Tank condition in my 1986 Osprey 200

[Aquasport Commodore]

I still have my original tank as I haven't taken it to the scrapper yet, so if you want a measurement I can get that for you. I did some searching for a replacement tank for my 200 and I put these on another thread but I will put here for you as well. I had someone give me a 70 gal alum for free so I decided I'm going to use that. Fits right in and I plan on raising the deck so no filler neck issues. Just let me know if you want those measurements.

Here are a couple of tank options I found for my 200 which is almost the same as yours
50 gal http://www.boatstore.com/ft5037-50-gall ... x-95h.html
73 gal http://www.iboats.com/73-Gallon-Fuel-Ta ... _id.686983

[Capt. Bob]

stretch....could you please measure and post the exact fuel tank length, width and height?  measurements seem to vary a bit from project to project as owners replace the tanks and i am curious what the original dimensions are on your osprey....i am replacing the tank on my 196 but the boat had no tank in it to get the original measurements....thnx and good luck with your boat!

The Resource forum is (at times) your friend.

First off, you might want to look here.
viewtopic.php?p=112272#p112272
There are a few 19-6s circa your era with tank dims.

So too the Vendor forum can be friendly (note discount).

Also, you haven't posted your locale but I'll guess and say that this Vendor can get you an exact fit since he's done a number of these for Aqua owners and is in your area.
viewtopic.php?p=79539#p79539

Lastly, if a member replaces a fuel tank, posting the dimensions to the first link can help the next guy so please everyone, post those tank measurements.

Thanks and good luck.

[aquaprouts]

true, it may not be the same size as on my 196 and more a curiosity factor as to the changes made in the tanks...interesting that the fill, vent and withdrawls (perhaps sender too)are all positioned in near center of tank as i know mine were...access to these through a single 4 or 6 inch deck plate.....not sure how many more original tanks r out there but this is a good one to document from this era as it appears original.....i have already measured and have plans for a new tank.....perhaps my only modification is the height....i am planning on an 8 inch tall tank that leaves me 2.5 inches to spare to account for the fuel fill piping atop the tank....my total minimal clearance to the bottom of coffin cover is 10.5 inches at the stearn of the coffin but oddly increases steadily to 11.5 inches at the bow end of the coffin....i am wondering if aquasport designed an angled compensation on the floor of the coffin to keep the fuel level while the boat was under power and running bow up????? .....has anyone else noticed this or has it been discussed???....it could possibly account for the withdrawl being placed at center of tank versus towards the stearn of tank?????....planning on my withdrawl at the stearn on my new tank unless anyone knows better......food for thought

[seabob4]

In the course of my work (when I do a re-wire, ALL the wiring gets replaced, including the sender wiring), I see a lot of older boats with the fill, vent, pick-up, and sender located either center or towards the front of the tank.  Only on newer model boats (regardless of manufacturer) do I see the sender and pick-up located aft.  While this can give somewhat of a "false" reading on the fuel gauge, having the pick-up aft allows it to be in the area where the most fuel is either at rest or underway...

[Capt. Bob]

On my 91 WAC, the original fuel pick up was located on the rear of the tank. Fill and vent were amidships.



Pick up is just out of view to the right, behind sender for fuel gauge.

[aquaprouts]

where is the best location to place the sender?? mid tank or stearn of tank? ......assuming if you place it mid tank it will read slightly lower than actual fuel available(safer in low fuel situations) and if in stearn it could read falsely higher as fuel is pinched/angled back in low fuel situations.....is there a common practice for sender location?...i will place the pickup at the stearn of tank.....thnx

[Capt. Bob]

My sender is in the stern. I place little trust in it other than a visual indicator of the ball park amount of fuel in the tank.

That stated, I use a Flow Scan fuel metering device. Have for a long time. Personally, while I agree they are expensive, I feel it's one of the best bang for your buck upgrades a pleasure boater can do. Once you use it and get a warm and fuzzy feeling, you never have to guess about fuel quantity or get that troublesome feeling in your stomach wondering if you'll make it in after a long outing. Again, this is strictly my opinion.
Lastly, the most accurate fuel gauge I ever had (prior to the scan) was a dowel rod but then I'm dating myself.

[FJStretch]

Sorry for the late reply. I was out of town for a couple days.

Although it might or might not be useful, I will measure the tank and post the measurements here. That will happen probably this weekend.... as I covered it up, put everything away, and have some commitments through the end of the week.

One thing to add.... The guy I bought the boat from said he put a new tank in it about a year before he sold it to me... But something tells me it is the original tank.

[seabob4]

Not saying what's "right" or "wrong", just as a bit of info, all the tanks in all the boats I worked on/built/saw/whatever since 1994, the pickups and sender were located aft exactly as shown on CB's 210.

One thing an owner can do to give his fuel gauge a little more accuracy is change out the "swing arm" float type sender to a WEMA sender, where the float rides vertically on a shaft.  This pretty much eliminates the gauge needle fluctuations as sloshing fuel moves the swing arm up and down.  The resistance measureing unit is also solid-state and potted, so you get truer resistance readings (and more accurate needle positions on your gauge) over the life of the sender.

[Capt. Bob]

Although it might or might not be useful, I will measure the tank and post the measurements here.

And for that we thank you.

As stated above, the WEMA sender is the standard. They are really inexpensive when compared to the swing arm and would appear more durable. My new tank has one and I created a little chart on the slider(float) position and its relation to the gauge. It's a better back up should the flow meter fail and is (as SB stated) a sealed unit resulting in a longer life. Mine's a little over 3 years old and the gauge (LED) is still working fine.

Good luck

[seabob4]

Lastly, the most accurate fuel gauge I ever had (prior to the scan) was a dowel rod but then I'm dating myself.

Ain't nothing wrong with "stabbing the tank", CB...

[SaltH2OHokie]

Lastly, the most accurate fuel gauge I ever had (prior to the scan) was a dowel rod but then I'm dating myself.

Ain't nothing wrong with "stabbing the tank", CB...

We check the fuel on some of our heavy equipment that way, and many of those pieces of machinery cost as much as a house...