I Mounted A Permanent Tank
I mounted a permanent tank behind the rear bulkhead (behind the lazerette.) I took out most of the flotation and glassed a platform just behind the bulkhead. I purchased a 15 gallon tank from West Marine (one intended to be permanently mounted inside the boat) and strapped into place. I plumbed it including a shut off valve and ran the fuel line out to the transome near the motor and drilled a hole and but a proper brass connector in the transome. The fuel fill hose and vent were run to a combination filler/vent purchased from West Marine as well. It was mounted just to starboard of the tiller on the top of the combing. It was out of way of the boarding ladder and yet easily accessable from either side of the boat. Once that was done I was able to replace ALL of the factory foam flotation with careful packing. I also installed a fuel gauge since I could not use the old "pick up the tank to see how much is inside" method. It took about 8 hours but over several days so the fiberglass could dry. Total cost was around $150 or $175, and no tank in the cockpit. One additional comment. The hose from the transome to the motor tended to kink over time so I eventually ran the fuel hose through a heavier, larger hose and that stopped the kink. Good Luck!
