fuel tank questions,please help?

[ironman44bear]

Hi all, new to this site . First off let me say how awesome this site is and how helpful all of you are. I am building my first jet boat a 75 tahiti 18 ' berk jet 455 olds. As of right know the boat is stripped down to nothing. Just finished replacing transom and rear stringers.
The question I have is reguarding the fuel tank. The boat came with the fuel tank under the bow. I was told i need to ditch this and build duel saddle tanks which is not a problem since i have access to a full welding and machine shop. How far back can i go back with the new tanks? safety first or should i just keep the stock tank under the bow? if any of you have this style hull i could realy use some pics of your saddle tanks.
Thanks Ironman

[YeLLowBoaT]

I would / am keeping the bow tank. I have a older tahiti that I am redoing. I deside to keep the bow tank. I am not planing on building a rocket ship.

[ironman44bear]

The only reason i can see for replacing the front tank would be the weight up front. Is there any saftey issues with a bow tank?

[Sanger Pete]

Hey Clovis Neighbor:
My first boat was a 1975 Tahiti/455--but that was 31 years ago. It had the saddle tanks, but since then, I've had both saddles and bow tanks. Personally, I prefer the saddle tanks because the boat drives the same whether you have a full load of fuel, or are almost empty. One boat that I had with a bow tank also had a pretty good hook, and when the tank was full, it tended to bow-steer pretty bad. As I used the gas, it got better, but didn't disappear until the tank was (almost) empty--and how often do you run around with an empty tank? The other boat I had with a bow tank didn't have any hook so the steering wasn't a big problem. However, there was a 3-5 difference in mph between a full tank and empty tank.
My saddle tanks in the Tahiti were 60" long, 12 gallons each, and were mounted about 6" from the transom. The fuel fills were about even with the back bench seat. Sorry, no pics.
Shoot me an email with your phone number and we can talk boats.
Sanger Pete
markwpete@sbcglobal.net

[shaun]

i've seen many boats with the tanks flush up against the transom, in my boat i leave about 6" to 12" from the transom. Personally i would move them to the rear, the bow seams like a bad place for a fuel tank but then again 2 tanks 2ft from the headers doesnt sound like the best idea either when you think about it :p
I run mine in the rear!
http://reitanfamily.com/gallery/d/9203-2/DSCF3099.JPG

[centerhill condor]

just leave a little distance for safety. You may want to select a material compatible with alcohol. good luck!

[Moose]

Hi all, new to this site . First off let me say how awesome this site is and how helpful all of you are. I am building my first jet boat a 75 tahiti 18 ' berk jet 455 olds. As of right know the boat is stripped down to nothing. Just finished replacing transom and rear stringers.
The question I have is reguarding the fuel tank. The boat came with the fuel tank under the bow. I was told i need to ditch this and build duel saddle tanks which is not a problem since i have access to a full welding and machine shop. How far back can i go back with the new tanks? safety first or should i just keep the stock tank under the bow? if any of you have this style hull i could realy use some pics of your saddle tanks.
Thanks Ironman
I have a set of fuel tanks with all the hardware if your interested
Moose
http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119405&highlight=Moose