Fuel/Water tankage

[onewolf]

I am a sailing novice and I plan to purchase a cruising sailboat within the next 6 months. I plan to cruise the Bahamas, Caribbean, and possibly farther. The boat that I''ve found that I like most is a Stamas 44. The good news: It can carry 173 gallons of diesel and 325 gallons of freshwater in aluminum tanks. The bad news: Both the fuel and water are in single (large) tanks. This really concerns me. Has anyone had any experience replacing/dividing tanks to create 2 smaller tanks rather than a single large tank? The other good news is that the Stamas is very well designed otherwise, and both tanks are easily accessed for removal/replacement without a major hassle.

Any opinions on easy/inexpensive methods to subdivide large aluminum tanks?

Thanks!

Doug --- www.onewolf.net ---

PS: I just started a web page to chronicle the beginning of my sailing adventure: http://www.onewolf.net/projectx.htm

[walt123]

I''m not sure why having single tanks concerns you. As long as the tanks are sound, have baffles and access openings I would stick with the built in tanks. Always treat both diesel and H20 when refilling and have adaquate filters on both. These tanks should last the life of the boat!

[onewolf]

My primary concern is to minimize the number of "single points of failure" for critical systems. I also believe that all aluminum tanks installed in the bilges of boats will eventually develop leaks.

It''s not a show stopper problem, just a concern that I might choose to address when the other (more important) issues have been addressed.

Doug --- www.onewolf.net ---

[walt123]

In my experience it is not the tank that fails it is the attachment points to the hull and the hose fittings to the tanks. With Aluminum make sure if they are attached with SS bolts that some type of isolation between different metals has been achieved and with the hoses it is a good idea to replace the hoses and clamps every 5 years or sooner based on visual inspection. I always carry emergency water and fuel in seperate containers for the unexpected but have never had to use them in an "emergency" due to tank failure. Hope this helps.

[RobHoman]

I think Walt''s summary is pretty accurate and wisely put. Should you elect to change your tankage you may actually create a set of problems that will double the chances that "Murphy''s Law" will get you. The soundness of the tanks is of greater importance than anything else. Consider this...if you double or triple the number of tanks, you will effectively create multiple possible points of failure. Also you will spend a great deal of money fixing a problem that isn''t.