Fuel tank/ battery location on 16' Angler

E

ehmatthes

New member
Hi everyone,

I just bought a 16' '85 Angler, and I'm just starting to get it set up. I've always wanted a C-Dory, but never expected to have one as my first boat! I'm really happy to be learning on a small boat. The boat has been used as a commuter most recently. I'm going to be using it mostly for fishing, with my wife and small but growing kid.

My first question is about rethinking the battery/ gas tank locations. The previous owner had it set up with a 12-gallon fuel tank right in front of the two seats; I believe he liked to have some weight forward. The battery is on the starboard side, underneat the engine well. I would like to move the gas tank so it's not directly under our feet, but I also know I shouldn't put the gas tank next to the battery.

Can someone suggest a good placement for the battery and tank? I've been wondering if it would be reasonable to move the tank under the engine well, and move the battery to the storage compartment up front. I'm quite open to suggestions though.

Eric

http://imgur.com/3pAuAGp
 
our 93 16' angler has 2 12gal gas tanks and battery under splash well. they are all strapped down. not sure if came this way from factory ,but seems to work well. enjoy your angler. silvers in 3 weeks can't wait! tight lines. dan
 
Sounds like an Alaska 16' CD fest. Eric, take a look at the 16' photo albums for ideas and see what looks like some things that will work for you. I picked up a 16' Angler last year and have pretty much rigged it out to suit my needs. My "Mighty Bite" album shows how I've laid it out. Nothing wrong with having the battery and the fuel tanks both under the splash well. It's really the most practical way to go. Helps to be inventive about using the very limited space available in other ways as well. Note that I have a cleaning table stored under the splash well also. You may want to get the cooler off the cockpit floor so you have more usable space to move around in, and one easy and efficient way is to make a rack to mount the cooler partially into the splash well. That's also illustrated in the photos.

They are a great little boat and one of their attractions, in addition to their great salty lines, is that they lend themselves so well to individual customization. Congrats on getting your boat and welcome to the best
boating site on the planet. Enjoy!

(I'm way behind on updating photos, but will do so shortly)
 
3rd Byte How well does the mooring cover keep rain water out of the boat? Has anyone turned one of these boats into a self-bailing one? We leave our boat, 1655 DXL Carolina Skiff, on the water almost all of the time and occasionally for extended periods unattended. With this one all I have to do is pull one of the scupper plugs and it will drain, without shore power I do not have to worry about the bilge pump running the battery down.
 
Mark-

Lots of great ideas in your photos!

I can see you've been busy on the 16 the last few years!

Nice work!

(All 16 owners should study your projects for ideas!)

Missed Again-

I'm certainly no CD-16 authority, but one over-rididng problem the 16 clan seems to run into

is weight distribution, with the boats (particularly the Cruiser) being stern heavy,

which leads to difficulties getting up on plane and stern dragging.

I'd bet the former owner moved those tanks forward with just that consideration in mind.

Before I'd move them, I''d have an overall weight distribution plan thought out,

including some moveable items (ballast) if your loading is going to vary a lot.

Perhaps just covering/encasing them would work as an alternative?

Good Luck on whatever you decide!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Here's Mighty Byte's setup
IMG_0124.sized.jpg

And here's ours on Lizzie
IMGP0008.sized.jpg


The big tank makes a good counterbalance for the starboard mounted kicker
 
Missed Again, The mooring cover is a must for me. How much rain does it keep out.....all of it. I wouldn't be without one. I have a piece of pvc with snaps on it to mate up with snaps on the tail of the mooring cover, so all I have to do to -un-deploy the mooring cover is mate the snaps and roll the cover up and store it on top of the back edge of the cabin. A few seconds time to either deploy or roll up the cover out of the way.

Thanks, Joe, for the kind words. Never ceases to amaze me how one never quite gets to the end of the tweaks a person can do to one these tubs. I thought lI was done when I sold 3rd Byte, but found that I needed something to tinker with and keep me on the water a little bit. Not old enough yet to let it go.
 
Joe, makes a good point on the CD 16' regarding weight distribution. After running 22's for so long I was curious as to how the 16's would compare. The tail heavy factor does appear not to be nearly as much a problem with the Angler as the Cruiser. I put a Permatrim on my Yamaha before I put it in the water as I felt, from past experience, that it was a significant difference maker. In running PWS last year I didn't feel like I had a weight distribution problem at all. In fairness I am not running with a kicker, but wouldn't anticipate the added weight of a small kicker to be a problem.
 
3rd Byte":28csqkzj said:
In fairness I am not running with a kicker, but wouldn't anticipate the added weight of a small kicker to be a problem.
Click to expand...

I agree. But, with the kicker, two batteries, and me in the drivers seat, all on the starboard side, it did make a difference, especially when single handing it. Several people have opened the forward compartment, as you have done. Yours is so neat up there, do you have a mattress or sleeping bag for that space? It's nice to see what talented people such as yourself can do to personalize these little vessels to meet their needs. A mooring cover was the first thing I did, then the Permatrim. Other than filling the holes left by the fishing gear of the previous owner(s), I didn't do anything else.
 
With all you have on the starboard side I can see where the weight would influence your 16' considerably. I had a metal shop fab up Tyboo's
slick design for CD outboard bracket, laminated a board of marine ply and it is ready to mount, but haven't so yet. If I decide to go the kicker
route it'll mount on the port side, which will help the balance thing. I'm fairly tall so sleeping in the "berth" area isn't an option. Besides I have
plans to enhance storage in that area.
 
Congratulations on the Angler. My 87 angler 16 has the battery, 2 six gallon tanks and a 3 gallon for the 4 hp kicker all under the splash well. I moved the kicker to the port side and the boat trims out really well and gets on plane quick with my Yamaha f50.
 
Thank you everyone for the responses, and thank you mark in particular for sharing the photos. I looked through your album, and that gives me even more ideas about what I can do with our 16'.

On the tank/ battery issue: every link I read when I googled "gas tank battery placement" the other day basically said something along the lines of "you know you shouldn't put a gas tank next to a battery, so don't do it". But yours are almost touching, and it sounds like most people do that on the 16' CDs. Is this okay because there's so much air moving around back there?

I like your rain cover. I'd been thinking I'm fine with just a bilge pump and a float switch, but your cover might inspire me to do something similar.

There's one other question I have right now, which might be worth posting in a separate thread. I've been telling friends for years that I want a CD. Everyone down here on the open ocean goes off about how bad a flat-bottom boat is here, and how I'll just pound on every swell. Except CD owners, of whom there are plenty here, who just say "Take it a little slower and you'll be fine." Now that I'm starting to drive my boat, my friend who has a v-hull observed that turning in my CD feels like the boat spins a bit rather than turning. He turns his wheel to the left in his v-hull, and his boat turns left and goes left. We turn the wheel to the left in my CD and it feels like the boat spins left but continues drifting forward a bit before completing the turn. Does that make sense? I'm sure it's just part of learning how my boat handles, but I'd be curious to hear other people's take on that.

Thanks again for all the suggestions, it's great to finally be part of this community!

Eric
 
as to the battery with the fuel tanks about all i could add is have snug battery connections. and more important i think a plastic battery box is very good idea to keep any loose gaffs, nets , or anything else metallic from making any unneeded sparks in that area.
 
Hey Eric- Welcome to the C-Brats and to 16 footer ownership! The 16 is the iconic C-Brat boat, just look at the logo above. Ask Tyboo or Bill DaNag for a photo album so we 16 lovers can follow your progress with the cleanup and rigging. Don't hesitate to ask any questions. There are lots of 16 owners out there (Jeez there are at least two up in Fairbanks!). Again, welcome. Be careful and enjoy your classic 16 footer for years to come. :thup
 
I also am of the opinion that barring a full camper canvas a mooring cover is a must for the cd16's. While serving the intended purpose of keeping rain out it also deters otters and other critters from makeing themselves at home. Enjoy. They are amazing boats.
 
I have 2 batteries and 2 six gallon tanks in the back. This weekend I took one my full six gallon tanks and put it up front. The weight "up front" definitely helped balance out the load.
 
Where did you put it up front? Mine seemed really in the way when it was right in front of the seats, but I wouldn't want to put a tank in the forward storage area.
 
With the Cruiser version of the 16' it may well be advantageous to be creative in moving weight toward the front of the
boat to create a better weight "balance", however with the Angler configuration it would be an exercise that need not
be considered under normal circumstances.
 
Back
Top