As I was replacing water and fuel tanks made of stainless steel I wanted to do better. Much has been said on this site about replacing the fuel tank so I'll try to make this quick. Place one side of the siphon hose into the tank boat fuel tank and the other in a portable gas tank.
Edited by BDBinMD on 10/17/19 - 11:15 AM. Ours wasn't too bad as we were living in St. Peteresburg, Fla. where they were made. I did cover the main salon floor first with an old rug remnant and some newspapers. Keep in mind, that products are available on the market for marine fuel tank repair. Deck removal to get at fuel tank. 2018 Load Rite Elite 18280096VT. How Long Does It Take To Replace A Fuel Tank. It was a big project, but mostly as a result of the way whaler made the deck on these boats. Phenolic (plastic cutting board material) is a good choice. Town: Abaco, Bahamas.
What is the OP tank made of, glass, stainless, plastic, aluminium. Remove the bolts holding the sending unit mounted at the top of the tank through a deck access hatch. The drawings are great. The answer to this question is highly dependent on the type of boat and the tank access or lack thereof. I shrunk the dimensions a little smaller than a drawing Tom Marlowe had posted for the old Moeller tank replacements that are no longer made. Tanks need a good epoxy coating to give a long life. I have done a few transoms and even a full stringer, transom, sole rebuild on a boat once using epoxy/glass. I figured it had some hard miles on it but for 8K I bought it anyway. Although they don't install the tanks they build, companies like Atlantic Coastal Welding do have dozens of different tank templates to fit most applications, including rectangular, belly and saddle designs. Cutting boat deck to replace fuel tank pressure sensor. A good quality Grand Banks fuel tank replacement will require these key steps and associated equipment.
Now, dump half the can of RED-KOTE Tank Sealer close the lid and roll it around coating the interior. That could change the fix considerably. The process is long and tedious, resulting in high labor costs when compared to the parts required to complete the installation. Replacing One Fuel Tank with Two. The only extra help was from a fellow boater and then only to get the tank out of the boat. Installed 53 gal "flexible" fuel tank ($1400). Yard J, Johanson Boatworks in Rockland ME, was the yard I chose. Most of the cut will be hidden under the leaning post/live well. I installed a bladder tank whichmay be less expensive and works well. The main choices on today's market are aluminum and rotomolded polyethylene.
I have never cut into the keel but as a structures guy, it is a function of how well the repair is made and how it is put back together. I ran 4 strips of neoprene(I think it was 1/2" thick) length wise from bow to stern to give spacing for water to flow out. But for the final detailed estimates I would have been hesitant to trust a yard that didn't spend some time aboard Counterpoint figuring out the project. I personally think the idea of putting a tank on the starboard side would totally throw the boat to a huge starboard list. Replacing it is no doubt a better option but you're still going to have to get an expensive tank made and fake up the deck when you're finished. Paul, It cost about $250. I took a heavy duty grinder with a stiff wire wheel to the tank and "polished" the entire tank, cleaning off all of the corrosion and really shining up the aluminum. Boat Fuel Tank Replacement Cost: What To Know. Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:59 am. Also depending on the year and model you make have an inspection port to look in and give yourself an idea of the space between the tank and deck. Just purchased a new to me 2001 Pro Line 25 sport CC. We can both post to the forum when we are finished. Removing the Old Fuel Tank. Found stamped in the starboard rear corner) This is strickly for my use as I try to keep track of the E-40's. Enroute back I used up all but about 20 gallons of the fuel in the tank so that I did not have to remove a large amount of fuel; I did remove all that I could pump out via the fuel pickup.
Especially a thread by LAZIBONES with valuable information and do and do not experiences, on fuel tank replacement on a same boat model. Further complicating matters: the tanks might have to be constructed inside Counterpoint's cabin if they would be too big to fit through the companionway. Any advice on simply adding a new tank in some other suitable location such as the starboard side locker next to engine room or just forward of the steering quadrant? If I can be of any help or explain this further please email me. In this boat we replace a lot of the old acoustical soundproofing with a foil-faced lead lined sound insulation. Cutting boat deck to replace fuel tank.com. The repair plan will follow. When it comes to boat fuel tank replacement cost, replacing fuel tanks in boats ranging between 18 and 25 feet will cost between $4, 000 and $10, 000. The new gas or diesel tank is ready to be installed and the plumbing reconnected. I can confirm there is no foam under the tank, it appears to be sitting on a thin (1/16" thick) rubberish type of material. Fuel tank maintenance is usually caused by one of these four things: - Too much heat created by not enough airflow in the engineroom. Most manufacturers do not recommend re-foaming the tank in place even if the boat was originally built that way, and some explicitly state that foaming the tank in place will void the warranty. I'm evaluating a 1982 E40 and am extremely grateful for this forum. I found that the port stringer was separated from the hull at the transom and repaired that, it had a small hole in the port front side below the shark eye light that someone had put some "Kitty Hair" fiberglass putty in to seal it up.
00, the install was about $200. Mark and PJ, I own an E40 and shortly after the purchase I had to repair/replace the tank. A while back Practical Sailor answered this question saying as I recall, that it was safe to use the glass hull as a fuel tank. Ps has the boat got a ply or moulded deck and what finish is it? I too am going to take lots of pictures and make good notes on the problems encountered. Cutting boat deck to replace fuel tank fume emissions hose 2007 bmw 328i. My tank is not glassed over, but rather they used 3/4in thick lead plates, about 4in by 15in, dropped in beside the tank on each side to hold the tank in place once it was positioned in the keel. More often than not, the deck must be cut and removed to gain access to the fuel tank or tanks. How are you protecting it from bilge water? Edit - Added photos). However, rather than needing to proceed in fear of causing fire from a spark, remove gas from the boat fuel tank. Now the tanks can be visually inspected and if any deck leaks occur they can be spotted and fixed with minor difficulties.
Then it's a grinder or Circular saw with depth set to depth of deck. Just don't want to be the next guy to replace it. There are some resins that will patch and hold for about 5. If you do replace a tank yourself, pay special attention to those instructions. Illbruck FM617 High Yield Expanding Foam (Hand Held) 540ml. In the May 2007 issue of Practical Sailor there is an in depth article exploring the ideal fuel tank replacement. Before I completed the purchase of S/V Counterpoint I got two rough estimates from yards who had done similar work on similar boats. Each connection should then be carefully inspected for the presence of bubbles, indicating a leak. In the end we opened up the port side of the keel, taking away a 3ft by 6 ft slab, and installed a new hand laid up fiberglass tank, then rebuilt the side of the keel. The keel gets a lot of its strength from the tanks. Not a good solution in my personal opinion. "The Coast Guard has done studies that show aluminum tanks last about 12 years on the average, " says John Gallo, president of Atlantic Coastal Welding in Bayville, New Jersey. If you have any more questions, do not hesitate to e-mail me. I was wondering what was used for ballast.
It all worked very well. I'll get the new tank in three weeks and will update after the install and putting the deck back me luck! You mentioned you sailed for a number of years with the water tank as a fuel tank. Getting Quotes from Marine Vendors. Replacing Plumbing and Wiring. I removed the aluminum tank myself, but I did not remove the engine. Since the repair we have logged over 25K nautical miles of travel in the boat, the majority ocean miles, finally stopping in mid1995 to build a shore based residence and then, after one more Bahamas cruise lasting nine months, refurbish the boat after 11 years of living aboard and cruising the east coast and islands extensively. Fuel tanks on a boat are a critical component for obvious reasons. When I put the tank back in the boat, it cleared the companionway with 1/2in to spare.