****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This Moeller 22 gallon tank is replacing a Pate fiberglass tank that was 13 years old. The Pate tank was destroyed by the gas/alcohol...thank you very much to our Congress for making us buy this terrible mixture that destroys engines and fuel systems! I read about this tank on the Whaler forum and wanted to keep one larger tank rather than go to two smaller portable tanks. The picture on Amazon is red, and I wanted a white one. The one on Moeller's site is white. The part numbers on Amazon and Moeller matched, so I ordered the tank. A white tank arrived in about 5 days.It is a white poly tank with a fuel cap that has an indicator dial on it. It is a 22 gallon tank and I put 10 gallons in it and the indicator showed 1/4 full...not very accurate The tank is opaque so you cannot visually see the level of gas, so I would not depend on the dial. The filler cap is exposed, so it is easy to fill. The Pate filler was under the seat and it was always a problem. It is equipped with a rotating fuel intake nipple and my existing connector matched. This rotating nipple will allow you use your current fuel line. My line runs in front of the tank, but I have seen lines that run behind the tank. Just rotate the nipple and it will work for you. I have not filled the tank so I cannot address if the fuel cap leaks.Had to remove the seat to get the old tank out and the tank was sitting on the deck with no pad under it. It has been held in place with two poly strips from the Pate installation kit, one in front of the tank and one behind the tank, and 2 bungee cords pulled across the top. The poly strips were screwed into the deck. The new tank fits nicely between the poly strips to stop forward and backward movement. Although I never had any problems with the tank lifting out of place with the bungee cords, I decided to order the Moeller fuel tank hold down kit. They are too tall for this tank, but I still used them.The edges are sharp so I took the rounded edges off. The indentations on the tank where the hold downs go happened to line up with one of the screws that holds the poly strips in place...lucky me! The screws go through the poly strip, though the hold downs and into the deck. The hold downs sit on the deck with the poly strips on top of them. Very clean looking installation. Being too tall for this tank, I cut a 3/8" fuel line and put a strip of the line between the hold down and the tank...a nice snug fit. The hold downs and the tank do not touch each other and the fuel line is compressed between the two. This tank is not going anywhere. If you decide to put a deck pad between the tank and the deck, these hold downs will probably work for you without the fuel lines as a buffer.The tank has small foot pads on it, so water can flow under the tank, and a stiff shot of water can clean under the tank. My old tank was mounted right on the deck with no pad under it...it came that way... and the tank and deck showed no wear after 13 years.There is a fitting on top that can be removed to mount a Moeller electronic fuel level system with an indicator gage on the helm. Think I will just look in the tank. R&R took about two hours for me because I played around trying to find a way to use the hold downs. Knowing what I know now, it might take about one hour to do it.The tank looks to be well constructed. I changed the in line fuel filter on the engine after the first use of the tank in case there was any debris in the tank. Never had a water separator filter on this boat, but I ordered a Sierra International stainless steel attachment and one of there filters. Still waiting on that.My Pate tank was melted by the gas and alcohol after 13 years...terrible to refill...but it looked nice. The Moeller is brand new. It looks really nice...easy to fill. I have had poly tanks for lots of years for my lawn mower and they do not show any sign of melting or getting stiff. I guess in 13 years I can give you a long term evaluation for this tank, but at this time I would buy this tank again.My Montauk looks new and the kids are waiting for me to die so they can fight over the boat, but I've got another 30 years left in me. They'll just have to wait their turn.Like tank very nice. Replaces two 12 gallon tanks. Wish factory hold downs were available for it. So would not need straps.Got this for my 17' Whaler. The old tank had given up the ghost due to the corrosive effects of the fuel. (And messed up my motor too...) So I decided to replace it.This is a great tank. Very sturdy. Easier for the guys at the pump to fill for me, and unlike the red ones, it looks like it goes with the boat. Plus, so far the fuel gauge seems to be accurate. Which is good as the 1 thing I miss from my old tank is the see-through vertical piece showing fuel levels.Now, my boat is older, and clearly used to have 2 tanks under the seat, side-by-side; the mountings are still there. The run-through for the fuel line sits between them.When my guys put this tank in, they simply placed it on top of those mounts and strapped it down. Ooops.After driving in some rather (cough) heavy weather, my boat suddenly stopped cold. (Very bad....).What had happened is that the tank had slid aft a bit, pinching the line.Inconvenient to say the least; it happened about 3 times.I had gotten the metal mounting pieces, and the guys are putting them in as I write this, and I expect that to solve the problem.I'd buy this again.Bought this for my classic 1974 Montauk. The tank fits comfortably under the original pilot seat. It looks good. It covers about half of the opening for the fuel line, but there's still plenty of room for the line, no need to drill a new hole. The cap is easily accessible for filling. This tank is practically perfect.To complete the install you need a sheet of neoprene rubber foam to go under it, and the moeller hold down brackets. And a funnel if there's still gas in your old tanks.I have a 17' skiff (like a Boston Whaler) with a flip-flop helm seat. Tired of dealing with the portable 6 gallon Tempo tanks, and wanting more capacity, I read the reviews of this tank online and went for it.Fits perfect under my seat. The vented cap has a gauge in it. I haven't had any fuel sloshing out of the vent, but have only used it on smooth water so far.The tank is white, not red as-pictured. I wanted the white anyways. But it did generate a small stain around the boss for the fuel line fitting. Not sure where this came from, only happened on the first use and hasn't grown. Its like there was some sort of sealant that ran out, which stained when hit with fuel. Will update and possibly add pics if it gets worse.Slid right under the seat of my Montauk 170 after removing the original red tanks and the the strap mounts. Personally I like the white tank better thank the red ones - just looks more finished in my opinion. While the space was empty I installed an in line water separator. The original fuel line connector did not work so i replaced it with a standard one from marine store. You will have to buy a male and female hose fitting since the Moeller tanks have a female thread for a 3/8" pipe thread fittings. I also recommend purchasing the mounting hardware to hold in place. For an hour of work and a few hundred dollars, I doubled my fuel capacity. Good to go.Upgraded the Boston Whaler 170 Montauk's two 6 gallon tanks to this one 22 gallon tank. So so much better. I can fill up once a week instead of 2 or 3 times. And I don't need to switch between the tiny little 6 gallon tanks. And having a fixed tank is nice to not have to worry about. Looks a lot better too. Just a nice looking, durable white fuel tank. The one downside is the gauge isn't super accurate. Empty is about 1/8th of a tank remaining. Not a huge deal but not perfect. Still an awesome upgrade.
