Bad Fuel Tank Replacement
Gin_Time
Member Posts: 14 ✭✭
Since 2010 I have been dealing with the fact that my '03 270's fuel tank rotted out from water getting trapped between the bottom of the tank and the hull. plus inconsistencies in the hull mold with sharp edges rubbing through the tank. Unfortunately I received no help from Rinker so I had to do the removal and replacement in steps over the past three years but I am finally completing the replacement and have the new tank in place installed and all hooked up.
Here's my question. Why are there cut outs in the bulkhead to allow water to drain from the bilge into the cabin and trap under the fuel tank? I am considering fiberglassing over these cut outs to water tight the fuel tank compartment to eliminate any chance of this ever happening again.
Thanks!
Comments
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Hi Gin, Welcome home!
Just a thought about the openings. Since your new tank is properly mounted on a spacer system from the deck, water that might find it's way there should not affect the tank and might like to have a way to drain back into the ER.
Any logic to this thought?
Tony
Salt Shaker 342
I guess I have too much time on my hands. One more idea. If you glassed in a small pipe with a valve, you could drain any residual water into the ER whenever needed. With the valve closed, the water would not go the other way.
Tony
I meant it would be set up to drain water out of the fuel tank area. Then you could glass it in and have a way to drain any water out that found its way in there. Just my over engineering tendency showing itself.
Tony
This is getting way too complicated. lol The idea is to separate the fuel cell area from the ER at the lower part of the separating buikhead. This would prevent ER bilge water from sloshing into the fuel cell area. But suppose some water got in there anyway. There should be a way to drain it out into the ER. So a short pipe installed at the lowest point that is glassed over, equipped with a valve, would allow any errant water in the fuel cell area to drain iinto the ER area simply by opening the valve. The ER is normally the lowest point of the boat so by opening the valve, any water in the fuel cell part of the boat should drain into the ER by gravity.
We are hoping that the new fuel cell is years/decades away from a rupture but should that happen, this would keep any spilled fuel out of the ER until the hazmat crew arrives.
whew!
Tony
Personally the tank in our '04 270 has been replaced too but I wouldn't plug that drain if your leak is behind you. Just keep it dry and move on to the next item that'll need attention, after all it's a boat.
If it's still leaking(which sounds over), very few people get away with it more than a brief time (mins/days would be an eternity with raw fuel anywhere in the bilge). An observant yard hand luckily noticed dripping fuel coming from our boats drain plug as it sat unused in the off season in an outside rack a year before we bought her. It would've been terrible to have it accumualate in a sealed void waiting for a catastrophe or flow into the bilge as the crew loads the boat waiting there for the spark of a starter.
An observant mariner will survive many close calls from weather/navigation/mechanical issues, many of which they'll never know how close they really were. Stay safe and be alert so you can build awesome memories and share those pics here. Have fun with that new-again 270.
B-) Mike
Just curious.. what does it cost to have something like done? -=Mike G.
2014 Rinker 260EC
Go Steelers!!!
Called a fuel tank cleaning service, they won't touch anything under 300 gallons, and charges minimum $1800.
Any suggestions other than a match?