1979 22-2 Replacing fuel tank, what else to look for?

[Hazymae222]

Hello! Happy to be added to the group! I have a 1979 22-2 that has been in my family since my grandfather bought it new in 1979. He passed away in '86 and the boat sat in a barn for the nest 13 years. In 99 a new engine was bought(Merc 150 EFI) and she was put back into use. I have been lovingly taking care of it the past 15 years and came to own it myself 4 years ago, she is now named "Hazy Mae" after my 15 month old daughter Hazel. (I was always told your boat should be named after the person that would miss you the most if you were lost at sea!) Canvas, cushions, have been replaced, had the bottom sanded, and sealed last year, (transom was replaced in 1999 after the barn storage years). New engine this past season, went with the new Mercury 150 Four Stroke. Awesome motor! I've always tinkered with the boat making small improvements here and there and keeping it look great, now it's time for the fuel tank. Its original, 60 gal. I have never had a single problem with it. However, considering the age of the boat, I feel it should be replaced before I have an issue and miss out on the short boating season in Maine. Unless someone can convince me otherwise I was going to replace it with another aluminum tank built by "Florida Marine Tanks" out of Henderson North Carolina. While I have the tank out, can someone advise me on what I might be able to look for in trying to assess the condition of the hull, deck, stringers and general condition of the boat under the deck. I have absolutely NO SOFT SPOTS ANYWHERE the whole boat is VERY solid and hate to open up a can of worms if I don't need to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Aquasport Commodore]

Hot boat your got there. I would inspect the tank before I go for a replacement. Might not be anything wrong with it and just need a cleaning/inspection. The tank sits in a coffin so you cant inspect the stringers, but from what you are telling us, the boat does not have any issues and is a low hour boat with no abuse and you have the complete history of usage.

When you go to put in a new or reinstall your current tank, use the Pascoe method and you will have no issue. Some people put cold tar epoxy to make sure it never rots. Should last a while doing both methods. Me personally, I like poly as you never have rot issues. Each is own and none are wrong, just preference.

[Capt. Bob]

Welcome aboard Hazy.

First, let's talk about your tank. Pics (bigger) will really help and you can upload them to the Photo Gallery rather than doing a file attachment. It will auto re-size them and allow you to post in your thread. This will help old guys with failing eyesight (think me) give you better opinions on how to spend your coin.

Looking at your first pic, it appears that your craft has vents (louvers) on the port side stern. If so, two things. First, they're on the starboard stern (duh) and second it means that the tank sits in the hull minus the mentioned coffin. The vents allowed this type of tank mounting and would later be replaced by the addition of the coffin, thus allowing the tank to be "sealed" without bilge venting. We have seen tanks mounted this way that are "foamed in". They make for a fair rasslin' match to remove.

viewtopic.php?p=22750#p22750

That stated, since the age of the boat works in favor of tank corrosion, I would first examine the foam on each side for any indication of moisture. This type of mounting (foam) while it secures the tank well also is a natural moisture trap and water against aluminum over time is the kiss of death. Also look at the tank cover. It's a good indicator of whether moisture has entered from the top.

A new tank while expensive, is a fairly straight forward procedure and you'll find several different opinions on the "how to" here.

Try uploading some larger pics (viewtopic.php?p=13039#p13039) and let's see what we can come up with on this. If you do take the plunge, we'll relocate this thread to the "tank" forum and hope you continue to document your procedure.

Good luck.  

[Hazymae222]

Thanks guys, I bought a pipe inspection video camera online the other day to assess the inside of the tank. Hopefully this weekend I can take a look. I'll pop the deck access cover off and look at the top of the tank. If the foam is wet, will it be soaked all the way through? Should I try to take a core sample of the foam? So this model does not have a coffin? Should I try and make one in the process of swapping out this tank, or put it back in as is?  I'll work on the bigger pictures, she's a pretty boat.

[Capt. Bob]

The foam used in those days was "less dense" hence more porous. Members will often let water flow through the stringer system to exit out holes in the rear (elevating the hull) in an attempt to pull out some excess water weight (I knew a few women to used this same method ) so...

Water entering from above will mitigate to the bottom (via gravity) and often comes to rest on the tank bottom and sides. It's this trapped moisture (and it may also enter from the bilge itself if the tank area is compromised) that leads to tank failure. While the camera is not a bad idea to assess the condition internally, it may not give a true picture of the tank underside. Often the outside bottom will show heavy pitting but not leakage. This may be OK under normal conditions but use with a full load in heavy seas can (and has ) caused failure. I state this from experience with both my 1984 222 CCP (after 12 years) and my 1991 210 WAC (after 19 years).
The WAC probably was suffering leakage several years prior.

Taking a core is a sound first step. Coring close to the side and front would be my suggestion. Take a deep breathe and do a "sniff test" for the scent of fuel.

Not trying to scare you but let you know what many members here (and on other Forums) have experienced.

If you do have vents, you can reinstall as per the factory. I don't remember anyone creating a (maybe repairing an existing one) coffin. Spacing may be a problem (bottom of coffin to underside of tank cover).

Good luck.

[Aquasport Commodore]

Here is a picture of a 78 tank area which is similar to your 79. This one had the hole opened up wider however but you get the idea.



You can see the platform where the tank sits. This is the coffin area I was talking about. On the other boats, it is a complete compartment with just little holes for drainage but not much more (At lest on my Osprey they were there. Get that foam out and inspect under that platform with your camera. Also I have seen that platform go to mush and rot out. Not a big deal to replace. The stringers like to detach from the hull in places. If there are no issues and you replace the tank or reinstall your tank, I would use this method. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm

[gran398]

Welcome!

Having been in a barn all of those years is a big plus. However, as mentioned, held moisture between the aluminum and the foam does 'em in.

After 35 years, it's time. Here is another tank company for your perusal, and closer to you:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=9353

[Hazymae222]

Does anyone know what year they stopped venting the hulls and started building fuel tank coffins? I like the fact the hull is vented, I'm sure it has helped over the years keeping things dry. She's shrink wrapped in the winter, and I open all the hatches, and inspection covers to try and keep the air moving. The only thing I don't like about the vent on the port quarter is at some speeds, I'm sure water splashes in there. After running all day I can pull in to my sleep, hit the bulge pump real quick and usually get something out of there.

[Hazymae222]

I removed the leaning post and deck hatch covering the fuel tank today exposing the fuel tank. I had replaced all the fuel hoses, fills and vent lines about 5-6 years ago. The hoses looked almost like a little mold, or mildew were starting on them. Top of the tank was dusty, a bit more of the mildew, but honestly nothing that couldn't be cleaned up. I undid the aluminum straps, they had fiberglass insulation under them, almost like what you would use in your house. A little dusty, but no rust, looked really good. So, I went a little further. I removed a 8" wide section of foam from the front of the tank all the way to the fiberglass the tank sits on. All the foam was perfectly dry, with just a hint of dampness on the bottom 1" of the tank. Went a little further, I removed an 8" section of foam from the stern of the tank, bone dry all the way to the bottom. Not even a hint of water. At this point I'm almost ready to leave it alone for another couple years. I removed the fuel gage, ( mechanical that still works perfect!) put a light in the tank and was amazed at how shiney it was. Put my pipe inspection camera in to take a closer and all I could see was a good amount of rust speckels covering a pretty good area. Button the hatch back up or pull it out and replace it? Any thoughts?

[gran398]

Sounds like all of those years in the barn was a big plus.

The rust you see was injected from rusty in-ground tanks at marinas, etc. from years back.

Aluminum corrodes if conditions allow....but will not rust like galvanized, and yep, stainless.

Wish you could see the outer bottom. But from what you're seeing...check your filters and let it ride.