SO42DS or similar - Adding Extra Fuel Capacity + Siphon

[Tafika II]

I know Jeanneau is very stingy with their on board fuel (black tank) tanks. At 34-gallons (128.7L) on our SO42DS, it is marginal for long range cruising without carrying the added 5-gallons (18.9L) yellow fuel containers on deck. The aft water tank (Blue) is not suitable to convert to diesel fuel…wrong plastic material.

Has anyone added on board fuel tanks in their bilges or replaced the aft water tank with a fuel tank? (We have a watermaker so we are not too concerned about loosing 34 gallons of water aft).

For those who carry extra fuel cans on deck, Stephen Meyer of Coyote out of San Diego told me about a simple siphon device he used on his recent voyage to Cabo San Lucas, MX. I bought 2…one for water and one for fuel…simple device and no mess. If you are interested, the web link is…charliescharts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=24
At $12 each it’s a bargain!

[coffsguy]

Hi Tafika,

I have a 43DS and have just solved the issue by installing two 100 litre diesel bladders in the stern. With an extra 80 litres in jerries this provides 480 litres in total (or around 180 hours motoring). Doing so is not without it's problems as access is impossible through the rear cabin so I removed the transom locker (which you would have to do to repair the quadrant or steering mechanism anyway).

Watch how your weight affects your waterline ... in my case the extra weight actually brings the boat back to an even keel as she sits down in the bow a tad, perhaps because I carry 60 metres of 10mm chain plus warp.

Hope this helps.

PS Fit and choose your bladders wisely as the first attempt saw diesel escaping from the filler fitting due to faulty manufacturing.

[Tafika II]

Hi coffsguy!
Thanks for the reply. I also have about 350' (91m) of chain forward, so I am aware I will need to consider weight balance. My 3.5KW genset is located in the aft port lazarette, so I don't have that room to add tanks. I am more inclined to use hard aluminum custom made tanks vs. bladders. I am sure the bladder type are OK if installed properly, but I have two friends who installed them with disasters, so I am a little leery.
Thanks again for your input! It is greatly appreciated!
Have a Merry Christmas and a great 2014!!!

[sailbleu]

Hey Brent , here's my two cents.

Although my boat is somewhat different than yours , I can give my experience on adding a diesel tank.
I have made one myself in S/S . It's located in the bilge , starboard side about 90 liters .
First I made a prototype with a very thin hardboard in the shape of the hull .Tried to fit it in , had to make some adjustments and finaly welded the stainless steel plates together and added all the bibs and bobs like suction , fill , vent. and brackets.
So it does have a strange shape but that way I got the best out of it , content wise that is.
Difficulty was mainly the passage of the filling hose . I made an entry on the port stern and had to run the hose all the way through. A serious battle since those hoses are not very cooperative you know.
On the portside of where the new diesel tank is located I have a 230 liter (S/S) water tank that had to be taken out so I could slide the new fuel tank in.
Not really a waste of time , the removal of the water tank I mean , because a year before installing the new fuel tank I converted this tank into a diesel tank , which I regretted , because the benefit of having a extra water supply outways the benefit of an extra fuel supply many times.
So I had to clean , rinse , rinse , rinse and rinse that tank to get de diesel smell and taste completely out again.
I also have a watermaker and thought one 220 liter water tank ( in the bow) and a 150 liter water bag (next to the bilgepump) would be adequate in combination with my watermaker.
How wrong could I be , lots of anchoring , a couple of small (grand)children needing their daily bath got me quick through my remaining 370 liters of water each time.
I really missed that other 230 liter and therefor changed my mind again.Only fools and idiots never change their minds.
I've installed a small fuel pump so I can transfer the 90 liters ( via a filter) to the main fuel tank.

That extra 90 liters of diesel serves my needs completely ,I also have two 25 liter cans in the anchor locker as a final backup.You never know .

The moral of the story is , never , ever change a water tank into a diesel tank , you'll miss it when living aboard.

In retrospect,.... my 20 cents ,)

Regards


EDIT:
If can be avoided , do not use bladders , this is my third water bag by the way !!
But in my case it's only water,... get the drift.

[Xlnt]

In my 42 DS there is installed a orange plastic diesel tank midship in the stern. I think it is about 100 liters or so. They removed the filler hose from the original black tank, connected it to the new tank and connected a new hose from the new tank to the filler connector on the old. The new tank is sitting just a bit higher than the old so gravity takes care of moving fuel from the new tank to the old tank.

-Xlnt

[Tafika II]

Hi Xint!
I assume this is the center bilge are just forward of the engine/companionway stairs?. That one is fill of my thru-hull connections for the engine, A/C-Heat, wash down and watermaker...so I was thinking about the next two compartments forward. When you are next on the boat, can you send me some photos?

[Tafika II]

Hi Sailbleu!
Thanks for your comments. I'm not at your skill or tools level, but I will deftly be avoiding bladder units.. I am rethinking deleting the aft water tank and location two custom SS tanks in the two midship bilges. Still a work in progress, but after the Christmas/New Year holidays, it one of my next projects!
I'll keep you posted!

[Xlnt]

Hi, sorry about the confusion, english is not my native language (norwegian :-))
I meant in the midle of the boat in the stern, behind the rudder. Acessible from the hatch in the aft master bedroom.
I will try to take som pictures next time I am at the boat.

-Xlnt

[Tafika II]

Hi Xint!
OK that's one spot I did not think to consider. Yes, please post me some pictures when you get time. I looked at this are & may have to re-route heat/AC ductwork, but the area looks large and probably workable. I am curious how you got the tank in. The after door inside the stateroom is pretty small & our genset if on the port side. Also, if you have the manufacturer's website for the tank, that would be helpful.
Have a great Holliday and a fantastic 2014!

[Xlnt]

Hi Tafika
here comes some Pictures

-XLNT

[Xlnt]

I think they must have removed the genset or the gas-locker to get the tank in.
I was unable to make out the manufacturer of the tank.
-XLNT

[Tafika II]

Thank you for the pictures. I see how this was done. I think the propane tank locker removal may be the easier. I'll let you know how this project progresses!

[Xlnt]

After some googling, I think mine is a 70 Liter Plastimo tank
Happy New year and good Luck :-)

-XLNT

[chuckr]

we added a stainless steel diesel tank under our rear berth of our ds40 -- it holds about 50 gallons (us) -- we then added a racor filter and set of valves so that we can switch from one tank to another at any time -- because we have a slight heel to starboard we generally use the smaller jeanneau tank first and it does help trim the boat a bit -- we also have a watermaker - but we have a water tank in our forward berth and one in the center of the boat in the bilge - we do not carry a lot of water in the forward tank - just emergency supply

the tank by the way looked like a piece of picasso art before it was put in -  so many angles and shapes --

[Tafika II]

Any chance you could post some pictures of the installation?

[Trevor]

Hello XInt,

That tank behind the rudder is a seriously good idea. That should be put on the Hints and Tips section.

Very clever indeed.

Thanks,

Trevor

[chuckr]

Feb 23, 2014 16:46:40 GMT Tafika II said:

Any chance you could post some pictures of the installation?   --- i will try and find the preinstall pic along with the pic of the fuel filter area -- it may take a while as am headed back to usa in a day or so for 2 weeks -- need to see new grand child and get boat parts -- so please be patient

[chuckr]

here are a couple of pics of the tank and installation -- it was measured (with my input) by deltaville boat yard in va and they sent out a mock up of it and it was built and sent back - it was about 1/4" to hign for the board that fits over the top as the intake was a bit higher than anticipated - so we simply raised the bunk by 1/2" (my idea) --

i need to take and share a couple of pics of the valves and filter they built and will when i take a pic of them







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[Tafika II]

Thanks for the pictures. I'll be working with a tank builder in San Diego area next month. Ill let you know what e come up with!

[chuckr]

here are a couple of pics of the control valves and the primary fuel filter -- located on the starboard wall of the engine compartment

hope this helps





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