Fuel tank replacement cost?

[Prairie Schooner]

Many thanks, all! It's depressing to have this happen right as I have time to sail... really nice to have people who can help me sort it out efficiently -- deeply appreciated.

- Sounds like everyone's going with 1/8"... anyone sizing up to 3/16", I'd be interested to hear about it. Loren: if you did it again, would you go up from 1/8" ?

- Vanilladuck: Did Coastline put in the brass fittings and label everything (in your image above), or did they provide the tank and you had to get all the fittings? Trying to figure out if this will be plug-and-play.

- Prairie Schooner: what diameter are your inspection ports? Want to size up based on your comment. I see VanillaDuck has 8 or 10" ones.

I'll see if I can find someone local, but suspect I'll end up driving my old tank to someone to copy. And Coastline/Bellingham is (much) farther than Berry/Costa Mesa... though I'll definitely talk with both.

Yes, a pretty large leak... which was very sudden: Bilge dry in the AM, then after a 3-hr, not-too-boisterous sail suddenly a bunch of diesel. Which did not look pink in the bilge, only after getting some on a paper towel; must have to do with the light transiting twice on reflection from the bilge (or, I guess, maybe that the bottom of my bilge is not and never will get as clean and white as one of the image Christian posted of his somewhere.)

The fabricator installed prefab inspection ports in our tank. I'd have to be at the boat to measure, but going from my hand, I'd say no bigger than 5"- 6". There's not room to get an arm in and see what I'm groping for. Pic of our completed new tank before installation.
post #52 - https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/e35-3-replacing-fuel-tank.17731/post-177000
8" - 10" would be nice

Discussions of inspection ports from a few years back, if you haven't seen them:
- https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/inspection-ports-for-fuel-tanks.18789/
- https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/fuel-tank-inspection-port-design-and-installation.13949/


Some links I'd catalogued on epoxy repair:
post #8 - https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/e35-3-replacing-fuel-tank.17731/post-142335
- https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/category/boat-repair/aluminum-boat-repair/
- https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/aluminum-adhesion/#more-2248
- https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/fix-leaking-rivets-in-aluminum-boats-with-gflex-650/

It seems to me there is an even more extensive thread with discussion of epoxy tank repair, but I can't put my fingers on it at the moment.

 

[vanilladuck]

- Vanilladuck: Did Coastline put in the brass fittings and label everything (in your image above), or did they provide the tank and you had to get all the fittings? Trying to figure out if this will be plug-and-play.

The fittings were supplied, but I changed out the NPT-hose barbs to fit Rumour's fuel system hoses. You might be able to ask for specific sizes. I put the labels on at install time

@N.A. - I'm really sorry to hear your tank is leaking. It's a bummer. Many owners have been discovering things like this as our boats age. Others have suggested that ~40+ years brings up a number of "half life" projects. I've definitely been finding a lot of that myself

 

[N.A.]

Thanks, @vanilladuck - I feel for you as well -- I've seen your posts re: the keel.

This one is stinging particularly because it has sunk my plans for the LongPac this summer. I am starting to wonder if the way one prepares for Hawaii is to end up fixing literally every single system on the boat... looking at what Christian has done, it seems like that might actually be the (inadvertent) case. Anyway, at least the tank didn't let go while offshore.

@Marlin Prowell provided some nice information (by email; thanks again Marlin!); relevant bits not posted above include:

* Atlantic Coastal Welding did the job quite inexpensively. I'll probably touch base with them. They claim quick turn-around.

* They epoxy-coated the _outside_ of the tank... I had not heard of this. Unsure what the point it, unless it relates to @Loren Beach 's comment about a pinhole leak due to trapped water on the outside of the tank. Seems like maybe a good idea anyway (? I'll ask other firms too.)

* They modified the tabs on the tank into right-angle flanges, welded to the vertical sides of the tank, then bending over to meet the bolt-pattern on the hull liner. This seems like it might be a good bit more mechanically robust to up/down loads than the flat, and not that thick, tabs on my current tank. I'll ask a MechE friend, but it seems like maybe this is actually the correct way to do a tank mount.

* They added a "Drain Coupling"... which seemed to be in addition to the 4 hoses I know of (fill/vent/fuel/return). Does anyone know more about this / is some additional coupling on the bottom of the tank normal?

 

[Filkee]

I have a 32-3. Pulled it out and took it to a local body shop. They cut a hole in tua nd said the rest of the tank was going to outlive me. Welded a new piece in and sent me on my way for $150. So begins the death watch.

 

[Loren Beach]

* They epoxy-coated the _outside_ of the tank... I had not heard of this. Unsure what the point it, unless it relates to @Loren Beach 's comment about a pinhole leak due to trapped water on the outside of the tank. Seems like maybe a good idea anyway (? I'll ask other firms too.)

I must have mis-stated it. The moisture was on the inside, in one little teeny place.

 

[Loren Beach]

* They added a "Drain Coupling"... which seemed to be in addition to the 4 hoses I know of (fill/vent/fuel/return). Does anyone know more about this / is some additional coupling on the bottom of the tank normal?

I have never heard of such a thing. Any pix to share?

 

[frick]

I took my old E29 15 Gallon tank toa local shop on Long Island. They replicated the tank perfectly. This was 20 years ago, but it was a sub 300 dollar fix. It was cheaper than buys a plastic tank from West Marine which would have required all new hoses as the old ones would not match up.

Also, When I pulled in the A4 in 2002, I had all the hoses replaced for Diesel. It just made sense to have the duplicate tank made.

https://www.alloymetalworks.com/contact-us These are the guys I used

 

[N.A.]

@Filkee , @frick -- Thanks! I'm going to look locally, just since shipping to/from will be a ton (one shop estimated it might be $400 one-way, but suggested I talk with UPS. They seemed to think the issue with UPS vs a freight company was risk of damage to the tank, presumably due to lighter packaging/different shipping strategy at UPS for something of this size and easy-dentability.)

Loren: Not my tank; all the receipt they sent me says is "Drain coupling". Same receipt lists 4 other connections, hence my question about what this is.

@Christian Williams -- in some thread related to all this, you say "get the fuel out of the bilge." Obviously this is a good idea (I naturally pumped the bilge dry right after the leak), but is it OK to leave the film of diesel in there for a few weeks? I have no easy way to clean the bilge further as-is, since I'm in my marina (with no engine, since I pumped all the fuel out of the tank) and cannot take the risk of any overboard discharge. The main issue is the parts I cannot reach by hand -- I already simple-greened everything I can reach.

I'll find a way to do more if it will do damage to the fiberglass to leave the film of diesel in there, though -- do you (or does anyone) know if that's a real risk / I need to do a detergent-clean ASAP? (PS: none on shaft coupling hose, thank god.)

 

[Christian Williams]

I think you just get out what you can see or reach, and shrug. Eventually you can flood the bidge and TAFG with detergent, but in my opinion no rush. Long as you can;t smell it, or it creates no other offense to life aboard.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Unlikely to damage the fiberglass. A friend with a Downeast style fishing boat had diesel tanks made from it.

 

[Dave G.]

They epoxy-coated the _outside_ of the tank..

The only epoxy repair that I know will work is applied to inside of the tank by coating the area that was corroded by sludge build up. West Systems was very helpful in my fuel tank repair and all good some 4+ years later.

 

[Marlin Prowell]

They added a "Drain Coupling"... which seemed to be in addition to the 4 hoses I know of (fill/vent/fuel/return). Does anyone know more about this / is some additional coupling on the bottom of the tank normal?

This is what I have at the lowest point on my replacement fuel tank. I’ve never dared use it; I imagine draining diesel from there could stir up sediment. Perhaps it could be used for fuel polishing but I’m going to let that sleeping sludge just keep dozing.

View attachment 55649View attachment 55650

 

[JJCiolino]

I just replace a 17 gallon tank for a Catalina 30. The new tank is aluminum and the price was $1,100 in Rhode Island.

 

[N.A.]

Thanks again everyone for all for the help.

I just ordered from Coastline in Bellingham. They quoted $1800, plus about $300 shipping to the bay area. Barry's in SoCal had suggested $875 or so (not incl. shipping), and other places came in in the $1300 range + higher shipping (E Coast). The vibe I got from Coastline was just more confidence-inspiring -- professional, and they are backed up right now making tons of tanks for the Alaska fishing fleet right now too, which seemed a good recommendation. USCG certifications, ISO 9000, the works. That plus the recommendations (@Loren Beach) and images (thanks @vanilladuck), and the fact that a tank problem at sea is something I just do not want to deal with, made me ready to spend the extra $. FWIW, they recommended against epoxy coating the outside of the tank (yes, Loren -- outside. They know some places do this to protect the aluminum, but view it as unnecessary and think the aluminum oxide that naturally forms on the tank is sufficient. They recommended against it, and also said 1/8" sheet was plenty and that 3/16" would be enormous overkill.

The price includes two inspection ports, the sender, and fabrication using sheetmetal bends in a few places to reduce the number of required welds (suggested by an ME friend of mine, who made a CAD model of the existing tank for me. My friend did suggest both inner- and outer- beads (welding) on the welded seams, but Coastline says that can opnly be done with 3/16" sheet, not with 1/8". And they reiterated that 1/8" was more than plenty.

I'll let folks know how it goes.

-------------------------------
PS:
* I cannot attach the CAD files here (non-allowed file extension of this website), but once I have the tank and have confirmed everything is good about the fit, I'll see if Sean can add the CAD files under 'resources'.
* The tabs are oversized and not drilled; in my boat they were pretty clearly that way before installation, and angle-ground and drilled on-site to fit the hull liner. That's what I plan to do as well.

Fabrication approach is as follows:
Connections: The bungs for the
* fuel pickup is 3/8-18 NPT
* fuel return is 1/4-18 NPT

Material: 1/8” 5052-H32 aluminum

Form the following surfaces of the tank from a single bent piece of aluminum? That way there are fewer welds required:



Then weld the pieces for the fore and aft sections (in blue below) [with both an inside and an outside welding bead, since those are the welds that will be submerged in fuel normally – can only do two welding beads if use 3/16” sheet metal]:

• then add the baffles, ribs, ports, etc.
• Finally, welding the flat top piece to close the whole thing up.

 

[N.A.]

PS: Two corners of the old tank had clearly been in contact with the hull fiberglass, though no real damage. My friend added 1/2" relief on those two corners to prevent that contact, and I plan to put something under there (maybe neoprene like @vanilladuck ) when I install it to pad it / prevent chafe. Might put some board there as well to spread the load against the hull if there is contact.

 

[Loren Beach]

The E-34 tank, with all of its angles and the recess on top appears a lot more complicated than our (under a settee) O-34 tank. I would guess that this raises the cost quite a bit.

Looking forward to blog photos of the finished tank and the install !

 

[Christian Williams]

put something under there

I noticed when working on my fuel tank that Ericson bedded it in expanding foam. Forty years later, still intact. Foam seems like a good option for bracing in odd spaces.

 

[Filkee]

@Filkee , @frick -- Thanks! I'm going to look locally, just since shipping to/from will be a ton (one shop estimated it might be $400 one-way, but suggested I talk with UPS. They seemed to think the issue with UPS vs a freight company was risk of damage to the tank, presumably due to lighter packaging/different shipping strategy at UPS for something of this size and easy-dentability.)

Loren: Not my tank; all the receipt they sent me says is "Drain coupling". Same receipt lists 4 other connections, hence my question about what this is.

@Christian Williams -- in some thread related to all this, you say "get the fuel out of the bilge." Obviously this is a good idea (I naturally pumped the bilge dry right after the leak), but is it OK to leave the film of diesel in there for a few weeks? I have no easy way to clean the bilge further as-is, since I'm in my marina (with no engine, since I pumped all the fuel out of the tank) and cannot take the risk of any overboard discharge. The main issue is the parts I cannot reach by hand -- I already simple-greened everything I can reach.

I'll find a way to do more if it will do damage to the fiberglass to leave the film of diesel in there, though -- do you (or does anyone) know if that's a real risk / I need to do a detergent-clean ASAP? (PS: none on shaft coupling hose, thank god.)

Once I got my tank out, I liberally squirted dawn on the fiberglass where it sat and dumped a few gallons of water from jugs which helped rinse diesel downstream to the waiting was of 3M diapers in the bilge opening. I then bagged them and left in the hazmat shed at the shipyard.