The well traveled 1979 Starcraft 18' V5 SS

[Watermann]

Doing a little work today, got the side brackets installed that tie the hull sides in to the transom. 4 solids through the hull and attaches by 2 through transom bolts. I thought about going one more bolt for it but the gunnel right above it has a bracket that ties it into the transom and then there's the massive splashwell I've decided to put back in.

Got to the point that I'm ready for the tank to go in so I made up some neoprene padding. There's a drain at the far end in the picture for water to exit into the bilge so all the padding in the chevron pattern facilitates that that flow. (sorry a bit blurred)

I hadn't done much with the fuel tank other than cover all the open filler, vent and feed fittings. So I pulled it out to see what a great job SC did padding the tank as you can see the outline of the strips they had under the tank.

When it came time for a close up inspection of the bottom of the tank I was wondering why there was all the brown stuff, thinking at first it was the legendary SC glue gun guy who made a mess. I realized that it was gas varnish, no reason for it to be there unless there was a leak. I started poking around with a pick taking a close look and to my dismay I stopped counting holes all the way through at 19. The tank is a total basket case from the inside out. Here's a pic of a some pin holes in a cluster. If you scroll back up to the full tank view you can see the spots I cleaned showing the extent of the problem.

 

[GA_Boater]

Well that sucks, Rob. Now you need to add a tank to the shopping list. UGH!

Is it any kind of standard size?

 

[Candutch]

That bites, sorry to see your fuel tank is toast Rob. Makes me think I should have taken a closer look at mine before I painted it and coated the bottom with rocker guard.

 

[dozerII]

That really sucks Rob, maybe that was the reason the P/O tore the boat down in the first place. Other than placing the tank in the rafters in my old garage I never even looked at it.

 

[Watermann]

Thanks for checking in guys and the support. Yeah it's a bit of set back to start hunting for a new fuel tank that will fit but that's par for the course with these old boats and their innards. I should've inspected the tank sooner and not just assumed it was all good. Lesson learned if there's a next time.

I don't know about repairing or using the POR stuff, seems frightening to me to have a possible time bomb under my feet and I would wonder about it every damn day I'm out trying to have fun in the boat. Every whiff of gas that comes along would have me worrying about it.

Finding a direct replacement... I'm guessing that after a short search for tanks that isn't going to happen and I'll have to buy different size tank. The problem is width and height, at least length is of no worry. A 67x22x4.25 flat bottom tank isn't going to happen so I'll be tearing out the tank support and neat neoprene that's glued down. :grumpy: There is no deck support moving that can be done on this boat they're solid riveted through the bottom of the hull. I'm imagining a V bottom belly tank supported on the ribs. It will be a poly tank too so there's no worry about pin holes from the inside out ever again. The next issue is to make sure the V on the tank will match the V in the boat.

 

[dozerII]

Is the corrosion only on the bottom Rob, wondering if you could get a new bottom welded in?

 

[budski]

That's a bummer Rob, I'm with Glen, If you could get a new bottom welded on might be the easiest, not having to find one that fits

 

[Watermann]

I believe the tank only has pinholes in the bottom as far as I can tell what ever it was (water or ethanol?) that decided to eat the AL was on the bottom. I'll have to inspect the bottom closer to see what's up with it. I would imagine the contaminant that caused it sunk to the bottom but no way to be sure.

 

[daanbc]

Can the vents/holes in top be filled in welded in, and flip the tank so the holes are on top, then plug them with JB Weld on top?

 

[Watermann]

Can the vents/holes in top be filled in welded in, and flip the tank so the holes are on top, then plug them with JB Weld on top?

Thanks for stopping by daanbc, my worry is that there are way more holes just waiting to emerge as the tanks being eaten from the inside out. If it can be repaired I think the best way would be to clean the inside of the tank, have another sheet of 5052 AL welded over the existing bottom and use some POR 15 tank sealer inside.

When I start adding up the cost of material and shop hours to have this repaired I'm getting close to 2/3rds the cost of a new poly tank. The only thing is this tank fits the boat and that's the only thing that has me entertaining the idea of repair. I don't want to have a bunch of money into a ticking time bomb under my feet.

 

[daanbc]

Everything you said is true. To bad you don't know anyone who can fab one up for you. I just sold my Dune Buggy, I know that they sell all kinds of shapes and sizes custom for dune buggies, have you tried looking into that direction? May sound crazy but just a thought trying to help.

 

[Watermann]

Everything you said is true. To bad you don't know anyone who can fab one up for you. I just sold my Dune Buggy, I know that they sell all kinds of shapes and sizes custom for dune buggies, have you tried looking into that direction? May sound crazy but just a thought trying to help.

I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone locally where I live that is skilled enough to pull off a complete AL fuel tank build but it is worth checking into.

 

[blazin_jason]

If it can be repaired I think the best way would be to clean the inside of the tank, have another sheet of 5052 AL welded over the existing bottom and use some POR 15 tank sealer inside.

That's what I would suggest as far as a budget fix that should also stand up over time. Even just having a new piece of aluminum stitch welded onto the bottom would be sufficient. I've used the por 15 tank sealer in a vehicle tank many years ago, and wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

 

[StarTed]

I wouldn't weld on a fuel tank. Fuel gets into pores in the metal and will be enough to make it explode when trying to weld on it. I've seen that happen once and would stay away from any flames near an old fuel tank.

How about checking in with one of the custom boat builders in the Lewiston / Clarkston area of the Snake River? They probably could build you a new tank quite easily. Don't have any idea about the cost but it's probably worth the check.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah I don't like the idea of welding on the tank either so I'd have someone else do it. :lol: Not sure the boat builders would build their own fuel tanks. I thought about contacting the company who made my tank and give them the model # to see if they can duplicate it. http://www.floridamarinetanks.com/ Cost would be insane I'm sure. :facepalm:

It's been a nightmare trying to find a poly tank that will fit in the space. 68"L x 22"W and if I use a belly tank the total height has to be under 10" including the filler. Filler has to point port side too or straight maybe. I could go another foot longer by moving a bulkhead. Nobody makes a stock tank that will fit, no Moeller or Ameri-Kart (Scepter) and I don't know of any other poly tank makers.

 

[Watermann]

Went to the local welding shop today, they have all the right tools to do the job right down to a tank purger and meter that tells them if the tank is safe to weld on. They can do the job alright and gave me an estimate between $300 and $400. I told the guy I can get a new tank for that, he said "oh" and shrugged his shoulders. No way I'm paying that through the roof price. Other option for repair would be driving 200 miles round trip to find someone else that can do the job and 200 back to get it so I'm pretty sure the cost would be close to the same. Yeah that old tank is done.

Sent my tank info to Florida Marine tanks by email, nothing back from them yet. It would be nice of they could get me a new tank made without the desire to rape and pillage my bank account.

 

[will w.]

Unless I misread your dimensions, this looks like a match. A bit cheaper than the repair. Float and switches probably increase price. http://www.oceanlinkinc.com/product/folt1826m/

Edit: The sender switch is included.

 

[Watermann]

Thanks Will, 18 gal would be pretty much the bottom of the limit for size, It's amazing that I've seen pages of tanks but not exactly that one. I was hoping to have some extra eyes out there. It looks like it would fit size wise but I see the fuel filler is pointing towards the starboard side and my filler is port. I found a 35 gal tank that is the same way with the filler angled wrong and it's only 1" taller at 6.5". Maybe I could use a metal sweep to turn the filler hose back towards the port side. That might cause fueling problems though, not sure?

 

[budski]

Kind of sounds like they might make one for you custom order, you might want to contact them, maybe they could make you exactly what you need.http://www.oceanlinkinc.com/product/folt1826m/

 

[laurentide]

Watermann, these guys are in your neighborhood and I've read very positive reviews of their tanks and prices on the Tolman site. More $$ but you'll get exactly the dimensions you want: