new member: need help with fuel tank removal

B

Brettnrs423

New member
Hello all,

This is my first post although i joined this forum a month or two back. I purchased a 1986 v20 a couple months ago and have gained a wealth of information from reading these forums. I finally put my boat in the water about 3 weeks ago and all was well...or so i thought. I discovered quite a bit of leaking fuel entering the keel area and knew right away that it was the tank. After a nerve wrecking trip to the launch i pulled the boat and have since started work to remove and replace the tank. I used a crowbar and the powerwash method to remove as much foam as possible and then attempted to pull the tank using a 2x4 spanning the gunwales and a ratchet tie down. I ended up snapping one tie but tried again using another with no luck. This foam is a nightmare! I plan on building a removable wood structure for a new 40 gallon tank i ordered and will post when i complete the job. At this point im looking for advice on how to remove the old tank. I have heard mention of a rope and bolt method to pull the corner of the tank but not really sure how this works as there is very little room to grab the tank. Should i be using an engine hoist insteqd? How should i be supporting the tank. All help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

-Brett
 
Use the filler tube and the opening for the fuel sending unit to anchor your pull straps. Sometimes you can fill the tank cavity with water and float the tank up. You may need a comealong and need to pull the tank from both ends at once. I doubt you will move it trying to lift one side at a time. I pulled the tank from an 18 Fisherman that was rotted bad. Once i got it broke loose it came right out.
 
I may have been lucky but after using a sawzall near the tank and then against the surrounding stringers I was able to pull the foam out in blocks with a small flat crowbar then lifted the tank right out.
 
I was able to get a new 72 gallon aluminum belly tank delivered for $523 from Marine Liquidators out of Ft. Pierce Fl.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I plan to try and use a come along later today. jasoncooperpcola when you used a come along and rigged from both ends, did you end up using two come alongs on each end or using straps or cables spanned across the tank? Just trying to figure out whether i should buy one or two come alongs. Also do you think 2x4's are sufficient or will i need some sort of metal supports. Thanks again.

-Brett
 
I've had an almost new replacement tank in my garage for 3 years now. My tank is not leaking and I havent wanted to go through the ordeal that seems to give everyone trouble.

I think you are on the right track and you're just going to have to keep at it....I think a sawzall with a long blade down the sides of the tank while pulling on it is the way I'm going to go about it when the time comes....Also you might get more pulling power with a come along rather than the ratchet strap...probably have to double or triple up on the 2 x 4's too.

Being that Jason has done it and I havent I'd take this with a grain of salt but I would figure that pulling up from one end would be better as you are more peeling the bottom of the tank away rather than than pulling against the adhesion on the bottom of the tank spread out across the whole bottom surface .

Good luck and dont give up.
 
A handsaw works good around the edges to help break the seal. In the 18 Fisherman i pulled the tank from i used one strap choked on the filler neck and the other end stuck thru the sending unit opening with a jack handle in the loop. When i lifted up i was using a 3200# Warn winch chained to the garage rafters. You might need two 2x4s turned on their edges to lift from. If you have a small bottle jack you can use a BIG ratchet strap going over your 2x4s from each end of the tank. You have to block one end of your 2x4s up on the gunnel the height of your jack. Then put the jack on the other gunnel and tighten the ratchet strap down tight. Then jack up on your jack. There are tons of ways to do it depending on what you have in your arsenal.

RWilson, i had a half inch on each end of the tank. I really couldnot get the foam out. I did not want to **** the tank and jam it. So thats why i suggested lifting both ends. If you got an inch or so then go for it! Try lifting one end first.
 
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Well it took quite the effort but i got the tank out with the come along. The sad part is there appears to be no obvious leak and the tank is in decent shape. I dont get it! Either way the pvc pipe under the tank was cracked and the foam under the tank is waterlogged so i guess it was worth it regardless. I cant imagine where else the fuel came from as it was in the keel and i noticed it after the boat had been sitting in the water a few days. Either way thanks to all who helped. Ill follow up with some more details and pics as well as my rebuild so people can use this thread as reference in the future.

-Brett
 
This new gas is eating everything!! Have you checked the fill hoses, clamps and other things?? This is a good time to replace all that stuff while it out!
 
Macojoe maybe i didnt check them as well as i should have but all the hoses and clamps seem to be in decent shape. I cant imagine any gas leaking out the fill or vent as the boat was in the water for several days untouched after running it before i noticed a strong gas smell and then a film of gas in the keel. I cant imagine with half a tank that any fuel would travel up and out the vent and fill hoses but maybe im wrong. Maybe the sending hose leaked a little bit after use but i syphoned quite a bit of gas out of the tank and didnt notice leaking then. I guess ill be preventative and just replace everything anyways. Ill post some pics later today.

-Brett
 
For exactly the reasons just mentioned by MJ I completely replaced all the hoses on my tank when I refoamed my hull a few months ago. It's cheap insurance against present and future leaks. Since you have your tank out I'd take it to a tank shop and have it pressure tested to make sure there are no leaks along seams or pinholes. I wouldn't put it back in unless I was 100% sure it was sound. :head:
 
Brettnrs423 said:
Well it took quite the effort but i got the tank out with the come along. The sad part is there appears to be no obvious leak and the tank is in decent shape. I dont get it! Either way the pvc pipe under the tank was cracked and the foam under the tank is waterlogged so i guess it was worth it regardless. I cant imagine where else the fuel came from as it was in the keel and i noticed it after the boat had been sitting in the water a few days. Either way thanks to all who helped. Ill follow up with some more details and pics as well as my rebuild so people can use this thread as reference in the future.

-Brett
Click to expand...

Inspect the barbed fitting that the fill hose connects to. Mine was corroded through on the underside, so that it leaked while it was filling. My tank apd had alot of deep pitting, so I'm glad its out. Still haven't replaced it yet, though.
 
My tank leaked quite a bit of fuel from the sending unit gasket. It was not an obvious leak and I never would have thought that much fuel would come out of that gasket, I had leprechauns following me whenever I flipped the bilge on. Turns out a small amount of fuel goes a long way in smell and rainbows.
 
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