new fuel tank fitting method

[blacklab]

personal photos removed

[brett62]

Like you have already worked out if something goes bad you will be cutting the deck and whatever else you have put in the road. I am just at present removing the fuel tank in my boat for a couple of reasons and although it has a lift out deck over the fuel tank the helm unit which is rather large I also had to remove which is screwed down but a hell of a job to shift. I personally would not build the tank in with having to cut the deck out to remove. Not sure if I would even use plastic as a under floor fuel tank in a boat either but I suppose they build boats out of the stuff now but would not own one of them either. I can understand the positives for your situation and at the end of the day how many times are you going to remove the fuel tank. As long as your insurance was happy to have one of these plastic tanks built in go for it. I would just be very particular that the tank is fitted perfect and protected/supported. Interested on what type of tank you are installing ?

[blacklab]

personal info and photos deleted

[ozynorts]

Yalta Craft have been using Sant Marine tanks for ages now. I recently replaced a rotted floor in a Yalta 615 (early 200's model) and the original Sant Marine tank was still in perfect condition. I installed one in the boat that I built. They expand approx 3% in the first month after fuel goes into them after that they stay at the same size because any build up of fumes is taken care of by your breathers. I didn't go with the option of a removable top. Have you ever had to remove a tank due to issues at all in the past? You might be trying to address a problem that will never arise.

[scottar]

My Victory has a plastic tank. Biggest issue (and one that meant I had to pull the tank out when I bought the boat second hand) is that once exposed to fuel they expand - not expand and contract relative to temperature but literally expand and stay that way. They have a couple of molded baffles in them which had been utilized in my case to hold the tank in place with a glassed panel that the tank sat on with the indents from the baffles in the tank sitting on glass moldings to prevent the tank sliding around. Issue was that once the tank expanded (got longer and wider), the moldings in the glass were too close together and the tank rode up on the rear one meaning that it was no longer actually sitting on anything for most of the underside of the tank. It also meant that not all the fuel could be accessed as the rear of the tank was higher than the front. It was easy enough to rectify - hardest part was getting the bloody yakka that slid under it (that's how I noticed it to start with) but the tank had to come out. The reasons your glasser is recommending the full floor - it's easier for him and also is less likely to have issues down the track with water due to screw holes from the rails that support the lid. Personally I would prefer access. Make sure if you do go with the full floor option that room for the tank expansion is allowed for.

[ozynorts]

My Victory has a plastic tank. Biggest issue (and one that meant I had to pull the tank out when I bought the boat second hand) is that once exposed to fuel they expand - not expand and contract relative to temperature but literally expand and stay that way. They have a couple of molded baffles in them which had been utilized in my case to hold the tank in place with a glassed panel that the tank sat on with the indents from the baffles in the tank sitting on glass moldings to prevent the tank sliding around. Issue was that once the tank expanded (got longer and wider), the moldings in the glass were too close together and the tank rode up on the rear one meaning that it was no longer actually sitting on anything for most of the underside of the tank. It also meant that not all the fuel could be accessed as the rear of the tank was higher than the front. It was easy enough to rectify - hardest part was getting the bloody yakka that slid under it (that's how I noticed it to start with) but the tank had to come out. The reasons your glasser is recommending the full floor - it's easier for him and also is less likely to have issues down the track with water due to screw holes from the rails that support the lid. Personally I would prefer access. Make sure if you do go with the full floor option that room for the tank expansion is allowed for.

Yep that is what I was referring to. On the Sant Marine website you can bring up the tank you are installing and there is a diagram that shows the dimensions that the tank will expand to. Make sure the person installing it reads this and accounts for the expansion as Scottar highlighted above.
180l tank is likely to be the 11-393. Link here. http://www.santmarine.com.au/store/p...9nktabqc5i57g4

[blacklab]

Ozynorts, that's good to know about the sant marine tanks, thanks. I've had a stainless and an aluminium tank go on me ! all previoes owners installation issues.
I wasn't aware that the stainless one had a problem and I regularly checked and cleaned the well out and changed hoses etc, but boy did that spill some petrol
when it did go, the aluminium one was fitted straight down onto the tank well area without packers and the salt water corroded the hell out of it.
So what your saying is that the sant marine tanks seem to be of good quality andt the last one you did you glassed in or didn't have a removable lid ???
Scottar, Yes, I believe it would be easier for the fibre glasser to do a one piece floor, personally I would love that, no obstructions, easy to clean,easy to put a covering down either carpet or rubber matting, and also one big reason for me is that my boat narrows significantly at the helm, with the old centre board set up if I installed fibre glass pods ( which I want to, the pod's will cover the lift out lid covering the tank, with a solid floor option, I will be able to fit the pods and fix them down properly. now I could get a full length lid and fix half of it down and fix the pod's to that, but all the extra holes as you illuded to etc etc.
I would also prefer full access like you, but these guys have done quite a few installs, I trust that they would allow for expansion, of course I will reiterate that to them. The finish of one complete floor certainly appeals to me, I hated the set up, where cruise craft had an aluminium angle around the entire full length tank well, it would creak and move and on inspection had a lot of holes, unsealed, where this extrusion was screwed into, didn't like it at all.
thanks for your input guys, I'm hearing you about the importance of installation and probably feeling a bit more comfortable about that set up....
regards
C

And yes ozynorts, that's the exact tank I was looking at

[blacklab]

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[ozynorts]

So what your saying is that the sant marine tanks seem to be of good quality andt the last one you did you glassed in or didn't have a removable lid ???


And yes ozynorts, that's the exact tank I was looking at

No it didn't have a removable lid. Just make sure the installer doesn't leave any fibreglass dags poking out that could rub on the tank over time.

[blacklab]

info removed

[ric]

Do the sant tanks have baffles?

[blacklab]

photos removed

[scottar]

Do the sant tanks have baffles?

My 150 litre has two.