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Old 04-27-2018, 10:03 PM   #21
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"Been there done that" too.

Have two aluminum tanks new as of 12 years ago.
Won't happen again on my watch as I pump out the water every 6 months or so. I use rubber fuel hose and a 4' piece of copper tube that I can bend so the end can be placed at the lowest corner of the tank where (if any) the water is.
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Old 04-27-2018, 11:26 PM   #22
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The PO of my boat ran into the same issue, as well as other water damage, so to fix her cabin up structurally he had to spend quite a lot, so to remove and replace the tanks as well was going to be a bridge too far - especially in terms of resale value. This latter point needs to be kept in mind.

So, he did something I have not heard anyone else on here do, and if faced with the same issue beforehand, I'm not sure If I would have done this either, but it was the product of thinking outside the square, and proved a good solution, that did not break the bank, and kept costs reasonable, taking to account the likely price he could recover, (and I was willing to pay, of course).

He blanked off the original steel tanks, which were sound except for top rusting, left them in place, so they then became buoyancy tanks, which may well work to slow settling in a hull breach. They were too large (~ 2500L combined), and too high in the hull anyway in my view. He then converted the stainless water tanks in the forward part of the lazaret to fuel, (800L combined, and plenty for most purposes), and although he made do with bladder water tank in the lazaret, I put in two 250L food grade plastic water tanks between the fuel tanks. Both the fuel and water tanks are linked, and drain from the bottom, so self-leveling, and in the case of the fuel tanks, effectively self-cleaning, as crud cannot build up on the bottom.

The system works well, and the weight being concentrated in the after (most buoyant) part of the hull, the balance on the helm is amazing. This latter is an unexpected, or serendipitous bonus, if you like, but she will surf with finger light helm control in front of a large enough wave - I've seen her touch 11.5kn with no hint of broaching.

That conversion was over 18 years ago, and there have been absolutely no issues. So, for anyone faced with tank replacement. There are other ways...just sayin'...
Sure, purists who are anxious over resale will want to totally replace, but then consider the same issue, re-sale, versus what it will cost, compared to the best you could expect to sell for, and maybe the arithmetic comes out different.
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Old 04-28-2018, 12:29 AM   #23
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Petro Clean in Bellingham, WA also does tank coating and repair. They opened my tanks when I bought the boat, put in access ports, cleaned the tanks, polished the fuel and declared them good to go for the foreseeable future. Dodged a bullet there.
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Old 04-28-2018, 06:54 AM   #24
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"I have a rusted out one now ."

Rust failure from the inside , or the outside?
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Old 04-28-2018, 07:54 AM   #25
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I had steel tanks on my N46.
I accidentally put water into one tank while trying to back flush the vent of the sanitary tank. LONG and unpleasant story. Had all fuel polished and tanks inspected. No rust, no problems in any of the 4 tanks.
The tanks were about 10 years old at the time.
Steel (black iron) tanks, if properly maintained, should last forever.

The fuel tanks on two nuclear subs I was on, never had a problem and on one sub, never refueled. Those diesels were seldom used but always very reliable when tested.
Basically, the fuel was as old as the subs..... 20 years +
They didn't worry about polishing the fuel. LOL The filters where nothing special.
We are small potatoes when compared to Navy ships.
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:24 AM   #26
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... as I pump out the water every 6 months or so.
Is condensation a big issue in PNW?
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Old 04-28-2018, 08:33 AM   #27
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I don't think condensation is as big a problem here in the PNW. I've had three older boats with steel tanks and nary a problem. None of them had low drains, but I dip them on a somewhat regular basis with a water detecting paste made for home fuel oil heating tanks. I have never found an indication of moisture.


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Old 04-28-2018, 08:34 AM   #28
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Question for the KK42 and GB42 folks. If you are faced with both a deck job and a tank job, is it a feasible option to pull the tanks UP and OUT? IOW, is there structural framing below deck that makes this very difficult?
I've been looking a buying one or the other. (yes, I know they are not close in performance)
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Old 04-28-2018, 11:14 AM   #29
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Anyone ever had a steel fuel tank fail?

Side decks on Kk42 are only 14” wide. What year are you looking at? The first few years were fiberglass tanks.
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Old 04-28-2018, 11:25 AM   #30
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My current boat carries 2000 gallons in 4 steel tanks. 3 main tanks were built in 1942 and the day tank about 1970.
The secret to long life is a good outside paint coating and keeping water out of the fuel by using a conditioner. I entered my main tanks a couple years ago during a remodel. They were built w/o access ports and between 2 bulkheads. There was mild surface rust and some pitting in the bottom. The deeper pits I welded, but decided not to add a tank coating because so much material thickness still existed.
Commercial boats use steel tanks built as part of the structure and last the life of the vessel.
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Old 04-28-2018, 11:28 AM   #31
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Side decks on Kk42 are only 14” wide. What year are you looking at? The first few years were fiberglass tanks.
'83 to '88 currently. All steel in those years? Yeah, I guess that 14" would make that a non-starter without brutalizing the salon walls
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Old 04-28-2018, 11:32 AM   #32
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I’ve got a good write up on replacing them. PM me and I’ll send it to you.
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Old 04-28-2018, 02:38 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diver dave View Post
Question for the KK42 and GB42 folks. If you are faced with both a deck job and a tank job, is it a feasible option to pull the tanks UP and OUT? IOW, is there structural framing below deck that makes this very difficult?
I've been looking a buying one or the other. (yes, I know they are not close in performance)

No, won't work as the tanks are wider than the side decks. Choice is to cut the two 350 gallon tanks out and either replace with smaller tanks - mine were four 110 US gallon tanks, or remove the main engine and replace with two 350 tanks the same shape as the originals.

I was happy with the smaller tanks. Would be a problem if you were going to cross oceans. However I just returned from St. Lucia, total 1550 nm. Fueled up in St. Lucia and again in Puerto Rico (250 gallons). When we reached Stuart Florida we had 80 to 100 gallons left.
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Old 04-28-2018, 04:42 PM   #34
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We replaced the tanks on Hobo in 2016. I can’t say I’d do it again. The replacement tanks were ~$11k just for the tanks.

Here’s the thread with some pictures.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...ent-28204.html
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Old 04-28-2018, 05:28 PM   #35
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I had 4 steel tanks with total capacity of 1000 USG. One had a pinhole (low, against the hull) but both lateral tanks had lots of flaking rust underneath. Rain entry via the ER vents was the issue. The aft tanks had lesser rust, but I replaced all of them. And re-powered since I had removed the engines to get the old tanks out. And I enlarged the aft tanks to give total capacity of 1240 USG. That was to give enough capacity to reach Hawaii from the west coast. But shipping costs halved, so I shipped home instead.

Would I do it again? No, the value is not there unless you keep the boat long term. Before I bought my boat I considered one that had been re-powered and had fuel tanks replaced. But it was $150k more. Biggest mistake of my life - I would have come out a long way in front had I bought it!
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Old 04-28-2018, 06:21 PM   #36
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KK42; so, even with a single eng., the crane must come. hmmm.
What is the interior stringer/structure like, in the tank area? I'm going to suppose that a hull rectangle cut won't allow interior access for fiberglass tabbing top and bottom with the new tank mounted. Maybe only fore and aft access is available for interior hull reattach?
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