Tank made my bilge Dank with Stank

[GilStump]

Time to replace the 30 yr old diesel tank. It leaks. My tank is aluminum custom fit. Question is, should I have a new one made, and who, where, what does that? OR, should I remove the old tank and get a flexible one to fit the space?

1977 Orion S&S 35

This also has me daydreaming of electric propulsion. If you have experience with this please send me a PM, I would love to discuss at length...

[deniseO30]

Moeller Marine Online - Permanent Tanks

ALUMINUM FUEL TANKS DISCOUNT PRICES,BOAT GAS TANK, BOAT MARINE GAS TANK DISCOUNTED, ALUMINUM WELDED GAS TANK, ALUMINUM DECK FILLED TANK, ALUMINUM V BOTTOM TANK, ALUMINUM CUSTOM GAS TANK ALUMINUM TANKS DECK FILLED, STANDARD ALUMINUM FUEL TANK, FUEL

My old 26 gal alum had pin holes in it. We changed it out with a 19gal moeller that I can remove in less then half an hour now. the old one actually came out in one piece, less the filler neck we cut off.

[sidmon]

The 25 year old aluminum tank on my Pearson 303 has leaks as well (note the red "stalactites" growing from pinholes on the bottom of the tank).

I've bought a Moeller 19 gallon -original is 22- to replace it with. I was surprised at how inexpensive it is, and it will fit in the exsisting frame with little modification.

[sailingdog]

One thing that is key to keeping an aluminum fuel tank in good shape is to set it up so that it is not sitting in water or on wet surfaces, since that is where the corrosion will occur generally.

[sidmon]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

One thing that is key to keeping an aluminum fuel tank in good shape is to set it up so that it is not sitting in water or on wet surfaces, since that is where the corrosion will occur generally.

As can be seen in the pic of my tank, it is well above any standing water. I think it suffered from years of a water layer in the tank bottom though. That red color suggests a bacteria colony that is alive and well.

I will be yanking it when I haul out in June.

[sidmon]

Oh...Forgot to add.....

Back in 2007 the PO had a local yard check for a leak under the tank in 2007(PO kept all the receipts for work done). He paid good money for the boobs to tell him there wasn't one, even though he apparently had suspicions due to the stain on the hull running from underneath the tank.

That, and some other half-as/d work this particular yard did, makes for a powerful case to DIY!!!

To be fair though, neither I nor the surveyor caught it in the pre-purchase survey.

Lesson learned. If you can stick your hand in a hole on a boat...make sure you do so. Its when I felt the slick bottom of that tank that I realized there was a problem (also had the area lit up well for the first time and saw one the stains on the hull).

[CalebD]

Gil,
I would only use a flexible tank for fuel as a last resort. A solid tank made for fuel with baffles built into it would be much better, IMHO. Flexible tanks can and will chafe and rupture.

[GilStump]

Hey Caleb, how you been?

Thanks everyone. even had one hit about electric repower.... I'll let ya know whether you care or not!