SV Rumour had a leak in her diesel tank. Not surprising after 3/16" aluminum sat on and rubbed and vibrated against the raw fiberglass hull for about 38 years. You'll find quite a few threads in the forums here with folks finding pinhole leaks in their aging tanks.
Taking the tank out was a fast task, especially if one is okay with cutting the old fill and vent hoses. Ordering a new tank was going to take some time -- research, and probably a lot of back and forth with measurements. I still wanted the boat to be functional and able to leave the slip under motor.
I followed @Kenneth K's approach documented here and went a slightly different direction after some sleuthing. This temporary tank doesn't require any drilling or tapping -- but it does require finding a few harder-to-find parts.
The tank is a 6-gallon portable fuel tank, produced by Moeller and sold by West Marine. It comes with a self-venting fill cap, supply withdrawal pickup with 1/4 NPT thread, and a primitive fuel gauge which is a yellow nipple on the end of a teeter-totter with a float inside the tank.
www.moellermarine.com
By purchasing a few extra parts, I was able to use brass barbs with NPT threads to make all the necessary connections:
Tested with a few fun little jaunts in the SF Bay and everything seems to be working. Thinking this will get me by while the new tank is fabricated.
The only tricky part is filling it. I have to remove the "vent hose" cap and use a shaker siphon to transfer diesel from a jerry can in the cabin. I keep plenty of oil absorbent mats nearby.
Taking the tank out was a fast task, especially if one is okay with cutting the old fill and vent hoses. Ordering a new tank was going to take some time -- research, and probably a lot of back and forth with measurements. I still wanted the boat to be functional and able to leave the slip under motor.
I followed @Kenneth K's approach documented here and went a slightly different direction after some sleuthing. This temporary tank doesn't require any drilling or tapping -- but it does require finding a few harder-to-find parts.
The tank is a 6-gallon portable fuel tank, produced by Moeller and sold by West Marine. It comes with a self-venting fill cap, supply withdrawal pickup with 1/4 NPT thread, and a primitive fuel gauge which is a yellow nipple on the end of a teeter-totter with a float inside the tank.
6.5 Gallon Ultra6 Portable Fuel Tank - Moeller Marine
6.5 Gallon Ultra6 Portable Fuel Tank 620049LP Engineered right for the recreational boating market. Moeller portable tanks are designed and manufactured to deliver uncompromising quality and value. Our EPA-compliant tanks meet all ABYC/NMMA/EPA/CARB requirements, and are available with or...
By purchasing a few extra parts, I was able to use brass barbs with NPT threads to make all the necessary connections:
- Supply Connection
- Used the existing withdrawal supply connection
- 1/4 NPT to 5/16" barb to match my 5/16" ID fuel hoses
- Return Connection
- Purchased another withdrawal supply connection and tube with a matching cap. The fuel gauge cap was removed and I pried the teeter-totter out with some pliers. The opening is the same size as the supply opening.
- Finding another withdrawal tube was insanity, as West Marine didn't have one in stock and I couldn't find one *anywhere* online. I resorted to buying a smaller Moeller tank with one
- 1/4" NPT to 1/4" barb to match my 1/4" ID fuel return hoses
- Vent Connection
- Found an older version of the portable tank fill cap with a manual vent. The vent can be completely removed exposing... yep, something close to a 1/4" NPT thread
- 1/4" NPT thread to 5/16" barb and hose, then adapted to 5/8" barb for the vent hose to the stern of the boat
Tested with a few fun little jaunts in the SF Bay and everything seems to be working. Thinking this will get me by while the new tank is fabricated.
The only tricky part is filling it. I have to remove the "vent hose" cap and use a shaker siphon to transfer diesel from a jerry can in the cabin. I keep plenty of oil absorbent mats nearby.