E-38 Fuel Tank

[Ericsean]

Anyone know of a source for a new Tank?
Apparently mine has developed a slow leak.

Considering repair? Mostly for time frame.
Really don't need the 60 gallons, although if I ever do go cruising it would be nice to still have that much.
Wouldn't hurt to have a little more storage though if I installed a smaller tank.

Kevin P
Rettise 1980 E-38 #3

 

[Loren Beach]

Tanks

If your tank is located under the aft quarter berth, it's likely similar to the tank in the later model 38-200. Those are interesting... to extract.

Friend of mine removed his from his later-model 38 and had a small leak repaired at a local shop that does aluminum welding. It was a bit of a project.

There is a company in CA that built many of the tanks for the 80's Ericson's -- name is Berry Sheet metal. I believe that they are still in business.
http://www.socalsail.com/bg/co/berry-sheet-metal/

If you develop a drawing for a new tank, there are likely a lot of places that could build one. For my new tank I went with
http://coastlinemarinetanks.com
and they did an excellent job.

One huge plus to starting over with a new drawing, is that you can also address issues of shape that will make it easier to install, and also have access plates installed properly. Any inlets and outlets can be added right where they belong - heck, you could add an outlet for a future diesel furnace.
I found that modern tanks are spec'd with thicker material as well.

Regards,
Loren

 

[u079721]

As Loren said, the 38-200 fuel tanks are "interesting" to service. At least one member here posted photos of his E38 fuel tank replacement project, so you may be able to find it with a search. IIRC it involved cutting one of the corners off of the tank before it could even be removed. And I can only imagine how hard it must be to thoroughly clean the tank well enough to allow safe cutting of the metal. He then had the new tank fashioned to the same new shape, losing something like 10 gallons of capacity in the process. Which would be a shame, because the 54 gallon or so capacity we had on our E38-200 was fantastic while cruising.

Good luck!

 

[mkollerjr]

The name-plate on my 1990 E38 fuel tank reads:

Custom Marine
Industrial Drive
Huntington Beach, CA

I'm not sure if they are still around.

Mark

 

[Ericsean]

Fuel Tank

Almost got the old out, but it is tabbed in with glass.

I thought I had read quite a while ago that the tank could come out in one piece, and I will try to manipulate it to get that done.
A friend of mine who is a Charter Day boat Captain poked his head in at the marina today. When I said I may need to cut it, he didn't sound concerned about method. He said you could put out a cigarette butt in the tank.

If I do cut, thought of using sawzall.
Pretty sure it won't explode but I am leery about starting a fire. Maybe will use a hand hack saw.

Any thought on the subject?
Thought about filling with water, but getting rid of contaminated water would be a super pain in butt.

 

[Christian Williams]

I'd bring a small circular saw, too, because in my limited experience the Sawzall reciprocating design doesn't always do well with floppy metal.

 

[mkollerjr]

Bummer. They must have improved fuel tank access on the later E-38's. Mine looks like it's relatively easy to remove without saw-cutting anything. That's one thing I have really noticed on my Ericson 38 compared to a lot of other boats - that everything is readily accessible (at least everything I've needed to access so far, or may need to be replaced in the future that I can think of).

Mark

 

[Pat C.]

Your friend is right about diesel fuel, I've had experience with it outside the marine environment burning brush, it is very difficult to ignite. That said, if it was my boat I would extract the fuel then fill the tank with water along with a couple large bottles of Tide laundry detergent, then pump that out. I know it's tough to get rid of that much contaminated water, but any method you use of cutting the metal is going to yield lots of sparks. Would seem to be the prudent course.

It won't explode under any circumstance, but it could burn. Have a extinguisher ready.

 

[lnill]

That looks like it would be really difficult to remove. Can you find the location of the leak? When I bought my 38-200, the surveyor found corrosion where the prop shaft was throwing water on the tank. It was not leaking but he suggested sanding the area and putting an epoxy patch. It has held up well so far. (4 years). I also put a barrier between the shaft and the tank to prevent any more water and salt on the tank. Obviously if you have a leak you would have to drain and find a way to clean the area but a patch might buy you several years.

 

[Shaggy]

My Fuel Tank Fun...

Howdy, Kevin -

I posted on here about replacing my E38 fuel tank a couple of years ago, but curiously can't find the thread now.

I strongly recommend replacing the tank instead of patching. A new tank will buy you 25+ years of usage. If you patch, it could spring another pinhole leak any time.....

I second Loren's recommendation for Berry Sheet Metal. Mr. Berry built the original tank for my boat and is still in business in Costa Mesa.

Here is a pic of my old tank. It would not fit through the companionway. The tanks were built into place before the decks was laid on during building. I had to cut the smallest (forward, port) corner off to get it out.

After draining, airing and thoroughly wiping the tank, I put a chunks of dry ice inside to allegedly chase out all the fuel fumes. This also neatly balled up the fuel gunk that was adhered to the tank interior and made it much easier to clean.

I used a vibrating multi-tool with metal cutting blade to cut the corner off.....took a while...! Since the bottom of the hull curves up under that corner, the tank is not very thick at that part and I only lost 2-3 gallons of capacity.

Here is a pic of the new tank Mr. Berry made with the missing corner. It fit into place perfectly...!! I had him make it out of slightly thicker aluminum to hopefully provide even longer life.

Berry told me 25 years is pretty typical life for a fuel tank. They simply develop pinhole leaks due to temperature-swing condensation over the years.

He was reluctant to put an access port in the tank, but I insisted. Tank has been great for two years now.

Good luck with your project and hit me up with any questions...!!

Curt

 

[Ericsean]

Fuel Tank

So as I was trying to build up pressure to test the tank, I was curious that I couldn't get a reading on my gauge.
Then I felt a mild breeze on my face, coming from the corner of the tank.
Weld looked good but....

After I had gotten it out of the quarter-berth, thought I was going to get away w/o cutting it, but then I measured the companion way. Oops!
I started to trim the corner with a hacksaw, then changed to sawzall, kept speed low, and aluminum stayed cool to the touch right next to my cut.

Did have a fire extinguisher right next to me just in case.

Since I'm on the East Coast, I found a local fabricator who is copying it for me. Can I say only charging me $475? I think that's a pretty good number for a custom job.
He had made me a 60 gallon tank for my 22 Mako, and a new bow pulpit for my E-38 in the past so I guess he gave me a repeat customer price.
New tank will look just like Shaggys tank!

They said 2-1/2 weeks, which I'm guessing can easily go to a month though! Wish I figured this out sooner in the winter/spring.