Should i foam it ??
 

Heard from the welder today and he said my fuel tank will be ready on Friday. The question i have is, should i foam it in , strap it in , or secure it with wood or such?? Thanks in advance. Tight lines.

Scott

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I will wait for the answer to your question as well.

How much was your new tank? If you don't mind me asking.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I was going to ask the same question next week. My thoughts are to use the wedges that I found under the tank in the same location and strap down on top of them. I'm interested in hearing other opinions.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Randle, ive got a 45 gallon tank and its 400.00 even.Its Coast Guard approved and he tests it up to 4 psi.He uses 1/8 inch aluminum. Or .125 I was told that since its only 45 gallons not to worry about using 4lb density foam. How big are yall 's tanks ??

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I have read several times that it is best to use straps or wood tie downs. The reason they give is that the foam traps moister which cuts down on the life of the tank. You will want the tank sit on some type of runners so it will be off the bottom of the boat allowing air and water to pass.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

So i should use a combination of both ??

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

One thing ya wanna make sure of is that the alum. is protected from anything as hard as fiberglass...the MANY vibrations it'll suffer over time will wear thru no matter how well you secure it...I used 1/4" black rubber under mine...


...and when you install it, MAKE SURE the TANK itself (in addition to the fuel gauge) is GROUNDED to the filler-cap...static elec. and gas fumes don't make a good combination, unless your goal is to look like Wiley Coyote after one of his Acme Bombs goes off prematurely :o ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I've been looking into the same thing. Here's what the CG boys have to say http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/bo...FUELSYSTEM.pdf

Here's another take http://marinesurvey.com/yacht/fueltank.htm

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

The *original 60 gal tank was removed and replaced with this 28 gal tank. *As you can see, it is strapped in. *It has wood blocks underneath to keep it off the floor.


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...101_0089-1.jpg


Man, a 45 gal tank would be perfect.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Those are some good links...good info for installing tanks...Pascoe's description of runnin' plastics strips ''crossways'' of the tank I'm not sure about...wouldn't it drain better if run "longways"...in other words; WITH the length of the hull ... if the boat's tilted up, I can see where crossways would trap water ... :D ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I agree witth you reel. Just seems to make more sense. ??? Randle why did you go from a 60 to a 28 gallon tank?? Seems to be a BIG differance.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

PH...randleman just got the boat...previous owner did the tank ;) ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Actually I think it was the previous previous owner......I guess they went for the cheepest thing that would fit.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

My 25 spare is installed like randles. Been that way for 3 year or better never a problem. Mine is a plastic tank.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I used an anti fatigue mat that I bought at Home cheapo. The mat is what they use in restaurant kitchens. It was around $20. It's a little less than 1" thick. I cut it into 3 long strips and put my tank on that. I used some wood on top to hold it in place and used a small amount of foam only in each corner. It is a plastic 52 gallon tank. http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...ew&i=30458
I'll post some pictures soon - hopefully tonight


Carl

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Here the foam that was under the old 46 gallon tank. I probably took out 150 pounds of wet foam

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0005.jpg



Here it is all cleaned out and the rubber strips ready to be placed under the tank

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0003.jpg

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

A few more pics of the job

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0006.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0002.jpg


Here you can see more of the new tank sitting on the storage seat
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0004.jpg


Ready to get wet
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...anaru_0007.jpg

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Good Job there Carl!

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

That plastic 52 gal would be about right for randleman's fuel-sippin Zukie ;) ... nice install, Carl... ;) ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Scott,
Foamed my 45 gal. when I reinstalled. However, before installation I cut 1 1/2 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe in half and laid it along both sides of the keel for drainage. Put in some foam to hold the pvc drains, set the tank in and added more foam. Sorry, don't have any pictures, will try to do better.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Yeah, if it would fit. It looks like about 40 - 45 gal is the best I am going to find without going custom. But temporarily I will just carry a 6.5 portable with me on long trips.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Thanks to everyone . Fishing in a tournamnet this weekend and will probably install the new tank Monday morning.Thanks to all who chimed in.Im gonna foam it in for sure. I like the idea of the mat from Home Cheapo.Thanks again. Will post pictures while i do it.

Scott ;D

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

24" W x 60" L x 10" Deep...will she go ??? ...go back to 1st page and find his link to that tank... :D ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

One item to note about that tank: I had to move a frame forward a bit for the tank to fit. I accepted that because from what I could see of the frame, it was in poor shape. What I found out, was the only function it performed was holding the foam in place. It was not structurally attached to the boat. There was a 1x1 piece of wood in the corners with two screws goin to the frame and 2 screws going the side of the hull. I took that out, cut a new frame and glassed it in a little further forward than it was so the tank could fit. You can see the new frame in the pictures. Just keep that in mind. I was going to make that tank fit anyway, because I bought it from a guy at work for about half price.

Carl

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Umm, I'd be curious as to who said those bulkheads, or wood frame between the stringer provided no structural support. ??? I could be windtalk'n here but I think they are suppose to help minimize flex as well as adding support to the stringers. Of course, I'm no engineer and I haven't stayed at a holiday inn express lately, so I could just be talk'n out my whazoo ::)

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Jeff,

I agree with you that the frames are supposed to be structural members of the boat. However, once I removed all the foam, I found out that the frame just forward of the fuel tank was not serving a structural purpose. I only held the foam in place because after I removed two screws from each side the frame fell out. That is why I cut new wood and fiberglassed in a new frame as an intergral structural member of the boat.

Carl

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

My gas tank hole is 31" W x 43 " L x 15 " D

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Did any of you guys have to cut your deck to get your old tank out ?? About 3/4 of my tank was below the deck and had to be cut. Just curious.

Scott

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Say WHAT?! :o ...

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I thought the plastic tanks had problems with the new ethanol gas.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Thats fiberglass tanks that have the problem

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Carl
I hope I don't bring you bad news but if that frame was only in there to hold the foam and now you glassed it in to help provide structural support you may have put the hull in a rigid bind (not let the hull flex) which may cause stress cracks. I've never done the numbers on my V-20 (i/o) but I know if you move or make a new gas tank up fwd it adds additional weight to that area fo the bow and may not let the bow relax after take off and cause a binding area with the new gas tank and additional port to stbd framing. If you just galssed it in and didn't fully secure it prior to glassing then just glasssing it won't cause a 100% rigid member.

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

But the good morning post will. ;D

(Not the new one either >:()

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

Do the poly tanks have baffles in them ?? Someone told me no, so i went with alum.

Scott

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I think if the Poly tanks want CG approval they have to be baffled... But I could just be baffled myself ::)

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

I have a 25 gal tank no baffle, my two 20 gal under gunnel from the factory have no baffles either

Re: Should i foam it ??
 

The 52 gal I have I don't believe has baffles in it. I don't believe the 40 gal I took out had baffles either.

garagenc,
the frame I added is has a couple of screws to the stringer then glassed in. The frame that came out looked like someone messed around with it prior to me taking it out. It had some fiberglass on the lower half, but nothing on the upper half, which eventually made the whole thing mush.

Carl