When Hunter designed the holding tank system on the H260 someone was asleep at the drawing board. The deck where the tank is suppose to sit is too low and toward the center of the hull. The cockpit molding forces the tank outward and upward. This tank on a 2003 Hunter 260 is even worse than my 2001 Hunter was, because thay have rotated the tank 90 degrees counter clockwise. The tank is longer than it is wide, (or maybe its the other way around???) The outside edge of the tank now rests on the curve of the hull, NOT THE PLATFORM.

See A sharp point on a bad spot.

As you can see, on the outer edge of the holding tank, only the lower edge, or even just the rear corner of the tank, rests on the curve of the hull. With a full 16 gallons of liquid, a little over 130 pounds, and a rough seas this could spell TROUBLE. The tank could rupture or even worse (I think?)the hull could puncture. I felt this was a serious design flaw. I called Hunter to see if they had a recommended fix. To my amazement they didnt know the situation existed and didnt think it was a problem, because no one had yet complained...

See A shifty little holding tank

As you can see in this picture the the tank can deffinatly shift its position, because only the outer lower corner and the upper inside sholder are touching anything. The straps in the photo have come loose allowing the tank to bounce when the stern drops off a wave.

See Support your local tank.

At first I thought of moving the glassed-in shelf, but I hate working with fiberglass. So I built a plywood shelf on top of the existing deck. This allowed me to raise the rear of my tank, where the outer corner rested on the hull. It also allows greater drainage out the forward outlet. My next step will be to slant the tank slightly outboard for maximum drainage. I am also in the process of finishing installation of a macerator pump to use at RV dump stations, after sailing on a lake with no marina pumpout. You can find more detailed instructions and photos, on this and other projects Im completing, on my personal website at: http://northstarsailing.home.attbi.com Most of my ideas have come from hunterowners.com, thanks guys.Brigg