Fuel Tank Revitalization

[Roy M]

Good grief! Not! Make a template out of cardboard, then cut the pieces out of plywood.. Tack the pieces together with a hot melt glue gun, Putty in the radius and sand it lightly afterward. Goop on some epoxy on all the bare surfaces. This is a fuel tank, not a fancy hull. You can build it in a weekend for less money than a welder's wages. And it will outlast anything coming from a sheetmetal shop. And it will weigh less.

[terrylad]

Looking at your photo of the tank, here's what I'd do and have done. Tee off a drain from the lowest fuel line. Periodically drain a sample out of the tank bottom into a small bucket. You will see junk, water, nasty stuff that will settle to the bottom of the bucket. After it has distilled, pour the good fuel on the top back into the tank.

This little routine will save you all the expense and mess of replacing tanks. With the rare exception of fractured skins or split seams on the tank this routine will keep you in good stead. No matter what the tank material is, all the condensation and goop ends up on the bottom, so if you can drain it, and access inside it via inspection ports, then you've got the game skun IMO.

[DeepFrz]

Be sure to read the caveat on the West Epoxy web site about building fuel tanks.

[DeniseO30]

Old tanks are old, no matter what you try to do with them. Alum tanks will get pinholes in them where the sit. but when you think about how old they are... they really don't owe you anything. It's time to replace. This I know from my own boat and others that had tanks sitting on plywood supports. I see NO reason to not use off the shelf Poly tanks from Moeller and a couple others. For less then $100, I used a 19 gal tank to replace my alum tank that was seeping about 3 oz a day. All the discussion, whining, and worrieng took longer then the actual work which took up about 2 hours. Don't know about your boat. I know some boats just don't have tanks that can be removed without "surgery"
Good luck!

[Roy M]

http://www.uscgboating.org/regulatio...rds_partl.aspx

FEDERAL LAW

183.556 - Plugs and fittings

(a) A fuel system must not have a fitting for draining fuel.


There shall be no fitting or component in the fuel system with the purpose of draining fuel from the fuel system. Fuel tank drains, valves or plugged tee fittings in fuel lines, and drain or bleed valves at engine connections are prohibited.

TO COMPLY WITH THE LAW

Except as provided in 183.556(b) there is no fuel drain in the system.

For the record: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/wood-ep...nk-guidelines/

[terrylad]

I guess the more recent boatbuilding regulations prohibit fuel tank drainage hardware, but I've had and seen older boats with that facility and used quite often.

Far be it for me to interpret USCG rules - it seems like its a hedge against fitting failure and/or unintentional tank drainage into bilges and being pumped overboard.

Even so, the best place to remove water and crud is from the bottom of the tank, and, to my mind, where there are OEM fittings already installed, as in this case, then the owner can conveniently and safely utilize them for that purpose. Refitting with tees and taps to facilitate drainage violates the rules for boatbuilders, but how does that sit with existing older installations?

[shorebird]

Surveys and insurance. Your insurance company might have some reservations insuring a vessel fitted with homemade wooden tanks no matter how well made they are. Its a new day regarding fuel spills, and insurance companies are paying huge sums in fuel clean up costs resulting from more stringent environmental laws. we recently had a portable tank we manufactured leak due to being placed in a vehicle with a bolt protruding from the box of the truck. 20 gallons of diesel seeped into the ground, resulting in an $80,000 clean up bill, paid out by the insurance company.

[Cheechako]

I dont think I'd worry too much about the CFR.... I doubt they'll be coming to inspect your boat! I think a drain on your configuation of tank is a great thing. Does the CFR even apply to personal craft?

[Pblais]

Does the CFR even apply to personal craft?

No, only USCG inspected vessels are included and are explicitly "inspected" to make sure duh. USCG regulations for recreational vessels combined with state regulations are all there is for non commercial vessels.

You still can't dump fuel overboard without a serious hassle with the USCG no matter who you are. You just don't want to get caught doing this under any circumstances in US waters.