fuel tank

fillet1

fillet1

Junior Member
Can anyone give me a L x w x ht dimension for the 65 gal tank in my 85? The tank is located forward in the cockpit next to the helm on the centerline.

I'd take any names of suppliers if you have it also. ;)
 
Hey Fillet, I went through this last year. I had one built locally. for $460.00. The supplier on the original tank was in Perry Florida. But they told me that they dont build them any more. I had to take my old tank to him and had him match it. I have the same exact same setup as your boat. When you get your new one. Sherwin Williams has an epoxy bottom paint for alluminum boats that works well for painting your new tank.
 
I have the 2 alum. Sides that are factory and the extra 25 gal belly tank is plastic! Thats the only way to go.
 
I had an older (1978) V20 CC that I bought used and fished offshore in the GOM out of Port Aransas Tx for 12-14 years until I finally won a tournament that basically bought me a new boat.
I did a lot of maintanance on that boat over the years and figured it was about due for a new fuel tank when I sold it. (It wasn't leaking, but had some salt corrosion on top around the petcock and guage sender)
Looks like there's a lot of experience on this board so I thought I'd ask......
Were (are) those aluminum belly tanks in the V20s prone to fail in a certain time frame? (The transom was having some problems, too.)

That was my first offshore boat and I really loved it. I ran it all those years and basically got what I paid for it when I sold.
That was one fish catchin boat. :)
 
Fillet...Pipe Dream might be able to help you w/tank dimensions as he replaced his, but I don't know what year his is...

Kingfish...I think aluminum repeatedly exposed to saltwater will fail at a given time...sounds like you are one lucky boatowner and get to use it often. and what previous owner did is a who-knows...so for yours to corrode around the top fittings is not surprising... ;)
 
I saw this thread yesterday but didn't think I could add anything relevant as fillet says his tank is next to the helm -- mine is aft of that, so I don't know how they compare. Dimensions are complicated, as the bottom of the tank is V-shaped but flat on the bottom, kind of like this: \_/ I'm sure I still have the sketch with dimensions somewhere around here, so Fillet, if you have access to a fax I could fax it to you.
Florida Marine Tanks has specs on old Wellcraft tanks (so I understand) and can make a new one out of aluminum for you. I had a plastic tank built to same dimensions by Triple "M" Plastic Products in Kennebunk, Maine for about the same price quoted by Florida Marine for aluminum. It's foamed in and will probably outlast both me and the boat! :)
 
Pipe,
Thanks for that info.
I am starting to think that I am better off replacing the tank now while I have the time, rather then finding out in the spring that I have a problem and lose fishing time as a result. Its good to know that you can foam in the plastic. Since I only have a 115 on the back and dont plan on running more than ten to twenty miles tops on any given day, i was thinking I could get away with a smaller tank if I had to.

In removing the acces ports on the fuel tank hatch, I definitely smell gas, but not a strong odor. This is after the boat has been sitting for a while. It smells in the aft bilge area too, but there are fuel lines, oil tanks etc back there as well.

In removing the tank first- what the heck do I do with the 50 gals of gas in the tank already? Thats a lot of $$$ for 5 gal gas cans to store it!!

Second -is there a point where the tank will "break free" from the remaining foam once I get enough of it out? or is it adhered to the hull bottom somehow? Do I need a chain hoist or something to break it lose?
 
DON'T downsize your tank, Fillet....if you don't wanna carry so much, just don't fill 'er up ;)....never know when a bigger motor might come along... :)...believe me, bro...keep same capacity... ;D
 
What size you go to is your call, I had to maintain capacity as I was moving up in HP. Gasoline odor in the bilge, while it may not be a tank problem, definitely needs to be addressed. I would begin by checking all my connections and eliminate them as the source.
50 gallons is a lot of gas! I supposed you could ask your favorite local boat shop if they have a 55 gal drum (clean) that you could siphon the fuel into, or get into your boat this weekend and take a trip! 8)
The tank isn't secured other than by the foam, and I mean it is SECURED by the foam! Getting the foam out is the worst part of the job, tedious and time consuming. Which was another reason for me to get the plastic tank -- don't want to have to repeat that job.
But check your fuel lines before you get into all that.
 
Seakindly said:
SH - The last boat I rebuilt, I bought 2 part expanding foam from a private plastics lab, locally. I don,t know what West or BW sells. Point is they had foams of different densities. For flotation you want maximum expansion - say a 2gal kit yields 10 cubic feet. For bedding a fuel tank you want minimum expansion - say a 2 gallon kit yields 3-5 cubic feet.

Also use a mixing tool on an electric drill. If you mix by hand the foam will start expanding before you have finished mixing.

Be careful using this stuff in enclosed places under decks. The expansion forces are for real, and you can "blow your boat". :o
Click to expand...

F1 - OTHER INFO IN THIS THREAD TO CHECK OUT
 
Interesting links, John.

The first one is about alum tanks, and is good if you have to use an alum tank, though I don't know why you would want to.

The second one has some good tips for installing tanks of different materials, including alum and plastic. I don't see why you would want to use plastic sheeting to prevent the tank from adhering to the foam, if you are using a plastic tank. The tank should outlast the boat and should not need to be removed. I would rather have my plastic tank locked in place by the foam, rather than bouncing around when it is only partly full while traveling home in rough seas.
 
Has anybody ever had problems with the plastic tank fittings and flanges? Last year a friends boat had a rotted flange on the top of a plastic tank. The manufacture installed a Galvanized fitting as the pickup tube flange, we never did find one. Ended up having a local alluminum guy make one to fit we drilled our own holes. It still took some JB weld to get it to stop leaking. Happened in the Keys in June talk about hot! wheew.
 
just thought Id get it in there. But thats no place to be soppin up fuel from a bilge in the summer. But the V20 was runnin fine we slayed the dolphin daily at bahia honda. Should have brought a freezer. He has a sea swirl and it had that bad flange. He had the tank so full that it was leaking out the top of the flange.
 
Fillet, I just remembered last year I was smelling gas through the access control panel at the helm. Had to replace the fuel filler hose because it runs down the starboard side under the floor over the stringer to the top of the tank. Fuel would stand in the bottom of the curve and slowly drip out. It was fun wrestlin that thing through there. Hope it helps.
 
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