1990 230 Gulfstream Info for new owner

[cgmiller]

Hello Folks,
I just officially joined the family this weekend with the purchase of a 1990 230 Gulfstream with a pair of 2004 F150 Yamaha's. I had a nice uneventful 30 mile cruise down the Jersey coast from the sellers house to my dock. Despite having owned the boat for 19 years, he knew very little about the boat. I have many questions that I am trying to decipher with the owners manual and opening up all the hatches, etc. I found the bilge pumps and the sea cock for the washdown pump...I am not sure what fuel tanks are in the boat..I think it has the 90 and 93 gallon tanks. When I look in the inspection hatches, I see the auxiliary tank, which seems to be a tall one. Under the middle 2 is the main tank...under the rear inspection tank on the forward side of the wave gate where the fuel filters are (why the heck are they in here????) there appears to be an aluminum tank low in the bilge back here..can anyone tell me if that is part of the main tank or a water tank???? I dont plan on removing the deck sections until the boat is out for the winter....insight will be appreciated...

Chris Miller
1990 230 Gulfstream
1988 211 Mako
1974 17 Mako

 

[gwwannabe]

Hi, Chris. Welcome aboard. I've got a '93 Gulfstream with motors on a bracket. My aux tank is between the captain's chairs and the main tank is further aft. I have an inspection plate back near the transom but it's open under it. I suggest you go to gradywhite.com, click on "customer resources" and then "owners manuals". You should find the answers you seek there. If not, send an email to Grady - they are extremely helpful.

Gary 93 Gulfstream

 

[cgmiller]

Gary..thanks!

A buddy of mine has a 1989 and he told me that under the small square access hatch at the rear of the cockpit are his oil tanks and fuel filters, so there must be an aluminum shelf that they sat on. My boat has 4-strokes so the oil tank were removed. Seems like a really poor design to have the fuel filters under the deck with access only through 1 8" pie plate...I forsee myself cutting in a 12 or 15" rectangular access hatch so that I could actully change a fuel filter w/o spilling it all into the bilge, which would be damn near impossible if that boat was not tied to the dock...

 

[gwwannabe]

My boat has 4-strokes now but still has two oil fill caps on the top of the transom. I knew the oil tanks had been removed but I never gave a thought to where they once were located. I have a fiberglass shelf below that aft-most inspection plate - that must be where the oil tanks were. My fuel filters are mounted on the transom to the side of my batteries and slightly higher. They aren't very difficult to get to. I've got a full transom - you probably don't have much space back there on yours. Where else could the filters be mounted?

Gary 93 Gulfstream

 

[cgmiller]

On my Mako's, they are mounted to either the transom or the inside of the gunnel near the transom...any spilt fuel gets washed overboard and not down into the bilge....I will look at that in the spring..too much other stuff to do this fall including installing all of my electronics, killing off the years of mildew and other funky stuff living below decks...then fishing the heck out of the old girl...

 

[bls-fla]

This post is 4 months old so you probably have answered all your questions. If not I can help, I own the same boat although I have 150 Yamaha HPDI motors. Mine is fitted with two fuel tanks; the aft tank is 93 gallons and the forward tank(between seats) is 55 gallons. I think that is pretty standard. I have seen one with a 93 gallon tank and a 90 gallon tank. I've also seen one with a third tank mounted under the square access panel at the rear of the deck. The oil tanks, batteries, and fuel filters are mounted in a transom compartment with plenty of access through 3 hatches. ANything I can help with let me know. Love my Gulfstream.

 

[Workdog]

This is the first time I've seen this post also. On my Gulfstream, my RACORs are mounted on the portside wall of the transom well. I have fuel shutoffs in the port lower battery compartment, the fuel feed lines then run out to the RACORs, then loop back into the compartment to fuel flow sensors, then out to the motors. I couldn't imagine the hastle trying to change fuel/water separators in that under deck hold. You also wouldn't be able to get a very good look at the bowls to see if you have water in them either. The compartment under the aft cockpit deck plate only houses my oil tanks.

 

[cgmiller]

Thanks for the info guys. It would be hard enough to change filters at the dock w/o spilling a bunch of gas into the bilge....how the heck could you do it if you were rocking and rolling. I am going to be replacing the fuel system this spring and I will seriously think about relocating them to where you can access them or at least installing a 15-18 inch wide access hatch that is useable so that I could get to the filters and the livewell/washdown pump....