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Fuel tank removal through the cabin, 2000 Fiesta Vee

SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
in Engine Discussions

As you can see by my attached photographs I have successfully removed my 100gal gas tank through the cabin. I did not have to remove the engine saving me lots of money. All I did was cut the firewall and rear bunk floor then I pulled the tank up and out through the cabin. I will now have a new tank built and reinstall the tank. I will leave the replacement of the wood and carpet to the professionals.

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    pault1216pault1216 Member Posts: 206 ✭✭✭
    Great pic of where the tank was. Good to know. Good luck.
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    skennellyskennelly Member Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭✭
    Holy cow.  What model boat is that?
    2002 - 270FV Mag 350 B3
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    randy56randy56 Member Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Seazop, good job, not a fun project in the hot summer. Notice the floor is kinda black, what do you supose rotted the tank? was it hard to find the replacement?
    Boat Name : 

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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭

    Saltwater between the tank and hull pitted the tank in four areas, each area was approximately 5inches round. The rubber collapsed under the 600lbs+ weight of the fuel causing the tank to sit on the hull causing water to be trapped. FYI, there is an overflow between the front bilge and the rear bilge where water can flow from the front cabin to the engine compartment.

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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Oh, and it isn't necessary to remove the starboard wall where the a/c is located. This would have saved me about 1.5hrs of work.
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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Shennelly, it's a 2000 270 Fiesta Vee which I believe is the same hull as the 1999 through 2005 270FV.
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    randy56randy56 Member Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Seazop, thanks for updates, woo hoo no saltwater in my neiborhood  :) had me worried ,so how are you going to stop it from happening again?
    Boat Name : 

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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Rubber strips going at a 45deg angle towards the stern.
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    Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bad design
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    skennellyskennelly Member Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭✭
    @randy56 I'm with you.  Closest salt to me is on my steak I grill on the dock :)
    2002 - 270FV Mag 350 B3
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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Here's my leak (opened up with a screwdriver)  
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    jme097jme097 Member Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭
    God that looks like a nightmare. So glad I am in freshwater!
    Boat Name: Knot A Worry
    2007 280 Rinker Express 6.2L B3
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    raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,459 admin
    jme097 said:
    God that looks like a nightmare. So glad I am in freshwater!
    I do not think that has anything to do with salt water. To me that looks like it is corrosion maybe caused from dissimilar metals (like sitting on a screw head) or just sitting in constant water. 
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
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    Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ray, what do we have to look forward too???????????
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    Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,559 mod
    Thanks for posting some pictures!  Definitely not something anyone wants to go thru, but the pics will definitely help someone out in the future.

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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    aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 8,810 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Just curious, how's the condition of the inside of the tank?
    2008 330EC
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    jme097jme097 Member Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭
    That to me looks like the tank just sat in water. But regardless its not pretty lol
    Boat Name: Knot A Worry
    2007 280 Rinker Express 6.2L B3
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    rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,241 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @Seazop having trouble picturing in my mind exactly where you pulled the tank out- through the cabin doorway? I know you wanted to do this yourself, but, with what it looks like you now have to fix, seems it would have been easier to pull the motor and take it out that way and less "repairs" to the floor and interior?
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    aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 8,810 ✭✭✭✭✭
    rasbury said:
    @Seazop having trouble picturing in my mind exactly where you pulled the tank out- through the cabin doorway? I know you wanted to do this yourself, but, with what it looks like you now have to fix, seems it would have been easier to pull the motor and take it out that way and less "repairs" to the floor and interior?
    At least this way he can access and clean the surface under the tank.
    2008 330EC
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    TrashmanTrashman Member Posts: 432 ✭✭✭
    Holy mackerel!  I would just throw up.
    I love the forum but I gotta stop clicking on the bad titles, lol. I'm becoming scared and paranoid the same events are gonna happen to me!.  Good luck seazop!! Hopefully you'll be in the water soon. 
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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Rasbury, The tank was taken out towards the bow then out through the cabin door towards the stern. The floor and firewall needed to be cut away even if the engine was pulled out, so it saved me from pulling the engine and costing a lot more money.
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    Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think it may happen to every boat at some point. 
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    pault1216pault1216 Member Posts: 206 ✭✭✭
    Trashman said:
    Holy mackerel!  I would just throw up.
    I love the forum but I gotta stop clicking on the bad titles, lol. I'm becoming scared and paranoid the same events are gonna happen to me!.  Good luck seazop!! Hopefully you'll be in the water soon. 

    Ditto. I loved my Rinkers but have suspended my search 'cause the bad stuff is scaring me! Maybe this fall I can find another boat.
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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    The tank is bad but, remember it's 16 years old.
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    raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,459 admin
    The tank going bad can happen on any boat. That is not a Rinker problem but a boating problem. 
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
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    andydandyd Member Posts: 849 ✭✭✭
    This kind of corrosion and tank failure happened to my 06 FV250 last year. I documented the nightmarish repair process in a posting on this site. I'm impressed how you got the tank out through the cabin, there doesn't appear to be enough room in my cabin to get the tank past the fridge/microwave cabinet. You must have threaded the proverbial needle.

    The yard where I had the work done had a crane and the engine removal was pretty easy. Also, my oil pan had some corrosion and needed replacement too. The other needed work on the motor was much easier out of the boat due to the extremely cramped engine bay. However if your motor doesn't need work and a crane isn't available, then what you have done is apparently a good option on a FV270.

    I would caution anyone looking to buy a salt/brackish water exposed express cruiser of any brand with a single aluminum belly fuel tank to be aware of the expense and trouble this kind of problem causes. My bilge is kept as bone dry as possible now.

    Andy
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    Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Andy, so it was sitting in the bilge. So on the 342s they are on each side high up. 
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    bry1429bry1429 Member Posts: 371 ✭✭✭
    Seems to be a bad design in general, any manufacturer of a boat should Elevate the tank high enough above where the tank could not be exposed to standing water in the bilge. Hopefully boat builders know of this horrible design flaw and engineers tank installs to avoid this.
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    SeazopSeazop Member Posts: 23 ✭✭
    I plan on cutting some 2" strips out of some old Marine Mat to lift the tank up about a half inch leaving a 2" gap in the middle for drainage. Hopefully this will hold the 600+lbs of fuel and keep the drain open. The tank is being built now at a cost of $1,000.
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    andydandyd Member Posts: 849 ✭✭✭
    @Seazop Your precautions are prudent. I would suggest if you haven't already that you increase the aluminum sheet metal gauge from the OEM tank assuming a custom tank shop is building it. Although for me 2015 was a year that will live in boat ownership infamy, my enjoyment of my Rinker in the 14 months since getting a new tank and outdrive has been outstanding.

    Other than the problems with having a boat built around a gas tank that can fail prematurely, putting the fuel tank at the bottom of the bilge makes sense in regards to having the weight of the fuel act as ballast low down in the hull which gives the boat some more desirable handling characteristics I would assume.

    Andy
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