Fuel Tank

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by awthacker

The downside to it for my application is that the foam will soak up and become saturated with water. The 1" PVC pipe from the cuddy to the bilge appears to be a plan gone wrong. Water has for years been getting trapped against the bulkhead and rotted the bottom of it out. So I cut the bottom of the bulkhead away, and fiberglassed it to seal the wood from further water damage. I removed the PVC pipe and water will freeflow from my cuddy to my bilge along the hull bottom. I can't have foam in there or it will get soaked, as well as impede the movement of water.

Maybe I could build a raised shelf and cover it with a shower pan then rest the tank on top of that? But I was thinking more along the lines of installing some 1x4's above and in front/back of the tank to keep it from moving or floating.

Hmmmm.... Well, wrapping plastic around foam can work from both directions. Why not put a 1/2" or 3/4" PVC pipe in the bilge area for any water to flow thru, then put Visqueen or some other kind of plastic sheeting over the pipe all the way to the top of the bulkhead, shape it as best as possible with duct tape to mirror the cavity where you're going to put the tank. Wrap the tank and put the tank where you want it, put some heavy weights (sandbags?) on top of the tank to keep it from shifting as the foam expands and then pour the foam mixture between the tank and the plastic sheeting. The foam will expand and take the form of the cavity on the bottom and the form of the tank on the top, the plastic sheeting will become a permanent water barrier between the foam and the bilge area, and the plastic pipe will become a conduit for water from the front of the boat to the rear...

OR

You could make a rectangular box out of 2x4's or 2x6's or whatever, that equals the height of your tank. Fiberglass or polyurathane the wood to seal and protect it. Then put the tank where you want it, place the box around the tank and fiberglass it in place. Take two additional boards, place them across the top of the tank and screw them onto the rectangular box to lock the tank down and you're good to go.