Spoke too soon

It turns out that the potential "deal breaker" issue with tank #B486 was just that, a total deal breaking bummer. And it wasn't because the tank wouldn't fit under the v-berth - I didn't even get that far! The tank's depth of 17 5/8" is about 3/4" - 1" too big to even make it into the forward cabin. It was quickly apparent that there was no way the tank would fit through the doorway, no matter how much coaxing or manuevering I tried.


So, the tank that is virtually identical to Ariel's original tank just won't cut it. Too bad. Tomorrow I'll rustle up some more material to make a mock up of tank #B115, the tank Randy Palmer used on his 36.
I received a reply from Randy today. Here's what he said about the tank.
It's a Ronco Plastics B115 H.D. 25 Gal. You can mention my name if you like. It sets about 4-5" forward of the "bulkhead" that supports the v-berth. It fit right in. I used an elbow for the input line (I had them put it on the center line) and the vent and suction lines are centered forward like the CD30's are. Because the boat tends to be a bit heavy on the stern I asked if the would run an internal suction line toward the aft end of the tank. They bent a PVC pipe to do the job (no charge) and it looks like it should work. Normally a suction line comes in from the top but there is only about an inch and a half clearance under the [V-berth] plywood to the top of the tank. If you have any questions you might look up the dimensions on their site and make some cut outs in cardboard. That's what I did and was confident that it would fit. It fit even better than I expected.
We used the tank for 10 days last summer when we went to Isle Royale and it worked great. Pump out seemed fine, too. It is like it was made for the boat (1978-82 models, I assume). The Ronco is heavier than the Kracors and cheaper. I give them two thumbs up.