Internal or separate fuel tank

[Tommy c]

I can see pro's and con's for both
Spillage or contamination in transfer but tidier storage for internal tank. Constantly topping up old fuel and a bigger tank cluttering the deck on external tank.
For those that have used both types, which do you prefer and why.
Should say this is just for small outboards 5 or 6hp

[ollyit]

peace of mind with regard to range, strapped down tank upfront keeping bow down - only minor worry then it not kinking the fuel line, I ran a yamaha 8hp and mercury 30hp on my 3.4 Avon Seasport

[909]

I always run the outboard dry at the end of the trip by unplugging the fuel line and revving it until it dies. Then I'll pull the choke, start it again and rev it until it dies again. Ideally you don't want excess fuel stored in your outboard, if you can prevent it.

I also keep a spray bottle with soapy water and spend a few minutes to quickly wipe down everything. The water systems aren't always the cleanest. The outboard always has a bit of exhaust residue. There's sometimes a bit of fuel leak if you tilt your outboard often in shallow water.

The point is with the outboard cleaned, and dry ... it's less likely to stink up your car . More importantly , you've done your best to avoid gas fumes. They'll give you a headache, or worse make you so tired you'll want to pass out while driving for hours at night , after a long day on the water.

[Steve509926]

Apart from "this post sounds very much as though its from the SR school of questions", surely it depends upon numerous factors :-

Engine type
Does it have an internal tank
Does it have an external connection
Length of trip

Personally I'd always go for the tank that would enable me to complete my day on the water so that I would not need to refuel /top up whilst out on the water.

[Tommy c]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Apart from "this post sounds very much as though its from the SR school of questions", surely it depends upon numerous factors :-

Engine type
Does it have an internal tank
Does it have an external connection
Length of trip

Personally I'd always go for the tank that would enable me to complete my day on the water so that I would not need to refuel /top up whilst out on the water.

SR???
I wouldn't ask the question if my outboard didn't have the option of both internal or external tanks.
It was a question about what other peoples preference was and why

[Steve509926]

Sorry Tommy I was being flippant.

However I truly don't understand the reason for the question. If your ob has in internal tank & an external connection. Why wouldn't you run it on the internal tank until it ran dry then switch to the external tank? Why would you carry a container with fuel to top up the internal tank?

[Tommy c]

My outboard has an internal tank and an external tank option.
ATM, I just use the internal tank but obviously it has to be re filled at some point.
I've been thinking about getting an external but trying to weigh up pro's and con's and thought I'd tap into this forum's knowledge
Have folks ever contaminated their fuel refilling an internal? Have folks run into problems topping old fuel up with fresh in an external tank?
Or any other situations?
BTW, what does'SR' mean ��

[Steve509926]

SR = smallribber

I would use an external tank purely for ease. Filling an internal tank from a container would be a PITA from my opinion, especially if you have an external connection.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Tommy c

I can see pro's and con's for both

Spillage or contamination in transfer but tidier storage for internal tank. Constantly topping up old fuel and a bigger tank cluttering the deck on external tank.

For those that have used both types, which do you prefer and why.

Should say this is just for small outboards 5 or 6hp

We used a 5hp yam with the integral or external tank option on our tender we had a 12l external tank we used to fill with fuel to store onboard the cruiser if we were just doing a run ashore we used the internal tank if going further afield we would use the 12l tank. Whichever was convenient for the trip. Wether you contaminate fuel refilling depends how careful you are I've never had a problem with water ingress but I try to be careful when filling and keep lids tight etc & use a flexi spout thats stored dry rather than floating about in the bilge or even somewhere water or rain can enter the tube

Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

[hinckley_steve]

These days spare fuel cans don’t always have to involve attaching a stinky pipe and hoping not to spill it as petrol glugs out - I now have a larger OB with only an external tank, but the same concerns re spilling - I use a Demon Tweaks can with a trigger dispensing mechanism than negates the need to even tilt it. Works pretty well so far, easy not to spill a drop, and imho a cleaner and tidier solution than adding an external tank with fuel line.

Cheers!

[paintman]

One of these?
http://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/vp-ra...l-can-1469547/
http://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/pitki...kprapidfill6l/

[Fenlander]

Good that the clever can is if I was travelling far enough knowing I'd top up once or twice... and the OB had an external tank connection... then I'd get a 12l one.

I wonder what The Gurnard does with his 6hp?

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Good that the clever can is if I was travelling far enough knowing I'd top up once or twice... and the OB had an external tank connection... then I'd get a 12l one.

I wonder what The Gurnard does with his 6hp?

Runs an external tank David as well as the internal I believe

[The Gurnard]

Wonder no more Fenlander ..as I use both the internal tank and an 8 litre external tank on my small boat powered by 6HP Fourstroke Yamaha.

For most of the journey I use the external tank which is full of E10 petrol. It runs great on E10 with no issues whatsoever. However as Im aware E10 can break down if left in carbs too long ... the internal tank is kept full of Premium fuel. 5 minutes before landing I switch to run on internal rank and premium fuel flushes out the E10 fuel.

Why do I do this ? Because E10 is cheaper and also Premium fuel is harder to source up my way.

For years I used to only have 2.5HP outboards on a Seago slatfloor so had no option but to fill the internal tanks while at sea. I therefore know how hard it is holding a filler tank with one hand and its nozzle in the OB tank with the other hand. I had to get right in close to the transom .. and lean over to reach the OB ... with no hands holding the boat ..and the boat bouncing about in a chop.

As such I was delighted when I got my first 4HP Tohatsu with external tank.. I knew one day I could easily fall in when in a chop was bouncing the boat..but I never once contaminated the fuel. However I did loose a bit of fuel as I couldnt see how full it was getting until it runs out everywhere. It only polutes the sea and not the boat so back then I didnt care.

That is my experience anyhoo.. others may be different.

Happy New Year everyone.

[Tommy c]

Sounds like external is preferred all round.
My main concern was that the external just keeps getting topped up at the fuel station so evertime remaining fuel is just getting older but sounds like no one has had a problem with it

[hinckley_steve]

Originally Posted by paintman

One of these?
http://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/vp-ra...l-can-1469547/
http://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/pitki...kprapidfill6l/

Yep - I have the 8.5l red one

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Tommy c

Sounds like external is preferred all round.
My main concern was that the external just keeps getting topped up at the fuel station so evertime remaining fuel is just getting older but sounds like no one has had a problem with it

Yep but diluted no issues