I have a 15ft bowrider, 1981 sea sprite. I just picked up a late 80's (haven't looked up the exact year yet) evinrude 88hp SPL today to push this boat through the water. When I picked up the motor the seller had a lot of other misc boat stuff. One thing I picked up was a 16gal aluminum fuel tank. I don't plan on going way off shore in the boat, mainly just the barrier islands and waterways in the Tampa Fl area. One question is will this tank be big enough to run around on for a day in the water. I won't be flooring it the whole time or pulling a skier constantly. I'll probably be exploring everywhere and finding secluded little islands with private beaches, so a mix of fast/no wake/anchor during the day.
The size of the tank will effect how I design my seating in the boat. This tank is 54" long by 8" wide by 9" tall. It is long and thin so placement is key to keep it tucked away under the seats. If it's not even close to being big enough then I can move on to a more equally sized tank.
If the tank is not even close to what I would want in size just skip the second issue.
The second issue is that when the guy removed something else from the boat the tank was on he got a little carefree with the sawzall and cut the fuel tank. He caught the edge of the tank where the top and side meet and cut through the aluminum, about a 3/8" by blade thickness. My question is how should I repair this without having it welded if possible. I know welding is the best option and depending on budget and if this tank gets used I may end up doing that. In case the weld repair is way too high I want to explore my options. One option is JB weld and sand flush with sides. If that isn't even close to good enough then I was thinking to patch it, like a bicycle inner tube. Make a 3" or 4" square piece of aluminum and use an adhesive that will bond the patch to the tank and clamp in place until dry.
Thanks for the help
DJ
The size of the tank will effect how I design my seating in the boat. This tank is 54" long by 8" wide by 9" tall. It is long and thin so placement is key to keep it tucked away under the seats. If it's not even close to being big enough then I can move on to a more equally sized tank.
If the tank is not even close to what I would want in size just skip the second issue.
The second issue is that when the guy removed something else from the boat the tank was on he got a little carefree with the sawzall and cut the fuel tank. He caught the edge of the tank where the top and side meet and cut through the aluminum, about a 3/8" by blade thickness. My question is how should I repair this without having it welded if possible. I know welding is the best option and depending on budget and if this tank gets used I may end up doing that. In case the weld repair is way too high I want to explore my options. One option is JB weld and sand flush with sides. If that isn't even close to good enough then I was thinking to patch it, like a bicycle inner tube. Make a 3" or 4" square piece of aluminum and use an adhesive that will bond the patch to the tank and clamp in place until dry.
Thanks for the help
DJ
