Tank holders for the boat- the suction cup variety

[Glock Diver]

I'm looking at these tank holders that attach to the gunwales of a boat via 2 large suction cups. I'd like to buy one, but I'm not sure if they're worth the $100 price tag.

Anyone use this method for holding your tanks on your boat? Most importantly: Do the tanks "stay put" when you encounter some rough/choppy seas?

Thanks!

Kinda like this one:

 

[TSandM]

I have them, and they work as advertised -- we use our to hold doubles. BUT the surface you put them on has to be immaculately clean, and the cups have to be immaculately clean, and the suction will fail with time (hours) so I have to recheck and repump them before we tie up the gear and head home.

I think they were worth it. They give us a lot of flexibility to vary our loading to put weight where it needs to be to make the boat easy to get up on plane.

 

[kanonfodr]

Bungee cord, my man. Cheaper and you can run it along the gunwales and secure it about every 8 inches, making loading decisions very easy. It also doesn't require the extreme paranoia that suction does.

I know it's not quite the answer the OP wanted, but I have real fear of trusting 100+ lbs of equipment to a vacuum seal of such small area in choppy seas. Screws and anchors make me feel a lot more comfortable, especially when you start comparing it to the cost of getting two or three of those things.

Peace,
Greg

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

I'm with Greg. I used bungee cords on my last boat. I drilled through the aluminum plate at the top of my gunwales to mount the bungee hooks. It was all done for less then 10 bucks. Strong bungees held my doubles fine.

I think the piece of gear you show looks cool, but I would hate to have to consider pulling or adjusting suction, especially when it's getting rough out there. I have enough on my mind when I'm rocking n' rolling. The chance of loaded tanks coming loose is not something I want on my mind.

Also, I kept my boat immaculate too. But salt spray and other things can contaminate the surface (some to gross to talk about from my guests!). If you mount your tanks near the center of gravity in the boat, and you are set up for running offshore, your motor(s) should have enough umph to get the boat back up on plane as you run to and from the wreck site.

It sounds like both posts have good points. As always, my thought are only my opinion.........and you know what they say about opinions. Safe Boating & Diving.

 

[Glock Diver]

Good points, fellas.

I do have 3 tank mounts (bungee-type) on the transom. It's a 22' center console, so I'm somewhat limited on space. In fact, here she is:

I'm just hesitant to drill anymore holes, but would like the ability to store more than 3 tanks. Has anyone come across an alternative way to store tanks on their own boat?

 

[dannobee]

We store our stuff in the floor locker near the bow.

And get the black rubber bungees (EPDM) instead of those cheesy colored stretchy ones you get at Wal-Mart. Those didn't even last 3 months before breaking.

What's just in front of the center console? Can you mount some eyes/mini cleats there to strap tanks/rigs?

 

[Glock Diver]

We store our stuff in the floor locker near the bow.

And get the black rubber bungees (EPDM) instead of those cheesy colored stretchy ones you get at Wal-Mart. Those didn't even last 3 months before breaking.

What's just in front of the center console? Can you mount some eyes/mini cleats there to strap tanks/rigs?

In front of the center console is a 2-person seat, which flips up for access to the under-console area.

In front of that seat is a casting platform at the bow, with 3 storage lockers/coolers underneath the platform. I'll try to find a picture to post. My idea was to mount some tank holders on the gunwales just aft of the casting platform, so the tank boot rests on the lower deck. I suppose I could mount some mini cleats along the top of the gunwale, but wouldn't the tanks bang into the gelcoat without any type of "tank shaped" buffer?

 

[Bucktail]

I have the 2-tank version and the 4-tank version. The 4-tank doesn't work very well at all, and the 2-tank works as long as I tie a rope around the tank valves to keep the tanks from moving around. I put the 4-tank version along the transom, and it has never remained in place in choppy seas.

 

[Glock Diver]

Well here's what I have in front of the console (looking towards the port side of the boat). There's a cushioned seat, a little space, and then a casting platform at the bow.

Thinking of mounting some type of tank rack right along that gunwale. Do you think suction cups would hold? It's slightly forward of the boat's center.

 

[Bucktail]

I don't think the suction cups will hold that far forward in anything but smooth seas if you don't tie the tanks valves to something to keep the suction cups from coming off.

The best solution I have come up with in choppy seas is strapping 3 tanks together with a ratchet strap in a triangle "pod" and laying the tanks down on their side. You can move the tanks around the boat to the best position. They are relatively secure that way.

Also, I have installed some pad eyes on the transom and line the tanks up along the transom and secure them with a ratchet strap attached to the pad eyes. I have a bolster cushion along the transom that helps keep them from moving around when the strap is tightened.