fuel tank repairs

[woodbutcher]

I traded another boat and trailer for this one. After spending some time going over it i have compiled a small list of things to repair.
1) Ttop needs some welding and a scrubbing.
2) I would like to redoo the console maybee raise it?
3) new leaning post that I can put a cooler/ livewell under
4) will need a livewell as this boat doesn't have one
5) helm leaks yes it's a baystar ......
6) oh yeah the gas tank is loose floting around in the bilge...

[tsubaki]

Well, why we trashin the whole boat, what about the transom??
I'm overwhelmed, remove and put the T-top off to the side.
Start with the tank and see if it is needing replacing or not, then worry about the console & leanin post repairs or modifications.
What year is that?
More pictures and WELCOME TO THE SITE!!

[woodbutcher]

The boat is great these are the things I need to address to go fish.
The transom is solid other wise I would not have traded my G3 for it. The G3 was great for backwater I just needed something bigger to go out past the charelston jettys with my wife onboard. she was a little uncomfortable 5 miles out in a johnboat with a 90 on the back of it. Now she is happy and I can take her out farther offshore.
Tank is done that gray hose in the picture was installed using bathroom silicone. It goes right through a big hole the last owner made so he could get gas when his pickup clogged and he did not want to replace the tank.
It leaks to say the least.
As for the year it is an 87' The moter is an 01'

[spareparts]

wood butcher, I just noticed your in Charleston, I work out of City Marina, if you need any advise or parts, let me know

[RWilson2526]

Cool deal...wish it was warmer so I could whittle away at my list. Mine is somewhat longer than 6 items but none of them are too major. You know how they say you eat an elephant? 1 bite at a time. Congratulations on the new boat. And welcome to the site!

[woodbutcher]

Spareparts,
nice to know there is someone close by. I will keep that in mind as I start these project I've gotten myself into.
When I'm done with the center console I will be redoing the transom and decks on this little 15. then I will give it to my best friend, he is up in Mcleleanville( I know I butchered that). so I have alot of work to get done this year.

[phatdaddy]

woodbutcher, i had an old hydrosport with a tank issue like yours(hose stuck in the top). I took a piece of aluminum plate larger that the hole on top and drilled and tapped it to receive a fuel pickup. i used a product called liquid aluminum to bond the plate to the top of the tank. it was a quick easy fix, but i don't know how permanent, i sold the boat 3 or 4 months later.

good luck

[reelapeelin]

Did you say you have a fuel leak?...I wouldn't monkey around w/ that...I'd hate to hear about a fellow V20er down in Charleston and his wife gettin' TOASTED...

[fromthedepths]

got a 85v20 cc and it has a 55 gallon tank i think in it.i want to go bigger when i replace the tank.what's the biggest size tank someone has in their cc?

[fromthedepths]

sorry i put my post in the wrong place,nice boat though!

[woodbutcher]

THis tank is a 40 gal I am told. It is 48" long just under 32" wide and and average of 8" deep thats only a little over 7 cubic feet. It has been pulled back in the bilge. I will have to come up with a way to drain the ramaining fuel out of it then get it up and out. Here are some questions for those guys out there with more experiance than I,
1) There is no tank coffin, Should I build one?
2) I have read where people supported thier tanks with neoprene or other materials, What last longest?
3) current tank is aluminum, can I replace it with a plastic tank?

[woodbutcher]

ok the tank is out. I was talking with a friend about the boat he got me hooked up with a 60 gal tank to replace the 40 gal one with. After getting as much gas as we could hold in 2 cars 2trucks and my buddys trihull my wife and I decided to just go ahead and replace the stringer too. When we got the tank out we were glad we made that decision as the glass is seperating from the wood where there is wood then there are places that it is just plain broken.
The nice thing about this project is it is a family affairyou will see my youngest son working theball to empty the tank, and my wifes foot as she helped me get the tank out. then I cut the bulkhead out that was in frount of the tank. you can see it gives me another 16 inches to move the tank foward that space is completly empty. I think the next one is empty too, however I have not verified that yet. I came in to get a shower and wait till I have the proper protective gear then I will cut up the deck. I am also thinking of cutting out the twe boxes in the rear of the boat that are on the sides. I hate them and they take a huge amount of space I can use for .... idont know something i'll think of it later.

one more thing when I got this boat everyone told me there was not foam in it you can see from the pics there is foam in the boat. What i was amazed by is the foam is dry. well was dry it will rain tonight and get wet I dont mind as I intend to replace it anyway.

[woodbutcher]

gess you need the pics to look at ..... it helps when I include them in the post

[woodbutcher]

some more pics

[tsubaki]

Here is the Moeller site with tank sizes for you to figure out which one might replace the metal one.

http://www.moellermarine.com/aftermarket/fuel_storage_tanks/permanent_tanks/
Keep posting progress, you movin' fast!!

[RWilson2526]

, and my wifes foot as she helped me get the tank out. .

Be careful posting pics of your wifes feet....there's some pretty weird dudes hanging around here:love:

[woodbutcher]

wilson you bet there is ..... I'm leading the pack........ you don't wana know what else I might be into.......lol

[randlemanboater]

Looks like you are doing a good job WB...keep up the good work.

When I put in my new tank, I used "Great Stuff" to secure it. It has held up so far, that was summer of 07 when I did that.

[woodbutcher]

(great stuff?) funny little yellow can?
I never thought of it I was planning on moving the bulkheads forward in the belly and hanging it from the botom of the new deck using polyester banding strapps ( of which I have plenty of and they dont cost a dime). in fact if I use a heat sealer on the banding and I protect it from sunlight it will last as long as ......hummm let me think that one out.
I like the idea of greatstuff for a few other things . Is it cheap?

[WinniDave]

I have used this product for a commercial project: http://www.fomofoam.com/boat_ship_and_pontoon.htm

I also use there foam while installing windows and doors, uses the same dispenser as the great stuff, but much better product for the $$.

Dave C.

[nymack66]

Check this company out, I used a Gallon kit to install my tank. Click on the link and download the catalog
http://www.fiberglassservices.com/catalog.htm
Easy 1-1 mix.
PLF-4-103 2 Quart kit $ 25.41
PLF-4-104 2 Gallon kit $ 67.19
PLF-4-105 10 Gallon kit $ 294.21

[randlemanboater]

(great stuff?) funny little yellow can?
I never thought of it I was planning on moving the bulkheads forward in the belly and hanging it from the botom of the new deck using polyester banding strapps ( of which I have plenty of and they dont cost a dime). in fact if I use a heat sealer on the banding and I protect it from sunlight it will last as long as ......hummm let me think that one out.
I like the idea of greatstuff for a few other things . Is it cheap?


It allowed for water in the bilge to flow freely under the tank and has held so far.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/randlemanboater/101_0147-1.jpg

[RABBITFISH]

I am currently in the process of replacing my leaking aluminum fuel tank. After much research I found these dealers: For the expanding foam,
http://www.shopmaninc.com/foam.html

And here is where I got my replacement tank from.
http://sunshinemarinetanks.com/

The tank was made to my exact specs. I was very happy with their work product, and the price was very competitive.
I found a lot of details on ClassicMako forum with pictures to help me with the work, that's one of the ways I found this forum...
RABBITFISH
Tommy, Kenner Louisiana

[woodbutcher]

now that it has been a while since i've done anything with the boat. I am able to get back at it. wouldnt you know it right before the hottest part of the year. I getting ready to buy materials and have some questions.
Will epoxy stick to the glass in my hull or do I need to buy a differant type of resin?
Once I have the deck redone and new tank in what type of paint leams to last best?

[nymack66]

now that it has been a while since i've done anything with the boat. I am able to get back at it. wouldnt you know it right before the hottest part of the year. I getting ready to buy materials and have some questions.
Will epoxy stick to the glass in my hull or do I need to buy a differant type of resin?
Once I have the deck redone and new tank in what type of paint leams to last best?

Polyester base resin is what you need not EPOXY ..

[woodbutcher]

Why polyester? It is my understanding that epoxy is beter with wood and with old poly.However I am clearly not the expert. just seeking some enlightenment.

[nymack66]

If i remember correctly the resin use to build the V is polyester base , epoxy base will not adhere to polyester correctly so my take is stick with polyester base ..Someone please feel free to correct me if I am wrong ! I refuse to be a experience fool and not know it :)

[nymack66]

Just a few facts that I know concerning the comparison of polyester
resins to epoxy:

Polyester is not an epoxy. It is a complete resin system that will
slowly polymerize when it's solvent is evaporated - though this may
take months. That is why MEKP is added. It is a catalyst - not a
component of the resin system - that speeds up polymerization, or
curing.

Epoxy is a true two-part resin system in that polymerization will
not occur - over any length of time - unless the two components are
mixed.

Why epoxy is a better barrier coat than polyester and why epoxy
doesn't blister...

Epoxy is 100% solids (high quality epoxy, anyway, such as WEST,
System 3, and others) meaning that there are no solvents - the lack
of solvents is why epoxy resin and hardener do not have much of an
odor, though some odor.

The weight of cured epoxy will be the same as when it was liquid.
Polyester resins have allot of a solvent called styrene and this
styrene evaporates as the polyester cures - this is why polyester
resin smells really bad. This evaporation leads to porosity within
the cured res. The porosity is how water eventually permeates gel
coat and causes blisters. All plastics absorb some moisture,
chemically speaking, but polyester absorbs way, way more water than
epoxy. This is why epoxy is an excellent barrier coat.

Epoxy is an adhesive. Polyester, though it has adhesive qualities,
is not as good for bonding as epoxy...

Polyester is a laminating resin intended to be used for reinforcing
fiberglass, just as it is in our hulls. While polyester is still
in the partially cured or "green" state, another layer of polyester
added will have a "chemical" bond. When we repair our hull, the
polyester is of course fully cured and the bond that is achieved is
strictly a "mechanical" bond. This is why surface preparation,
regardless of what type of resin is used, is VERY important.
Sanding increases the roughness and surface area and creates a
better bond. Polyester will stick to cured polyester, but epoxy
will bond much better. NEVER use polyester over epoxy, though.
Polyester resins also have a bad reputation for eventually
delaminating when used to glass over wood, such as plywood. Boat
manufacturers will glass over plywood with polyester resins and
boat yards make allot of money repairing rotted transoms in power
boats. Epoxy will soak into wood (doesn't cure as fast as
polyester helps here) and, being more water proof than polyester,
will stay bonded indefinitely as long as all of the wood is
encapsulated in epoxy.

So, why don't boat manufacturers use epoxy instead of polyester?

Some do. Allot of custom boats are built using epoxy resin. The
issue is efficiency and cost. Epoxy, though higher technology,
costs 2 to 3 times as much as polyester resin. Both resins can be
used to mold fiberglass, but polyester is more controllable by the
amount of MEEK catalyst added so production time is reduced- get
the finished hull out of the mold and get another one started.
Epoxy molded fiberglass must also have a surface finish applied,
polyester resins are used to gel coat the mold and then laminate
and out pops a shiny finished hull! Epoxy also has a downside in
that an amine blush, which feels "waxy" on the cured epoxy, that
must be washed away with warm water before successive layers can be
laminated.

[phatdaddy]

i re-did deck under my cuddy & used west epoxy. it adhered to to old poly very well. to me it is easier to work with because of very predictable working times. every time i used polyester it would "kick" either too fast or way to slow. the main drawback to eposy is if it is exposed to sunlight, you have to paint it. polyester can be gelcoated when completed. also if you use the MAS system, there is no blush to wash off. i also like to pumps to keep the ratio correct. i keep the pumps in the bottles all the time in my shed. if i am doing a little project i can just pump out what i need, mix it in a tuna fish can & slap it on.

[woodbutcher]

Ok as indecision always requires I did some more research both on my own and on another web site. All information out there comes to the same conclusion.(EPOXY) is the way to go. Polyester can and will work however there seem to be some adhesion problems with old polyester and new? I don't understand it thats just the research on the internet." polyester secondary bond" is the search I was refered to from another site.
The other issue that I discovered is that polyester cures and a chemical called styrene avaporates and leaves a (porous surface)? that flies in the face of sealing the wood by encapsulation. I am not somuch worried about the porous surface as the boat did last a few years already with polyester resins so the problem cant be that bad. the secondary bond issues though concern me as I am a novice amature with this boat repair. So on the chance that I do the snafu...... (hey iv'e done it before) I think I will spend the money for safty and piece of mind an order the epoxy.