I, too, feel I need to inspect the innards of my 30 year old aluminum
tank. A number of these postings on gasoline tanks and Judy B's Bijou
website discuss draining the tank by unscrewing the filter-fittings
plate and pumping the gas out from the top. Does anyone know what
special precautions you should take when doing this? How large is the
risk of blowing yourself sky high from a friction spark?
Thanks
Larry Pinto
Hardtack
Calvert Marina
Solomon's Island, Maryland
27' Catalina (#3401M77H)
On Mar 12, 2007, at 2:46 PM, Chris Maddox wrote:
Doug,
Depending upon your C27s vintage, the tank may not be removable
without getting out the old sawzall (or equivalent). My 1976 has a 14
gallon aluminum tank which definitely would not fit through the
openings.
I'd be a bit leery of a bladder fuel tank. Are they CQ approved for
permanent (main-tank) use?
If your boat is of an older variety, take a look at Dr. Judy's Bijou
page with her fuel tank adventures. Excellent stuff. She had planned
to cut the tank up to remove it, rather than to cut the glass - not
clear how that went.
http://www.blumhorst.com/catalina27/gas_tank_replacement_1.htm
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Kuschner
Sent: Mar 12, 2007 3:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: Leaky fuel tank repair/replacement
Hi Casey,
Thanks for the reply. Based on what you wrote I suspect that my tank
is not the original one. There is no fiberglass tabbing and it is
about 3 feet long, so I don't think it will fit through either of the
cutouts in the floor of the quarterberth. It seems to be made out of
aluminum.
Thanks
On 3/12/07, Casey Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Doug,
I pulled my fuel tank out this Summer for general inspection and
cleaning.
The easiest way to get it out is to either cut the fiberglass
tabbing on the
outboard side of the tank, or simply break the tabbing by lightly
prying it
outward, away from the tank. Once you have all of the fuel out (I
suggest
removing the fill hose and pumping the fuel into diesel jugs), the
tank is
pretty light and will fit out of the factory cutout in the
q-berth. Once
you have the old one out, I would simply by a new ethylene tank of
the same
specs. The ethylene will create less condensation on the walls of a
near
empty or empty tank, compared to a metal tank. Just my two cents...
Casey Miller
"Current Affair"
C-27 #6119
East Greenwich, RI
>From: "Doug Kuschner" < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: catalina27-talk <[email protected] >
>Subject: catalina27-talk: Leaky fuel tank repair/replacement
>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:01:24 -0700
>
>My boat has smelled like diesel for years. I checked all the lines
and
>fittings, replaced whatever I could find that could have been
contributing
>and it still smelled. Sometimes I would find fuel in the bilge,
especially
>after a lively sail and an hour or so under power. Finally, a
friend told
>me
>to check under the tank. I found a bunch of fuelish gook under
there and
>did
>my best to reach under and clean it. Then, a week later, under the
tank I
>found fresh fuel. My conclusion is that it is either leaking from
the aft
>end of the tank which is covered in nasty old fiberglass patchwork
or it is
>leaking from corrosion-caused pinholes on the underside.
>
>This leaves me with the need to remove the tank to either repair it
or
>replace it. It seems that there might be three ways to remove it.
One would
>be to remove the engine first, which seems bad. Another would be to
cut out
>the fiberglass on the floor of the quarterberth (the tank is under
the
>qberth). Or, I could cut the tank out. Furthermore, most likely the
tank is
>beyond repair and I will want to replace it. It has been suggested
to me to
>find a flexible fuel tank, otherwise known as a fuel bladder. I
have seen
>what appear to be nice ones from Nauta like this one
>http://www.ahoycaptain.com/shop/product3267.html.
>
>I was hoping to benefit from the list wisdom on the issues of:
>
>1. Is my reasoning correct that the tank has issues?
>2. Should I try to remove it in tact, and if so how, or should I
cut it
>out?
>3. If I decide to replace it, is the Nauta flex tank a good option?
>
>Thanks in advance
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Hardtack
Calvert Marina
Solomon's Island, Maryland
27' Catalina (#3401M77H)
