Sealine S43 three fuel tank feeds and returns

[ultrarep]

Hi can any S43 owners advise the best fuel tap set up to allow all 3 tanks to feed and return sensibly.

Obviously to me if all are open and the returns and crossovers are all open the fuel should flow and return ok but in reality ismthis the case or does some of the return or supply tend to got to and from a specific tank?

Any advice would be welcom as I have just agreed the purchace of one and want to best understand the fuel system as we travel good distances at sea and would rather not be swapping tanks about as we go.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

What's the architecture - port and stbd tanks feeding a day tank, pickups from day tank, returns to port and stbd?

 

[Freeloader]

Here you go...

It looks like the normal setup is to run on either two fuel tanks (port tank / port engine and starboard tank / starboard engine) or just the mid tank for both engines. By opening the crossovers, you may be able to utilise all three tanks but I would suspect that the results would be uneven.

 

[Elessar]

there are only 2 tanks on mine.
see my crib sheet, which i can't make full size as photobucket no longer seems to work.

Freeloader has more taps - generator?

EDIT sorry just saw you wrote S43 and I didn't read it properly. Mine's a 390 (F43). Ignore me therefore!

 

[hector]

Congratulations on your choice of boat, we have had ours over 14 years and are as pleased with it today as the day we bought it.
In reply to your question we always run the boat on either the twin tanks or the single tank depending on the length of the trip, if for instance we are headed for Gurnsey we will sometimes slow down and nip into the engine room and switch the taps over whilst leaving the engines running,
Where are you planning to keep her?

 

[hector]

Deffo three on the 43 as its shaft driven and not the outdrive version.

 

[[2068]]

Congratulations on your choice of boat, we have had ours over 14 years and are as pleased with it today as the day we bought it.
In reply to your question we always run the boat on either the twin tanks or the single tank depending on the length of the trip, if for instance we are headed for Gurnsey we will sometimes slow down and nip into the engine room and switch the taps over whilst leaving the engines running,
Where are you planning to keep her?

Do you have the return taps matching the feed?
Otherwise you could end up filling up another tank

 

[ultrarep]

Thanks all for the kind replys and info. Think its clear now that will need to switch ove from both engine on the single tank to each on there own tanks at some point, but atleast I understand that now, so thankyou all.

Hector: We will keep her in Lowestoft. Also can I ask you a further question? Do you know what exact model v drives were fitted? As would like to try and geta manual for them as this will be my first shaft drive boat knowing about them and what maintenance etc is going to be just a little bit important.

Thanks all

 

[Andrew M]

DO be very aware of what you open and close with the 3 tanks with regard to balancing them and in particular the return flow, it has been done before to close the balance valves and have returns going to only one tank thus overfilling that tank and you then end up with the excess fuel pouring out of that tank overflow as you're driving merrily along blissfully unaware of the expensive fuel slick behind you.

 

[Switch]

Congratulations on your choice of boat, we have had ours over 14 years and are as pleased with it today as the day we bought it.
In reply to your question we always run the boat on either the twin tanks or the single tank depending on the length of the trip, if for instance we are headed for Gurnsey we will sometimes slow down and nip into the engine room and switch the taps over whilst leaving the engines running,
Where are you planning to keep her?

I have an S 42 so just two tanks - may I ask why you would swap the tanks over depending on the length of trip? I leave mine in the normal set up and have never felt the need to change it.

 

[Switch]

Congratulations on your choice of boat, we have had ours over 14 years and are as pleased with it today as the day we bought it.
In reply to your question we always run the boat on either the twin tanks or the single tank depending on the length of the trip, if for instance we are headed for Gurnsey we will sometimes slow down and nip into the engine room and switch the taps over whilst leaving the engines running,
Where are you planning to keep her?

BTW - I concur with your comment regarding the choice of boat - I've had mine 8 years and have been really happy with it (S42)

 

[Andrew M]

BTW - I concur with your comment regarding the choice of boat - I've had mine 8 years and have been really happy with it (S42)

Ditto, a brilliant model, we loved our S42 (TAMD75s), I think it was one of Sealine's best.

 

[ultrarep]

Well she is on 75p motors so really looking forward to taking her over. First shaft biat so lost to learn after 15 years of outdrives! Whats a realistic top speed and sensible cruise refs / speed for this boat and motor combo?

Any realworld fuel burn ideas?

 

[CharlieAlpha]

Lack of pictures Mr.B. That new extra 10ft or so will take a whole load more stores

 

[ultrarep]

Well Chris you would have been correct mad not the currnt Mrs B already got them allocated so as far as I will see there is no extra!

 

[hector]

Thanks all for the kind replys and info. Think its clear now that will need to switch ove from both engine on the single tank to each on there own tanks at some point, but atleast I understand that now, so thankyou all.

Hector: We will keep her in Lowestoft. Also can I ask you a further question? Do you know what exact model v drives were fitted? As would like to try and geta manual for them as this will be my first shaft drive boat knowing about them and what maintenance etc is going to be just a little bit important.

Thanks all[/QUOTE
Ours has a regular yearly service and as far as I'm aware nothing has ever been done to the v drives, just occasional tightening of the stern glands.

 

[hector]

Well she is on 75p motors so really looking forward to taking her over. First shaft biat so lost to learn after 15 years of outdrives! Whats a realistic top speed and sensible cruise refs / speed for this boat and motor combo?

Any realworld fuel burn ideas?

We have 74ps in ours which I believe are the same 480hp as your 75s. Back a few years Volvo used our boat for some test figures which I have a copy of somewhere, I'll dig them out and pm them over, but it topped out at 33knots, with the most economical speed being 2100rpm giving about 26.8 knots and a consumption 1.02 G/Nm. Btw that was with 100% fuel and water.
Of course the above is not strictly true because if you drop to 6 knots you will get almost 3miles to the gallon and a range of 500miles with plenty to spare!

 

[hector]

I have an S 42 so just two tanks - may I ask why you would swap the tanks over depending on the length of trip? I leave mine in the normal set up and have never felt the need to change it.

If you boat is on legs they tend to be a bit more economical than the shaft drives hence the extra tank, however having said that we have no need for leg servicing so I suspect the overall running costs should be fairly similar.

 

[Andrew M]

Yep, we topped out at 33 kts as well with fuel, some water and 5 people.

 

[mosabe6678]

hello,
i just purchased a 2003 Sealine S43 and im having fuel valves issues i ran out of fuel 4 time on the water. i cant figure it out..
for some reason im pulling fuel out of generator tank witch is under the back bedroom couch for both engines and the rest of the tanks are full. please guys if anyone have a picture of the valve setup to pull fuel and return to the port and the starboard send it to me.

thank you
Mike