Tell me what you think.....

[Stinky_Hooker]

Ok I am getting ready to rebuild a couple of cross braces in the floor of the boat that had a little rot on them. I am think of doing a sort of "platform if you will for the fuel tank to sit on top of to allow good drainage underneath it. I think the pvc in the bottom was a joke ::)I have some 1/4 inch material that is woven fiberglass that I got from a buddy of mine that does glass work. It is VERY silid and has NO flex at all.They installed this stuff in an abortion clinic in town and it is bullet proof and $1000.00 a sheet :o Very tough and heavy stuff for the thickness it is. I was thinking of glassing it onto the hull over the keel to make a foundation for the tank to sit. It wont bring the tank up enough to matter as far as clearance issues go so....

Here is kinda what im thinking:



http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/images/Keel.jpg

[macojoe]

Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stinky_Hooker]

Well with the overwhelming responses today...I think I will!!! ::)


But hey if you got Macojoe's approval thats some heavy stuff!! ;D

[reelapeelin]

Sounds like the 'WOVEN FIBERGLASS STUFF'' is Kevlar...and yeah it IS bulletproof...it's what they make bullet-proof vests out of...a different version is used in the Kevlakat and some other boat mfgrs are usin' it...Like MJ...USE IT!... :D

My only concern is your drawing shows your new piece ABOVE the keel...if the stuff's only 1/4" it may not provide enough rigid support for a FULL tank of gas...can the 1/4" stuff sit down on the keel and still drain properly...

[Stinky_Hooker]

Yeah it will definitely be ON the keel, no space between them....I just threw that together too fast.

[reelapeelin]

Sounds like a good plan... ;) 8)

[CT_V-20]

Definately sounds like a good plan, but if it makes sense why wouldn't Wellcraft have done that in the first place? Maybe the foam is important for shock absorbancy to lessen the likelihood of tanks cracking from pounding in the waves? Is there room to add a layer of foam to your kevlar platform? There's gotta be a reason Wellcraft put the things together the way they did.

[CT_V-20]

I thought of one other thing last night that the foam may do for our tanks. I mentioned shock absorption above, but also what about evenly distributing the pressures of side-to-side and back-and-forth motion when running in waves? I'm not sure how you plan to attach your tank to the platform, but I assume manufacturers use foam to spread horizontal and vertical pressure evenly around large areas of the tank from pounding through waves or over bumps on a trailer. I should note, however, that I am talking out of my a$$ since I am not a naval architect or an engineer.

Could you fill the area above your platform with foam?

[Stinky_Hooker]

Yes CT I was thinking along those same lines and was planning on a thin, but as thick as possible layer between the kevlar and tank. If you think about it I will not really loose any room from the platform because the tank sat on top of the keel anyway (with foam between)and the material I am using is only 1/4inch. I should have room for a descent layer of foam on it.

[CT_V-20]

It will be good to hear how you make out as this thread should be very useful for those who have to replace their tanks - as I expect I will have to do too eventually - over time. Thanks

[Stinky_Hooker]

Roger that I will borrow my buddys digicam and FINALLY put up some pick of my baby!!!!