Fuel Tank fix

[greenlanterns]

My boat has an integral dieslel fibreglass fuel tank and it has a strong diesel smell. Upon investigation, it seems like the integral fibreglass fuel tank is weeping. The tank shares a wall with the engine compartment and the Heat Shield in the engine compartment is soaked (dripping) diesel. We took it off and the plywood is soaked. Does anyone have any experience with integral fibreglass fuel tanks?



I suppose the proper way to fix this is to cut out the plywood completely, install an aluminum fuel tank, and replace the plywood. One problem is that its difficult to see how far the diesel as weeped along the plywood (perhaps it has weeped farther than we are able to cut out?). In any case, it is not a good problem to have.



One quick fix I can think of is to empty that tank and just run the motor off of the other integral tank (it does not appear to be leaking).



Do you know of a way to get diesel smell out of plywood? Is there a product I can use to paint the diesel soaked plywood and "seal" the smell in should I choose this route?




Also, it has been leaking for a while (1-2 yrs probably), so all the upholstery inside the boat smells of diesel, as does the interior teak and everything else. We have taken off all of the upholstery that we can so as to air it out. Realistically, if we take care of the cause of the diesel leak, will we have a chance of ridding the boat of diesel smell? Are there any products that you would recommend to get diesel smell out of upholstery, teak, and wooden flooring?

[Pete7]

Cut the bulkhead out as there is no chance of getting the diesel smell out of plywood or getting paint to stick to it.

I wouldn't use aluminium for a diesel tank, they corrode if the outside gets damp. Stainless or better still plastic.

Next the rest of the boat. Once the above is fixed then scrub the living daylights out of the bilges, engine space and anywhere else. Wash the cushion covers if they come off. Clean the wood work with white vinegar, leave to dry and polish.

I went to buy a Sigma 33 only to find the diesel tank had leaked over the winter. putting 20 gallons into the boat. With the shallow bilge and the motion of the boat during the winter, diesel had splashed up into the plywood bulkheads. I walked away.

Pete

[Cheechako]

Remove all soaked wood and fiberglass areas that cant be cleaned. Put in a plastic or metal tank.
You can wash cushion fabric etc.
You can pressure spray under floorboards etc if they have diesel contamination using detergent like Joy. If diesel and bilge water mix were under there and the boat was sailed, heeling etc, the diesel will be in all the underfloor wood structure.

[ItDepends]

Be careful doing this. Porous materials (like plywood) soaked with diesel are very real fire hazards. Things that normally might not cause a problem can be deadly. A spark from grinding can land on plywood and leave a tiny char mark. Soak that same plywood in diesel, and it’s a rapidly spreading, very hot, and smoky fire.

[Jammer]

All good advice upthread.


You could repair the fiberglass tank, instead of installing a different one, if you wish. If you switch to a metal or plastic tank, you will give up capacity.