBait--my moveable ballast tend to be a bit recalcitrant as well. Since the boat has no installed seating, everyone wants to sit on
the gunwale, which puts a great deal of pressure on the steering and rolls the boat to wherever side they are sitting. I discourage that practice,
but it happens nonetheless. Sometimes a well-placed approach into a quartering wave will solve the problem. 
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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Martyman
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Hey Guys;
Got a used 16' bayrunner with a 40hp Johnson. The guy I bought it from said to keep the weightier things in the bow but now I'm hearing "keep weight
in stern". Stern makes more sense to me. What are your thoughts about this?
Have taken it out twice and coming down to baja next month. I only have a portable 6 gallon tank and will bring an extra gallon to get home.
Thanks
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tripledigitken
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Registered: 9-27-2006
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Do they install trim tabs on the Bayrunner's? Sounds like they might help. I understand the cost is probably a factor.
Ken
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bearbait1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 74
Registered: 9-23-2007
Location: North Pole AK
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I imagine trim tabs would be a good addition but I am trying to keep this boat as cheap and simple as possible.
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Diver
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Martyman
Hey Guys;
Got a used 16' bayrunner with a 40hp Johnson. The guy I bought it from said to keep the weightier things in the bow but now I'm hearing "keep weight
in stern". Stern makes more sense to me. What are your thoughts about this?
Have taken it out twice and coming down to baja next month. I only have a portable 6 gallon tank and will bring an extra gallon to get home.
Thanks |
If it's like my tin boat, you will find that it planes a bit faster with someone or some weight forward in the boat. (Assuming you are astern.) A few
times when I have been out alone and run into wind and seas, I have had to beach and put a bucket or 2 of sand in the bow to keep the bow from blowing
off course.
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Minnow
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you can always pull the plug and let a few hundred gallons of water in the boat, throw everything that is not nailed down in the bow, and plow on
home. Might be a problem trying to get the wife to ride up there though.
Proud husband of a legal immigrant.
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BajaBruno
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There are fixed (rather than adjustable) trim tabs on the market (much less cost, I suppose) and I have thought about installing those to help the
"woman sitting on the gunwale" issue I described above. I've used the adjustable types on my bigger boats and they work great, but I've never used
the fixed type.
Any observations are welcome.
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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Minnow
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They are called Doelfin's.
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BajaBruno
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Minnow,
The only Doel-Fin that I am aware of is a hydrofoil that mounts on the trim plate of the outboard, or outdrive--that is not what I meant. I meant the
fixed trim tabs that are just like the adjustable version, but non-adjustable. There is one company that also makes an absorbed model that adjusts
as the water pressure increases. http://www.rocketflap.com/dodont.php
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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