Folks,
I have a 28 foot fiberglass boat that has a 150 gallon fiberglass fuel tank built into the hull. The resin used in the 1970's, has begun to fail. My fuel looks like black coffee, and smells like; well it's bad. Can a guy fiberglass over this crap, or am I better off setting in a new aluminum tank? Also, what should the thickness of this new aluminum tank be? How about stainless? Would it be thicker or thinner than aluminum? Thanks to all, and be safe out there.
hali72dp
2009-09-19 18:21:16
Wade,
You can thank your fuel tank failure from the use of alcohol in our fuel i would cut out your fiberglass tank and replace with a aluminum tank that you would need to have fabricated . A stainless tank would work although the cost would be more with not that much upside Make sure that your tank is mounted so that it is secure and can not have any movement . i would mount on starboard brackets top and bottom and strap with stainless straps
Good luck
Dave
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yak2you2
2009-09-19 21:06:35
Wade, I agree,sounds like it's definitely time to scrap your glass tank. I don't know where your at, but how about getting one out of a boat thats been scraped? Even in the small town I live in I can think of 4 or 5 old ghosts around the same size as your boat that have good aluminum tanks in them. Might just be able to save yourself a bunch of time and money in fabrication. If you do build your own, make sure you put some baffles in to eliminate sloshing. Good luck.
Thanks for the insight guys.
kenboe
2009-09-27 19:17:10
The failure of integral fiberglass tanks is very common and is usually caused by the new additives in gasoline. Do not try to re-fiberglass. Cut the deck out and completely expose the delaminated areas. You may have to re-build stringers and bulkheads that were effected. A commercial custom made aluminum tank will be your best bet for a replacement. Check with Atlantic Tank (National Fisherman Ad) A friend of mine just went through this and after checking for custom built fabricated tanks built locally, he settled on one from Atlantic Tank and said the their service, quality and price was very good. Do not foam in the new tank. There are a lot of websites devoted to the proper installation of a replacement fiberglass tank. Check it out. Also, don't overlook the replacement of all components in your fuel system. Change out everything including filters, lines and carbs. Go all new and use the opportunity to improve your system. With your description of the fuel, your entire system is most likely contaminated. Plan on replacing everything.
-ken-
A psuedo-related note:
On a fiberglass boat, If you ever have wood touching your aluminum fuel tank, electrolysis will eventually burn a hole through it.
Salty
2009-10-06 21:37:01
Jon,
You mean wet wood don't you? I tie my aluminum fuel tanks into my bonding system to minimize electrolysis and add metal to my bonding system.