this years winter project
 

well I pulled the boat out of the water on Monday. I have successfully logged 79 hours on the boat this season. Now the next project is to replace the floor,add an insulated fishbox,and build a stern seat like nymack and rwilson. I jumped right into it and cut out the old floor,and some rotten bulkheads. Here are a few pics. I will be posting more pics as I go. This project will be more challenging than the transom last year. Not because of the difficulty but because funds are a lot lower this year. I am being laid off for a month starting Dec. 18. It figures, I will have plenty of time to work on the boat but no money to do anything.

Good luck with your project..Keep us posted..

Good job Capt. good luck with it

Jumped right into it? I'd say so....jeezus..... I have to replace my fuel tank (which I have) and re-do my fuel tank hatch sometime between now and next april and already I am saying to myself "well if I start in early march I'll be good for April"

Hope the work picks up for you....

thanks guys. I work on it a little bit every night or so after work. Its a warn dry shop and we have a well stocked marine store that I get a "cost plus 10%" discount at. Even still a gallon of west epoxy/hardner is around $90. I might end up using resin for a lot of this project instead. I figured if I cut the floor out now I wouldn't be able to put it off to next year. I also want to replace my gas tank. My original tank had a hole in it. I have been using a 37 gal loaner tank which has worked fine but I would like a little more capacity. Moeller has a 55 gal plastic tank for half the price than I can get an aluminum one made. If you need a hand with your hatch let me know. I have a month to kill. Otherwise I will just be sitting around the house watching cartoons.

Hi Captpete,

The 55 gallon Moeller I presume is a belly tank?? It will fit front to back depending on what V 20 you have. (I have an 84 v20 OB cuddy) It will not fit under your floor hatch due to the deadrise of the V20, (about 22 degrees) and the angle of the Moeller belly tank is about 12 -15 degrees. I did not find a ready made belly tank that would fit under the floor over about 30 - 40 gallons due to the deep-vee deadrise angle and the belly tank bottom angle. If you need 60 gallons of fuel, the only way is to have a custom aluminum tank fabricated. An aluminum 60 gallon exact v20 replacement tank can be fabricated for about $500-$600. (In NJ) The replacement tank drawing with exact dimensions is somewhere on this website!! Do a search on "fuel tanks".

Geek

This will be fun to watch!!...always good to see somebody knows what they're doin'...sorry to hear about the job goin' away, but a guy w/your skills will never be idle...

My boat came with 60 gallon plastic tank but i dont remember who makes it, the sticker is on the tank, i will look and let you know.

Pete just thinking....As far as I know the tank I have in there is good albeit original (no idea for sure until I yank it out) I am only replacing it because I got a 3 year old custom made one out of an 86 V-20 for pretty much nothing and figured as long as I was doing the hatch I'd do the tank....the old one is yours if you want it.

Not sure if its worth the trouble to install a 20+ year old tank but just thought I'd throw it out there.

O.K, got the info from my tank.
Is made by INCA molded products in Nashville TN
Phone# 615.350.7290 and is 60 gallons.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...0/DSC01765.jpg

http://www.incaproducts.com/site/default.aspx

here is their web site.

Thanks for the info guys. N.E.M. that tank looks shorter and wider than my tank. What are the dimensions? Reel.. thanks. We are jamming at work right now and now the boss is saying we will be working till the 23rd and we will also get paid for the week between Christmas and NewYear. So I will only be laid off for about two weeks. That makes me feel a little better. Rob your the man! I will absolutly take that tank. If you need a hand getting it out let me know. You can use my shop.

Oh now we're talking...the only reason I am even starting to procrastinate is because I dont want to freeze my *** off.....I can see that working out...I'll drag the boat down there, give me a hand pulling it out (which seems to be the hard part) and leave the tank there. Deal....this will stop me from putting it off too until spring.

I need to get whats left of the gas out, I'll try to do it this week and then we can set something up...

not a problem. By later this week I should have a better idea when we are shutting down. Anytime after that is fine with me.

The standard 60 gallon tank in a 1984 V20 cuddy cabin outboard model has exact dimensions as follows:

Length = 44.75"
Width = 31"
Depth in center of tank (Belly tank) = 11.5"
Depth at sides of tank = 7.25"
Angle of belly tank bottom = 22.684 Degrees (same angle as V20 dead rise)
Bottom of belly tank is flat and the tanks flat bottom is 10.75 wide.

This tank is also used in 1985 V20 center console fisherman.

I have a scale Wellcraft drawing of this tank with all of the dimensions and location of the fill points vent, and sending unit and ground. When I figure out how to get the drawing into my computer I will post it!

Geek

Mine tank is 31x32 . Is the FO6008 model from inca products.

Hi captpete13,

Just what year and model V20 do you have?? By looking at your pictures it appears to be an earlier year than my 1984 V. (deeper transom cut to accommodate a 20" leg OB) I did a quick Autocad drawing of both the Moeller 55 gallon tank and the Inca F06008 60 gallon tank and I don't think either tank will fit under your floor. (both of those tanks dimensions are available on-line.) I did the drawings relative to the V's dead rise angle (23 degrees vs 16 degrees for the Inca and 15 degrees for the Moeller) and if you attempt to install either of those tanks you will have to fabricate a custom fuel tank hatch because the top of the tank will be inches above the V's floor. I think both will probably fit side to side and front to back however. I don't mean to be a PITA, but I wouldn't want you to attempt to install something that will cause you more work than you have already taken on. I hope this info helps!!!

Geek

thanks for the info Geek. My V is a 1981. It used to have a 20" transom before I replaced it. Now its 25". I appreciate you going through the trouble. Hopefully if Rob's old tank is in good enough shape than I will be golden.

Captpete13,

Since you have your floor removed, checking whether a fuel tank will fit should be easy. Removing a foamed in tank with just the access hatch open is a very large PITA. Alot of people that have replaced leaky 60 gallon tanks have essentially pulled the tank and destroyed it in the process!! That was not as bad as it sounds since the tank was in such bad corrosive condition that it could not be salvaged in any case. The original aluminum tanks in the V20 were a weak point in the boat (IMHO) and many tanks have already been replaced or will need replacement soon!

The original V's had saddle tanks in the port and starboard gunnels where the rod boxes are. I believe that between the early V's with saddle tanks there were a number of years that V's had smaller under deck tanks with a capacity around 45 gallons. By looking at your pictures with the old tank in place, it appears that the top of the tank is several inches lower under the floor than the 60 gallon tank in my V. (I have about 2" top of tank to under floor clearance.) Also, the locations of the filler and vent fittings on my 60 gallon tank are on the front of the tank and the fuel fitting to the engine and sending unit are aft. I think that if the tank you will be installing is a Wellcraft original or a V20 custom 60 gallon and it fits side to side and front to back, you will go from 40 gallons to 60 and have a good fit!! I am not sure when the V's went to the 60 gallon aluminum tank but know for sure that the 1984 V cuddy cabin and CC had 60 gallon tanks.

Geek

my 1975 had the saddle bags and they were still perfect when I sold it a few years ago.
I had 3 tanks, saddle bags were 20 gal each and I had a plastic tank were the engine use to be that was 25 gal.

My boat came originaly with the Inca tank i mentioned before. The tank tag has a manufacturer date of 1990, so it has to be original.

Hi NOTHINGELSEMATTERS,

Your V20 is a 1990 V20 Sport Cuddy. I don't know about your boat and the fuel tanks or where they are located in the 1990 V20 Sport Cuddy. I have a 1984 V20 Cuddy. The the Inca tank in your boat (F06008) will not fit in my V20. I am not saying that the Inca tank you have is not correct for your boat, I am saying that it will not fit in my boat without raising the floor or making a custom floor hatch over the tank. Also, I am not saying that the Inca tank will not fit captpete13's V20. The location of captpete13's original fuel tank in the pictures appear to be in the same location as my boat. However, the dead rise angle of the deep V hull at the transom to about amidships of the V20 (about 23 degrees) has not changed since Raymond Hunt, (the naval architect that designed the V20) originally designed the boat. I am not trying to be argumentative, just trying to give everyone the benefit of my unpleasant fuel tank experience's with my 1984 V20 Cuddy!

Geek

Hi MJ,
I may be wrong but, the problem with V20 fuel tanks corroding did not effect saddle tanks because they were not in the bilge and I don't think they were foamed in. As I understand it, the foamed in 60 gallon tanks corroded from the outside-in due to trapped bilge water penetrating the foam and corroding the outside of the tank.

Geek

No real progress since the pics. We have been so busy winterizing I haven't had the motovation to do anything. Its amazing,we had been steady but not busy winterizing for a while. Right after Thanksgiving it went nuts. Now everyone wants out. I guess I will take it while I can get it. After I get some Christmas shopping done I should be able to make more progress on the boat. But for now I am a winterizing robot. Fog the motor,change gearlube,grease,nontox nontox nontox.... Next

Looks good, dont stop.

Wazzup Hammer...

Its been a while but I finally started to work on the boat again. Yesterday I spent well over 2 hours grinding fiberglass. Not exactly fun. Today I made cardboard templates of the new bulkheads then transferred them to 3/4 plywood. I also cut a 2" dia PVC pipe in half and laid it in for bilge drainage. Hopefully tomorrow I will be applying fiberglass.

today I managed to lay down some fiberglass. I got the pipe and center bulkhead glassed in.

looks good capt....:beer:

Great work, Pete!!...looks like she'll be ready before the Spring thaw...:nice:

thanks guys. I still have a long way to go. So far its going pretty good. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to set up the fishbox. That should start going together next week. I'm going to try to get the other two bulkheads up today.

Wonderful work, I wish you were close by I would have invited myself over to help you. Professional work for sure. Keep us posted

thanks nymack. I could of used some help yesterday. I glassed in the other two bulkheads. They were a little harder because they are below the floor that is still attached to the boat. When in place there is only 3/4" clearance between them. The way I apply fiberglass is I put the cloth on a piece of cardboard,completely wet it with resin. Then pull it off the cardboard and put it in place on the boat. It was pretty challenging pulling this giant sheet of wet woven roving through a 3/4" slot but I did it. It turned out pretty good,so far. My wife has to work till 3 today so I have some time to kill. Maybe I can get some more done today.

Capt, you got some great lookin' work goin' on there...one question though and admittedly, I might not be seeing something...the sections between the bulkheads appear to be well sealed off from each other with no way for water to run to the stern should it get into those sections sooner or later...also keep in mind I've never done this level of work, but should there be a way for water to find it's way aft from inside those areas?...

your right reel. I don't plan on any water getting into those areas. the aft one is for the gas tank and the fwd one is for the fishbox. the pvc running down the keel will drain any water from fwd of the fishbox to the aft bilge. I really lucked out today. One of the guys I work with started to make a pen for his alligator but never finished it. Now he gave away the gator and he said I could have the pen for its plywood to use on my project. Also in the pen is a rectangular shaped pond tub. It looked like it might work for my fishbox. So I put it in the boat for a test fit. IT FITS PERFECT! Once its foamed in place it should work just fine. I'm going to put a 1 1/2" drain in the bottom and plumb it to a macerator for pumping it out. Here are some pics. Let me know what you guys think. Sure beats building one out of plywood and fiberglass.

Captpete, no disrespect to you or your work(is really amazing), but water eventualy WILL get there, even condesation. What i would do in your case now is i would drill some holes on the PVC tube just for the "in case water gets there" theory. When you make your cover for your gas tank you will have to install an inspection plate, maybe two of them, those things leak after a while. I would think it twice about no drains between bulkheads before i cover the floor.

I had thought about drilling some drain holes in the pvc in the event of water leaking in. But then standing bilge water will always be able to wick up into the foam. The bilge is never dry. The way the pump is setup there is always about 2" of water back there that the pump can't get out. I think I would rather calk the s**t out of everything as I put it together. Plus I figure if everthing if foamed in properly there is no room for condensation.

Excellent work there Captpete! Looks like you've got everything under control. The only thing I would consider is as others said and drill maybe 3/8-1/2in. holes in that drain pipe next to your keel. I often wonder how the water gets in, but it ALWAYS seem to find a way into your bilge. I keep a really nice boat cover on my V and keep it under the front of an old store next door out of the weather. The other day I went out to winterize it, raised the bow up and found about 5 gallons of water in the bilge. I guess it blew up under the shed roof and seeped through the cover somehow. Water can splash into the rod holders, bilge vents and deck hatches and always seem to find a way in. When I rebuilt my V, I could see where water got in and sat in the bilge causing rot and damage that I replaced.

Guy's when I open my Tank area it was sealed off also with no drains etc. I insert a new polymer tank and marine foamed (close cell foam) it back in.
The top of my tank is curved in naturally so if any water penetrates in or condensation I would have see the accumulation on top of the tank, Just out of curiosity I opened one of the inspection hatch cover and have never seen any traces of water, I however saw 2 stroke oil this was because I did not tighten the fuel sender screws correctly which I have since corrected. I finished a tube of 5200 sealing the seam around the deck.
My thought process was I wanted to isolate this area in case the Tank pops a hole and leaks fuel, at lease it will be contained to this area only and will not hit the bilge pump and I go Kabul :)

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...20move/1-1.jpg

http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...t%20move/4.jpg
Foam
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...20move/2-1.jpg
Gel
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...t%20move/1.jpg
PITA 5200 applied
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...t%20move/2.jpg

Please don't laugh at me Guy's if this is silly for reasons I don't know. Why not seal off the area and use it without any insert at all for your fish box? Will the material this insert you are trying to use hold up to the elements?