Hey I have a fuel leak

[Blue Agave]

So I get a call from an old friend and he tells me that his dad's boat has a fuel leak, wants to know if I'd be interested in making some quick cash.  He says to me, "You can get the fuel cell door up with out removing the console".  Always interested in cash, so off I go to investigate.  The boat is a rebuilt '81 22-2 which was done in 2000, new fuel tank and all.  

Once I arrived at the boat I knew that it was not going to be a quick job.  Console must come out and both upper and lower stations need to be unrigged so I can get the fuel cell door up.  So the unrigging begins........

[Blue Agave]

Get the fuel cell door up and now its time to find the leak.  As we suspected the leak was not in the tank but in the aluminum or potted metal fill pipe Aquasport and other manufactures used in that era.  Just to be safe, I pulled the tank and cleaned it up to make sure that it was ok.

[Blue Agave]

Tank was manufacture in 2000 by CL Mattson & Co. and was in good shape, just needed a good cleaning.  Anyone in the Tampa bay area looking to have a tank made should give them a call,  Robin and Colin run a tight ship.  We decided to prime the tank with zinc cromate and paint it with some rustolum paint.  I know there are alot of different opinions on paint or no paint on a fuel tank but zinc cromate and paint was the route we decided to go.  New hoses, clamps, and a WEMA sender and back in the boat she goes.....

[Blue Agave]

Ooops!  Sorry, I know you guys like to see photos of the boat.  This is a shot of the boat before getting the console back in....



Fuel cell door goes down, console back in and now the fun part, re-rigging.  I must have crawled in and out of that little opening
in that cosole a hundred times.  Sat in there with my legs sticking out, not easy and certainly not comfortable in there.

[Blue Agave]

Got all the rigging done, installed the livewell and splashed her Sunday afternoon.  Spent an hour or so running her around the bay.  Fortunately no hicups, everything in both stations worked.  Enjoyed the time on the water with the boat owner and a couple of cold beers.

[pete]

nice work!and quick too!

[Blue Agave]

nice work!and quick too!

LOL....Not quick at all.  Took quite a few weekends and I just did not have the time to post.  I'm stuck inside today with rainy day madness and posted it all up at once.

[seabob4]

nice work!and quick too!

LOL....Not quick at all.  Took quite a few weekends and I just did not have the time to post.  I'm stuck inside today with rainy day madness and post it all up at once.

Blue,
Excellent!  And I know it wasn't quick, especially with the upper thrown in!  Then when you re-rig, you're pretty sure everythings going to work...pretty sure!

Well done, bud!  

BTW, that upper looks real familiar...Sanchez Brothers?

[Blue Agave]

nice work!and quick too!

LOL....Not quick at all.  Took quite a few weekends and I just did not have the time to post.  I'm stuck inside today with rainy day madness and post it all up at once.

Blue,
Excellent!  And I know it wasn't quick, especially with the upper thrown in!  Then when you re-rig, you're pretty sure everythings going to work...pretty sure!

Well done, bud!  

BTW, that upper looks real familiar...Sanchez Brothers?

Thanks Bob!  Good eye there on the tower, it is a Sanchez Brothers tower.  I still have some lose ends to tie up on the project;
install and seal console hatch door....left it off in case I had to crawl back in there after testing the boat,
solder a PL-259 connector, and a good washing.  Hopefully it will stop raining in this century.

[seabob4]

Rain?  What rain?  

I like a Sanchez top, but they need to figure out a way to re-configure the side ladder rungs to allow install of tackle boxes on the sides of the console.  I'm sure they'll do it, but it seems that should have been a thought from the beginning...

[Blue Agave]

They certainly do quality work, nice welds and all but a bit pricey if you ask me.  But then again so are must aluminum fabricators.  I like the way my tower was done.  The first rung is approximately belly high which leaves plenty of access to the side of the console. To get up to the upper station one just steps up on the gunwale and then onto the first rung of the tower.  I got it done by a fellow in St. Pete, his name is Mark Cohen, Florida Suncoast Marine.  Check out the photo of the side of my console and tower.

[seabob4]

Now that I like!  And to be honest with you?  The way I climb a tower is exactly as you described.  Gunnel, then up, and I'm 51 years old!  But in pretty damn good shape...