There was no way I was going to purchase a fuel tank that would limit my run time. I felt the boat needed more capacity. I studied the miriad of tanks available. I even researched having one custom made. Ultimately I realized these new plastic tanks are not too bad and they're equipped with a reliable electronic sensor for fuel level.
Given my normal level of worry, I didn't want the sensor powered forever, so I put a switch on it. So big deal, when I want to know the fuel level, I pull a switch. This ultimately was a good move and I suggest everyone going with this type of sensore do the same.
The Rascal is a light boat. I found that I didn't want to fill the tank beyond 5/8ths full. She would just sit too low in the water. Yes, she'd get up and go but the back end was just too far in the water to look right at idle. It was rare that I'd fill up but still, this larger than specified tank is the way I would go again.
Grounding the tank was another must. Follow the manufacturers recommendations and don't forget the fill port. I went with a flush mount Perko brand fuel port. The low profile looked sharp on the back deck. I used a commerically available sintered ground plate and mounted it through the transom, below the water line. Seemed to work well. I opted to not paint it.
If you're willing to depart from Ken Bassetts plans, you may consider mounting the tank in the bow. I know I'm not the only Rascal builder that had to deal with a bit of "porpusing". The weight in the front could help with this. I'll cover how I dealt the this issue in a later blog.
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