RickK's 170 rebuild

[fishinonthebrain]

Rick I was planning to do the same on my console but use coosa. I am trying to incorporate a foot rest in the back of the console too. Like the progress is it cooling off a bit down their ?

[gran398]

Rick I was planning to do the same on my console but use coosa. I am trying to incorporate a foot rest in the back of the console too. Like the progress is it cooling off a bit down their ?

Fish, if you want an insert console footrest...send a PM, tx.

Rick... have you reached a decision on the tank hatch?

[SC170nFL]

Rick, your work really looks good. You are turning a good boat into an awesome one.
 

[Capt. Bob]

Going with the boys here. Had the same decision on ours.... Farley convinced me of the many benefits.

Not to play devil's advocate...but a faulty hose, bad fitting, pinhole anywhere...its Skilsaw time :(

Of course there will be access ports to the connections of the tanks - both ends.

I will play Devil's advocate.
What happens if nothing happens?
How long you planning on keeping this hull?
You have how many tank installs to review on this Forum to get it right?

You know what it takes to keep the tank from corroding (hell, the thing's poly), you've discussed the expanding universe theory to death and you plan on access to the things the CG says you have to have access to so....

I'd be curious as to how many rebuilds have tank access. There are at least a couple of factory built Aquas that don't. :|
Search function is your friend.

[wingtime]

Aquas built without a tank lid was simply an accounting decision by the bean counters to make more money.  Even those that didn't have a hatch had a cut line molded into the deck.  We can think of a zillion reasons why he would not have to get into the tank.  It's the reasons we cant think of that I'd be worried about.  Besides how hard would it to build an access cover?  You just build an opening in the deck with a  lip under it.  Then build a cover to fit in the hole.  Screw it down, seal it done.

[gran398]

I thought about it long and hard. MANY of the commercial Carolina boats are built with a solid deck. Including the boats made by our builder, Seamark. They are properly installed, quality production. But then again...just as Bruce says...what if??

What if that poly tank starts emitting vapor and the inspection plates reveal no issues? Or the fill hose is defective....or the ground wire corrodes halfway up the tank in five years....etc, etc.

I thought it over hard. Would have been cheaper and easier to deck it over and call it done. It took an extra three months to fabricate and mate the hatch to the sole.  Rick is going all out on this build, and it's right. Frankly from what I've seen it will end up the best 170 rebuild ever.

The good news is he has the expertise to do it himself. Even if its an extra 20 hours...its not 20 hours at 75 bucks an hour.

Regardless of money....that was one decision that in the end eliminates concern, and therefore didn't regret. And Rick won't either in my humble opinion.

[Capt. Bob]

A quick (really quick) search shows that Dirtwheels, Capt Matt, Lil Richard and I believe Group W Bench (Ashley's rebuild) opted the "no tank hatch" (gentlemen correct me if I'm mistaken). There are others that have put in a hatch.

Personally, I appreciated a hatch in both the CCP and the WAC since I replaced both tanks but the question isn't why these re-builders chose not to go that route but rather do they now have second thoughts?  It's really hard to deny the super slick look or the strength of a glassed down center console but with a hatch underneath, that makes removal that much more difficult.

My last thoughts on the later Aquas with no hatch; I haven't noticed a lot of tank failures requiring cutting the deck, still.........
As stated above, I like mine.

[CLM65]

Wow, allot of pretty strong opinions on tank access hatches.  I guess it comes down to risk.  Risk is typically defined as probability versus consequences.  What is the probability of failure of Rick's poly tank?  Seems he is installing it correctly, allowing for expansion and using neoprene at all contact points as recommended.  As far as I know, polyethylene does not degrade, at least not in a meaningful timeframe.  So what other failure mechanisms need to be considered?  We're not talking about hoses or wires or senders - those can most likely be replaced through the small access port he is installing.  We are talking about actual tank failures.  I imagine the probability of failure is pretty low, although granted it cannot be eliminated completely.  And consequences - well, obviously if he has a tank failure, it will be a big job to replace.  A big job, but not an impossible job.  So if Rick decides not to install a large tank hatch, which I assume by his silence is his decision, then he obviously feels the risk does not warrant the additional time and effort.

Note that my 205 Osprey does not have a removable tank cover, nor do I plan to incorporate one into my 22-2 rebuild.  And I am honestly not too worried about either.  Both have poly tanks though.  If I had an aluminum tank, my position may be a little different .

[dirtwheelsfl]

I made sure to make a sketch of stringer/bulkhead locations incase i ever need to cut anything for whatever reason. If i ever need to cut id take the whole console with it just to have seams on the floor to glass back together. Confident in the install i guess haha.
More work/time up front VS. maybeee some work down the road and a simpler/cleaner install is how i looked at it

[gran398]

Craig, as you say, what is the probability of failure?  To that probability must be assigned a risk. Everyone has their own risk value in terms of the tank install. The first judgement is the tank material. Some of us are big on plastic. Others not so much.

In the end, it gets down to expectations, longevity, and what the future holds. In my case, I'll never sell my Aquasport. It was a labor of love. I'm not thirty anymore, and I'll keep her the rest of my life. When I'm gone, good Lord willing, my heirs forty years from now will not be dealing with a leaking tank.

And yep, you're right. Rick by his silence is contemplating the decision. He is our mod, friend and fellow member. He has done a terrific job on this build.

Given the effort Rick has put forth...I'd go with the hatch and complete the job. That's just me, keeping a specific hull for the rest of my life.

Others may not be so inclined, non-committal to the hull, maybe for sale later, not sure...absolutely, forget the tank hatch.

In that case, the right move. As mentioned earlier, went round and round on the decision.

[RickK]

My brain is still on the console - sorry  
Got a couple layers of cloth on it Sunday.  

As for the hatch, I could go either way.  The problem is that the hatch would be on the outside of the console since the tank coffin is larger than the console.  If I glass the console to the tank hatch, will it be as strong as if I glassed it to the solid deck?  Still have some thinking to do on this while I move forward on the console.

[gran398]

My brain is still on the console - sorry  
Got a couple layers of cloth on it Sunday.  

As for the hatch, I could go either way.  The problem is that the hatch would be on the outside of the console since the tank coffin is larger than the console.  If I glass the console to the tank hatch, will it be as strong as if I glassed it to the solid deck?  Still have some thinking to do on this while I move forward on the console.

Our hatch was outside of the console too.

Hatch screwed to the stringer tops, inside lip of the console toe-kick screwed to the hatch. Screws are hidden inside the console. T-Top bolted to the console and hatch.

 As the hatch is screwed to the stringers, probably the most rigid area on the deck.

[love2fish]

you could always make the gas tank hatch and then glass over it (so you'd have a solid run of glass as though it wasn't there) for strength and a smooth transition. Then glass your console to that.
then if you ever needed to pull the tank, you could just score the top layer of glass,remove the screws, and pull the lid. (I know not "just")... but it could be a pretty simple alternative that would give you both benefits of lid/no lid...

[Capt Matt]

No access tank hatch in my build and I went with a aluminum tank
It's a foam free install and the tank sits on two short stringers so it can drain and breath
All that holds it in place are hangers that bolt thru the stringers
My tank starts in front of my console and has two small pie excess plates, one for sender/pick up then one for the fill/vent
If I ever had to replace the tank it would not be that hard, I like the clean deck, its crazy strong and it really seems to me that most factory tank hatches will leak and cause the tanks to fail
No regrets on my decision
Capt Matt

[RickK]

A little progress .... I need to build up the glass thickness to match the existing console thickness, I figure a couple more layers tomorrow should do it. Using 1.5oz mat to build it up - should have figured some heavier cloth into the schedule


With chopped mat you can pull some glass from the edges and the result, besides the extra glass strands (which I put in a bucket), is that it will traverse a corner - you're actually pulling part of the glass out so plan to overlap/pull glass out of the mating glass.