Fuel tank replacement - 2006 FV250 EC

andyd

I'm looking at replacing my fuel tank due to a leak, probably caused by corrosion. The boat has floated in sea water its whole life, nine years. Yes, worst case scenario, ouch. So the engine is coming out and the 2 month old drive will be coming off. That is the easy part. Any tips on removing the old tank from someone with experience of the job would be much appreciated. I know it involves cutting fiberglass, and I've read about someone who had the same problem on a 270. I'm reading that the tank will slide backwards into the engine bay once there is clearance.
Andy

rasbury

wow, keep us posted......i have not had the displeasure of this but I'm guessing I will....if you can pull the motor and the out drive, I'm thinking that should be the worst of it!

JoeStang

Stories like this make me so happy my gas tank is plastic, sorry to hear about the headache.

Cableguy Greg

I recall someone else replacing their tank. I know Tiki's tank was replaced, but I thought that was before he bought the boat. His boat originally came with a 100 gallon tank and it was replaced with an 80 gallon tank.

stoneham

Yes, the engine and outdrive r&r will be the easy part. I've done 2 270's! You will have to remove the a section of the aft cabin floor and the firewall. I removed the aft cabin carpet and stripped both sides of the firewall bulkhead. Made 4 cuts with a hole saw in the aft cabin floor to determine tank location. Made horizontal cuts to the floor and continued vertically up and down the fire wall and removed floor and firewall as one piece. I recomend making sure the tank is empty of fuel and filled with water and keep work area well ventilated at all times.Good luck, you'll need it...its alot of work.

rasbury

man, I will have to look at mine again....on top of my tank is the ginny- no where near the aft floor?

andyd

@stoneham Thanks for the hands on info and I appreciate all the other comments.

The tank is fully drained and the bilge completely clean and dry. Yes, there will be residual fumes in the tank, and it will have to be completely purged or there is a huge explosion risk. This morning the boat was moved from the slip to the ramp using a temporary tank spliced to the fuel line, and that worked like a charm. She was trailered to the yard in Costa Mesa that did my recent outdrive swap for engine/drive removal. The next steps will involve by the far the biggest challenge, the cutting you describe.

When you say "aft cabin" do you mean the "mid berth?" I'm not sure the 270 has the same layout as the 250. As you say, a lot of cutting is needed.
I spoke on the phone with an outfit in San Diego, American Tanks (www.americantanks.com) They make custom fuel tanks in any size and configuration, and are currently doing about 50 boat tank replacements a year. What I learned on that call made me feel a bit better about the situation, but it's still a very bad situation.

I'm unsure if the cause was external corrosion, or internal corrosion to do with ethanol, or a combination of both. It's still a mystery. I'll keep y'all posted.
Andy

andyd

Correction on the American Tanks website, it's www.americantanks.net. So sorry.

rasbury

I thought when you said you did 2 270's, you had one for some reason, my bad....so the 270 is about the same as the 250?

andyd

The tank was removed successfully this morning, I was not there to see the work in progress, but apparently it went as well as could be expected. There is an 1/8" hole caused by external corrosion. I'll have photos after I visit the shop later today.
Andy

stoneham

Hi Guys, The 250 and the 270 are essentially the same layout with the aft cabin in front of the eng. compartment.I suspect you will find there was a drain problem and or the tank may have been making contact with the hull.  I originally thought you were doing the work yourself. Just be sure the new tank is cradled properly and drainage is more than adequate. The glass work under the tank may need to be cleaned up. Good luck.

andyd

@stoneham Thanks for the advice. Here are a couple of views of the tank space under the midberth, one from the cabin and one from the engine bay. Honestly, this is not the kind of work I have the huevos or skills to do myself, and the restoration of this is going to take a while.

The hull looks in good shape and you can see the original rubber strips that supported the tank. Again, the corrosion appears to be from the outside in.

I didn't get a photo of the old tank because it is already at the fabricators being used as a template. I've been told by a couple of different people this tank shop is the best in So. Cal. and I'm going to make sure this is my last tank repair ever.
Andy

Dream_Inn

Wow, thanks for the pictures!  Really puts it in to perspective.  I guess do any other maintenance you can while you can take advantage of the open space.  Hoping all will go well and you get her back on the water shortly!

rasbury

What did this cost?

andyd

@Dream_Inn Thanks for the kind words. I love this boat and plan to keep it for a long time. It the right size for my needs. I'm still a diehard Rinker fan. I've owned her about four and a half years and had four years of relatively trouble free enjoyment. She's free and clear of any debt, which mitigates somewhat the dollars I've poured into improving her and the various repairs.

Looking at her yesterday it felt like the time we remodeled the house back to the studs and had a huge mess and clear plastic keeping out the weather. The feeling was "gee, I hope all this goes back together OK!"

Since the XDP drive was replaced by the OceanX in January, I've used the boat more than ever, going out three to five times a week taking advantage of our summer-like winter weather. The new drive made her feel like a new and different (better) boat. So I'll overcome this obstacle, learn from it, and move on. One benefit, I know this boat inside and out now, literally!
Andy

andyd

@rasbury I don't have an exact labor cost due to the various unknowns going in. The engine and drive removal are easy to figure out, as is the cost of the new tank, around $1,000. All told probably a week of work not accounting for delays for tank fabrication. It will obviously be multiple thousands of dollars when all is said and done. Fortunately I have trust in the owner of the shop doing the work, and frankly this is just one of those "bite the bullet" moments in a boat owner's life. It's either pay for the repair or scrap a $25K+ boat. That choice made it an easy, if difficult, decision.
Andy

mattmangion

andyd said:

@stoneham Thanks for the advice. Here are a couple of views of the tank space under the midberth, one from the cabin and one from the engine bay. Honestly, this is not the kind of work I have the huevos or skills to do myself, and the restoration of this is going to take a while.

The hull looks in good shape and you can see the original rubber strips that supported the tank. Again, the corrosion appears to be from the outside in.

I didn't get a photo of the old tank because it is already at the fabricators being used as a template. I've been told by a couple of different people this tank shop is the best in So. Cal. and I'm going to make sure this is my last tank repair ever.
Andy

Hi Andy,
Wow, thanks for sharing this - I have the 250 - built 2002, i need to go through this tank replacement too, however, I am a bit wary since i dont have a clue where to start cutting - i have emailed rinker to ask for a blueprint or some sort of drawing or measurements of where the tank sits so I can cut accordingly - Your images really help, however would you have any measurements?
Thanks in advance

Matt

raybo3

andyd if I were you I would take advantage of the engine being out. I would replace the bilge pump and check all hose and clamps. Do a complete cleaning and so on and so on...... Good luck and keep us posted.

Handymans342

He just had the engine out to replace the drive. 

andyd

@mattmangion I don't have measurements as I'm not anywhere near the boat at the moment. However be aware the numbers and tank dimensions might be different between your 2002 and my 2006, not sure.  If you look at the front of your tank you should see a sticker applied by the manufacturer with capacity info and model #. You could call the factory and get the exact dimensions. The photos give you a pretty good idea of where to cut, and I suggest a few exploratory drill holes around the perimeter of the tank before going to town with the Sawzall.
Andy

andyd

Before starting this job I did call the very helpful lady at Rinker, Cindy, and asked about getting boat plans. Apparently they are not available as the last 250 was built seven years ago.
Andy

andyd

@raybo3 Thanks, you are right about the access, but as Handymans342 mentioned, I did have the opportunity to do what you suggest back in January. I'll need to replace the bilge pump (again) due to fuel contamination. Thankfully the pump did not kick in and pump gas out of the boat. I hear that the fine for a spill into the ocean over a few gallons is $5K.
The battery charger will be replaced, it's been flaky for a while. I'm also thinking about putting a small inspection hatch in the bulkhead to make impeller replacement and front engine access a bit easier!
Andy

mattmangion

@andyd, I find it hard to believe that Rinker don't have plans of this, but anyway I rummaged around and found the manual that came with the boat - i am assuming it's to scale - what do you think?

andyd

@mattmangion Sorry, no, that isn't to any scale and is just way too generic, mostly a way for novice owners to identify various components. Not useful at all for this kind of job.
Andy

mattmangion

Bugger!

rasbury

wow, I just don't get that you have to pull interior walls to get this out- certainly it is boxed in below with I guess what you would call a bulkhead/large stringer which if only a cut into that the depth of the tank and it would almost look to me that it would come out of my 270 without pulling the motor- not interested in confirming that however!

rasbury

and the other thought I would have, if I did not have a genny sitting to top of the tank, is to just install another tank on top of the old one and just leave it in there and find a way to secure the new tank?

Cableguy Greg

Ras, the 250 doesn't have the space in the engine room that a 270 or 280 has. I have close to 3 feet of tank in my engine room, but to change the tank, I would still have to remove the floor in the aft cabin. Probably not as much as what they had to do above.

rasbury

well, here's to never having to find out!

andyd

The fabrication of the new tank will be finished the end of next week. It uses thicker gauge aluminum. I want a tank that will take a hit from a .50 cal BMG round and only leave a small dent, LOL.
Andy

Handymans342

Better use 1 inch plate steel then Andy.