2000 Aquasport Osprey 250 Gas Tank Replacement

[DOCREED]

It coast him 6K if i remember correctly.

do you remember if his tank was poly or alum?  also, what size?

so far, I'm into this project:

$1400 = tank (alum ~130 gals)

$100   = parts (plastic, rubber strips, shop supplies, etc)

I still haven't purchased:

1) the new SS Hardware I'll be using yet when i put everything back together
2) the fiberglass/resin/gelcoat
3) shipping for the tank

I'll try to post a total of costs when I'm done.

I think it was 150 gal aluminum.
But the big cost was to remove the entire deck moulding to get to the tank without cutting.

[81walkaround]

But the big cost was to remove the entire deck moulding to get to the tank without cutting.

holy crap.. i never thought of that... YIKES

that wouldnt be possible with my boat.  both the previous owner and I both made reinforcements to bond the top cap and bottom cap together a little more permanently than how it came from the factory (we both glassed the insides quite a bit).

[levelhead]

My 99 Osprey 245 TM has a poly tank...when I popped the pie plate behind the council to access some wiring a while back....I saw no/minimal water intrusion in the tank compartment...(I feel very lucky right now)...I did replace all the o-rings on all the Rabud pie plates ....they were getting a little hard.

[81walkaround]

I ran all new fuel lines throughout the whole boat yesterday... cost $73

Got a call from FMT this morning, tank ships today.

[81walkaround]

I received the tank yesterday and started prepping it for install.

i 5200'd the 3" wide plastic strips to the bottom of the tank.

today a friend of mine came over and we dropped it into the tank cavity.

all i can say is thank god i ordered it  3" shorter and 1" lower and moved the filler/vent neck a few inches back.  it BARELY went in.  Felt like Operation the game.

Oh, on a side note.. the driver of the truck that delivered it, had my same name.  first and last.  true story.    

progress continues.

[seabob4]

My 99 Osprey 245 TM has a poly tank...when I popped the pie plate behind the council to access some wiring a while back....I saw no/minimal water intrusion in the tank compartment...(I feel very lucky right now)...I did replace all the o-rings on all the Rabud pie plates ....they were getting a little hard.

245 Ospreys had 141 gallon aluminum tanks...225 Ospreys, 102 gallon poly tanks...

And in '99, the 245 had already become the 250...

[pete]

nice tank!too bad you have to cover it up!

[gran398]

81,

Good deal. The true Pascoe method.

I'll be doing the same. So curious...what type of plastic base did you select as the runners?

Thanks.

[81walkaround]

3" Wide ABS Plastic, 1/2" High.  There are four 3' strips under the tank (2 on each side of the tank).

Next step is to take the boat to an aluminum fab shop here.

I'm having them:

1) create new straps for the tank (really, more like brackets) to hold it down (2 of these)

2) create some custom cross-braces made out of aluminum ladder rungs that will be used to help support the floor over the tank (3 of these)

[81walkaround]

went to Fiberglass Coatings, Inc today

it's like a candy store for fiberglass supplies!!

thank god i'm not modifying/repairing jetskis anymore...

add another $125 to the project for fiberglass/supplies

[Necessary Evil]

I'll shortly be looking at a new tank myself. Can someone tell me what are the advantages of a poly tank vs. aluminum? Where can you buy poly tanks?

Many thanks!

[Curious]

3" Wide ABS Plastic, 1/2" High.  There are four 3' strips under the tank (2 on each side of the tank).

Next step is to take the boat to an aluminum fab shop here.

I'm having them:

1) create new straps for the tank (really, more like brackets) to hold it down (2 of these)

2) create some custom cross-braces made out of aluminum ladder rungs that will be used to help support the floor over the tank (3 of these)

I'm curious to see how this part goes.  Can you make sure you take pics of the brackets and braces?  I'm trying to figure out how you plan on securing it.  Why did you choose not to 5200 the plastic strips to the inside of the coffin or is there not really a based to glue to?

[81walkaround]

Why did you choose not to 5200 the plastic strips to the inside of the coffin or is there not really a based to glue to?

because besides raising the tank, i also wanted to provide some form of shock absorption.  

if i 5200'd the plastic to the floor then i'd have to put the rubber strips between the tank and the plastic.  i dont want the tank making direct contact with the rubber due to potential crevice corrosion.

with the plastic mated directly to the tank and 5200'd all the way around (no water can seep in between the plastic and the tank), theres a significantly decreased risk of crevice corrosion.

[seabob4]

I'll shortly be looking at a new tank myself. Can someone tell me what are the advantages of a poly tank vs. aluminum? Where can you buy poly tanks?

Many thanks!

The basics...

Poly?  No corrosion.  Impervious to water.  No bonding required.

Aluminum?  Can be fabbed to any dimension with no molds.  Can be fabbed to fit any cavity (coffin).

Poly?  Limited to the sizes available (they are made from existing molds, after all...)

So, Poly has a lot going for it, more so than aluminum.  At least in my opinion.  So why buy aluminum?  To get the tank that is the right size for your fuel compartment.  Other than that, if you can get close to the previous size going poly, that's the route I'd go...

The 2 biggest suppliers are Inca Tanks (Nashville, TN) and Moeller Tanks...

[81walkaround]

So why buy aluminum?  To get the tank that is the right size for your fuel compartment.

Thats the ONLY reason i went with Aluminum.

Poly was my first choice.