Should i foam it ??

Parrot_Head

Parrot_Head

Junior Member
Heard from the welder today and he said my fuel tank will be ready on Friday. The question i have is, should i foam it in , strap it in , or secure it with wood or such?? Thanks in advance. Tight lines.

Scott
 
I was going to ask the same question next week. My thoughts are to use the wedges that I found under the tank in the same location and strap down on top of them. I'm interested in hearing other opinions.
 
Randle, ive got a 45 gallon tank and its 400.00 even.Its Coast Guard approved and he tests it up to 4 psi.He uses 1/8 inch aluminum. Or .125 I was told that since its only 45 gallons not to worry about using 4lb density foam. How big are yall 's tanks ??
 
I have read several times that it is best to use straps or wood tie downs. The reason they give is that the foam traps moister which cuts down on the life of the tank. You will want the tank sit on some type of runners so it will be off the bottom of the boat allowing air and water to pass.
 
One thing ya wanna make sure of is that the alum. is protected from anything as hard as fiberglass...the MANY vibrations it'll suffer over time will wear thru no matter how well you secure it...I used 1/4" black rubber under mine...


...and when you install it, MAKE SURE the TANK itself (in addition to the fuel gauge) is GROUNDED to the filler-cap...static elec. and gas fumes don't make a good combination, unless your goal is to look like Wiley Coyote after one of his Acme Bombs goes off prematurely :o ...
 
Parrot_Head said:
Randle, ive got a 45 gallon tank and its 400.00 even.Its Coast Guard approved and he tests it up to 4 psi.He uses 1/8 inch aluminum. Or .125  I was told that since its only 45 gallons not to worry about using 4lb density foam. How big are yall 's tanks ??
Click to expand...

The  original 60 gal tank was removed and replaced with this 28 gal tank.  As you can see, it is strapped in.  It has wood blocks underneath to keep it off the floor.


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Man, a 45 gal tank would be perfect.
 
Those are some good links...good info for installing tanks...Pascoe's description of runnin' plastics strips ''crossways'' of the tank I'm not sure about...wouldn't it drain better if run "longways"...in other words; WITH the length of the hull ... if the boat's tilted up, I can see where crossways would trap water ... :D ...
 
I agree witth you reel. Just seems to make more sense. ??? Randle why did you go from a 60 to a 28 gallon tank?? Seems to be a BIG differance.
 
Parrot_Head said:
I agree witth you reel. Just seems to make more sense. ??? Randle why did you go from a 60 to a 28 gallon tank?? Seems to be a BIG differance.
Click to expand...




PH...randleman just got the boat...previous owner did the tank ;) ...
 
My 25 spare is installed like randles. Been that way for 3 year or better never a problem. Mine is a plastic tank.
 
I used an anti fatigue mat that I bought at Home cheapo. The mat is what they use in restaurant kitchens. It was around $20. It's a little less than 1" thick. I cut it into 3 long strips and put my tank on that. I used some wood on top to hold it in place and used a small amount of foam only in each corner. It is a plastic 52 gallon tank. http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=30458
I'll post some pictures soon - hopefully tonight


Carl
 
Here the foam that was under the old 46 gallon tank. I probably took out 150 pounds of wet foam

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Here it is all cleaned out and the rubber strips ready to be placed under the tank

Panaru_0003.jpg
 
A few more pics of the job

Panaru_0006.jpg


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Here you can see more of the new tank sitting on the storage seat
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Ready to get wet
Panaru_0007.jpg
 
Scott,
Foamed my 45 gal. when I reinstalled. However, before installation I cut 1 1/2 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe in half and laid it along both sides of the keel for drainage. Put in some foam to hold the pvc drains, set the tank in and added more foam. Sorry, don't have any pictures, will try to do better.
 
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