New to this site and New to the V-20
 

Hey guys,

I picked up this 1983 Step-lift cuddy with a 2003 Suzuki 115 4-stroke (http://wellcraftv20.com/community/sh...ad.php?t=19197) a little over a month ago and have been working on as much as possible after my work hours.

So far I have....:
1. Purchased a Veada lounge seat in all white with legs and storage (http://veada.com/boat-lounge-seats/b...s-ld20014.html). I have not installed it yet, but that will come in a week or two. I went this route to make the GF and friends happy when I'm not taking the boat out fishing.

2. I have used a rubber wheel to strip off all adhesive stickers, pin striping, old emblems, etc... This process has left what looks to be in tact wax or gel coat where the rest of the boat has oxidized. I am still looking into a way to repair or remove this lair before I polish and wax the hull. I may just cover them up with new pin-striping and new vinyl striping.

3. I have purchased MaryKates on&off, a fiberglass repair kit, rod holders, flag holders (for diving and USA!) teak cleaner with sikkens cetol, Protec boat detail kit, wellcraft emblems, and other odds and ends

4. I have changed all oils, filters, spark plugs on the Zuke' with all recommended brands and weights. This took the uncertainties out of purchasing a used motor and gave me peace of mind.

5. I most recently removed the abandoned 60 gallon fuel tank and cleaned out the hull of all debris. The previous owner tried the power washer method. I, fortunately had access to a mini-excavator and went to town with that. We managed to loosen the tank with the mini, but couldn't get the tank out since I left so much foam in tact. I ended up using a cutting wheel, cut a 1' section out of the middle of the tank and took it out that way. I did discover 3 different holes in the aluminum and discovered that all fiberglass was in tact underneath! The whole process of removing the tank and getting the foam removed took only 4 hours.

I have been searching the forum quite a bit and I think I have the 44.75" x 31" , 60 gallon tank, however the opening in the boat is 47.5"x32". I should have measured the tank prior to chopping it up, but I was in the zone. Can anyone give me a part number for a moeller gas tank that has been dropped into the factory location? I would like to purchase this as soon as possible, but havent developed a definitive answer as to which part number i could use. Any help would be appreciated here.



I am very excited to get this thing in the water (hopefully around July 4th) and I will absolutely keep this thread updated.


Brandon (MA,CT area)

I will reserve this post too add more pics at a later date. I know the pics I posted were sub-par.

Welcome aboard. Word to the wise, Don't let Stink get his hands on the mini-excavator, it will never be the same again.. What you have done so far is great. I have no number for a Moeller tank. There are a few fab shops around Fl that can make a new one out of aluminum.
Maddsen & Co. made me one. Bob's Welding and Fab has made them for me and a few others.. Bob's leaked like a sieve, Therefore, I recommend leak testing it before you get too far along on the re-installation. I like to coat the aluminum tanks with coal tar resin prior to installation. Nothing is tougher IMO..

Hi Bpitz15. Welcome to the site. Great entrance.. not all of us have access to an excavator. I'm jealous. Nice looking boat. That's a great pic of the side of the boat looking thru the side view mirror. Love that one. You were right to remove that tank. Judging by the pic of that one hole it was an explosion waiting to happen. Sorry I can't help you with the tank size, but there will be other, more knowledgable people along shortly that will be able to. For now, welcome and happy boating. :beer:

Welcome to the forum, good luck with your "new" boat!

I should probably get a new seat for mine too.

rkc

Yea the mirror shot is cool for sure.....You give that hull a wet sand, compound and wax you may be able to get that hull pretty close to what that stripe looks like. I had the same effect with a large vinyl sticker on the side of mine...its nearly invisible now.

OOOOOOoooo! good idea!! I may have to give that a try! What grit paper should I go with?


Thanks for the warm welcome everybody. That pic with it in my mirror was the day I took her home.

when I did my 84 (same as 83 I think) i didn't find a Moeller that was quite right. fill & vents are in wrong place. Took the old one to Atlantic Welding Bayville, NJ. They matched the outside dimensions but didn't write them on the receipt, sorry. They did use thicker aluminum and added more baffles so it went from a 60 gal to a 57 gal.

Don't forget. the tank compartment is designed to be a dry space. It does not drain to bilge! always SEAL the hatch!

I don't mind dropping into the 40-50 gallon range in my boat. I think I just need to do the research here and choose my best option. I would like to avoid going custom built for this as I am trying to keep the costs down.

I think I did the heavy stuff with 800 first and then 1200 if I recall? Do a few google searches and you'll find everyone's favorite method. I had the garden hose on mist in one hand and sandpaper in the other and just went at it.