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Old 11-07-2018, 06:16 AM   #21
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You could of course simply plug the hole and make a top opening to pull the water out.
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Old 11-07-2018, 08:05 AM   #22
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I would not be too enthused about replacing the bulkhead fitting with another, the 1st go-round should be enough to dissuade you from that approach. I like the top access approach. Perhaps glass a companion flange into the top of the tank to create a top fitting that could be serviceable, but probably a bit of work. I'd be more inclined to create a threaded fitting or a composite nipple that could be glassed or epoxied into the tank.
I made a threaded flange by wrapping wetted glass tape around a dowel to build up enough wall thickness adequate for tapping with a standard NPT pipe tap. You could create such a fitting and epoxy it into the tank, then you'd have a tapped opening that you could eliminate any sort of gasket or mechanical joint inside the tank. I'd propose that no matter how robust the mushroom or bulkhead fitting, if it has a gasket, it's a source of future maintenance. Add to that the angle at the bottom of the tank, a solution that's epoxied into the tank would be a more durable option. A downside might be the potential for damage from over-cranking a male fitting into the fabricated flange. Not much water pressure on that joint, it wouldn't need to be drawn into next week, so unless you're really ham-fisted with it, shouldn't be an issue.
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Old 11-07-2018, 09:44 PM   #23
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I have never quite understood why they put fittings on the side of any tank. Even as close to the bottom as you can get it. it still leaves a quantity of liquid in the tank.
Plus a hole under the level of liquid...

I guess for reasons of space or cheaper...
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Old 11-08-2018, 06:12 AM   #24
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"I have never quite understood why they put fittings on the side of any tank. Even as close to the bottom as you can get it. it still leaves a quantity of liquid in the tank. ."

Some town water is rotten when taken aboard , tastes and smells like a swimming pool.

A drain in the tank bottom , just pull the hose, allows rapid removal .

Many folks will look at and taste the water before allowing any on board except for exterior washing.
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Old 11-09-2018, 04:39 PM   #25
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Some town water is rotten when taken aboard , tastes and smells like a swimming pool.

We always bring 3 gallons of 'home' water with us to the boat for drinking !!


Do you drain to the bilge and then pump out or just pump the tank.... I'd rather have all the openings on top with a long pick up tube to the bottom. Until I can build a boat I'll just have to use what's already there.....
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Old 11-10-2018, 03:48 PM   #26
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I removed the old fitting from the tank today. The caulking was still wet and almost felt like plumbers putty. It wasn’t stuck to fitting very well and not stuck very good to inside of the tank. The tank is fiberglass on both sides with 1/2 plywood in the center.

The plywood was gone about 3/8” around hole so there is a void. I dug out a blob of caulk that was in the void and cleaned it out with acetone. There is nothing that I like about this hole at all.I have canned my idea about a bulkhead fitting and now thinking about plugging this hole and drawing from the top with a tube as others have suggested.

What is the best way to plug this hole? It will have to be done from the outside. I also want to get the void filled. Should I just stuff thickened epoxy in the void then plug the hole somehow?
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Old 11-10-2018, 04:00 PM   #27
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Are you able to fit an inspection port to the top of the tank? That will improve your access.
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Old 11-10-2018, 04:28 PM   #28
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Are you able to fit an inspection port to the top of the tank? That will improve your access.
There is an inspection port there now.im installing a new 6” port. I still can’t reach the hole in the bottom of the tank though . I’m not sure what material I should use for the draw tube , copper ?
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Old 11-10-2018, 05:06 PM   #29
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Quote:
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There is an inspection port there now.im installing a new 6” port. I still can’t reach the hole in the bottom of the tank though . I’m not sure what material I should use for the draw tube , copper ?

PEX for the pickup.


RE the hole, try to get clean glass to start with. Ideally you'd want to do the patch from the inside to insure a leak proof job, but if that's not possible, you should be able to maybe overcut the outside so you have access to the back side of the inner wall/repair. Grind it to good glass, then wet it (with resin) and apply some wetted mat so there's a leakproof bond at least 3/4" beyond the margin of the inside hole. I'd use epoxy, it should give you better chance of it being waterproof. If you get glass tape the right width, it'll make it easier to work since it won't unravel as you work it onto the surface.

Maybe create a hard patch by wetting out some mat on a piece of wax paper and letting it cure, trim it to suit, then place it over the hole with thickened epoxy. If wall strength is an issue, you may want to add a piece of coring then replace or re-glass the outside skin.

Opening the outside may seem like more work, but in the end it'll probably take you less time if you open it up so you can work and make sure you get a good repair vs. doing it over. Patience!
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Old 11-10-2018, 05:15 PM   #30
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PEX for the pickup.


RE the hole, try to get clean glass to start with. Ideally you'd want to do the patch from the inside to insure a leak proof job, but if that's not possible, you should be able to maybe overcut the outside so you have access to the back side of the inner wall/repair. Grind it to good glass, then wet it (with resin) and apply some wetted mat so there's a leakproof bond at least 3/4" beyond the margin of the inside hole. I'd use epoxy, it should give you better chance of it being waterproof. If you get glass tape the right width, it'll make it easier to work since it won't unravel as you work it onto the surface.

Maybe create a hard patch by wetting out some mat on a piece of wax paper and letting it cure, trim it to suit, then place it over the hole with thickened epoxy. If wall strength is an issue, you may want to add a piece of coring then replace or re-glass the outside skin.

Opening the outside may seem like more work, but in the end it'll probably take you less time if you open it up so you can work and make sure you get a good repair vs. doing it over. Patience!
Thanks, sounds like a good plan but how I can I grind the the inside of the tank for the patch?
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Old 11-10-2018, 05:24 PM   #31
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Maerin, Ok I’m sorry I see what you’re talking about now, repair the hole in the void area . Sounds good to me. I can open up th outside as big is I want with a hole saw and a plug in the hole , patch the hole in the void area and build it up from there. Great idea thanks so much
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Old 11-10-2018, 07:26 PM   #32
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I read in Good Old Boat about making a piece out of thin plastic just bigger than the hole you make. Run a piece of string thru it. Squeeze it till it goes inside the hole. Pull the string. And epoxy away. Maybe put a piece of saturated fiberglass on the inside of the plastic to bond to the inside of the tank. Make the hole big enough to rough up the inside edge. Fill the hole with thickened epoxy or make a plug and epoxy it in after the inside fiberglass kicks. On the outside use another piece of fiberglass to cover the edges.
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Old 11-12-2018, 06:25 AM   #33
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The patch on the inside of the tank only needs to provide a surface for the real patch (epoxy) to form up against.

Even a piece of cardboard shmeered with Bondo pulled in with a finger hole will suffice.

Clean up the old hole as best you can and fill the area with thickened epoxy.

A can lid over the epoxy can make enough pressure to be sure the void is filled .

Remember a 3 ft deep tank has less than 4psi to contain.
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Old 11-17-2018, 07:35 PM   #34
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Ok I got a little deeper into the tanks today and they don’t look so good on the inside . First I’m going to see if the yard thinks they can rebuild the tanks like original but I don’t see how they can. If they can’t I’m going to cut the deck out on each side and install poly tanks or get somebody to custom build me a couple stainless tanks. Either way if the yard does repair or me the deck is more than likely gonna need to be cutout. The area will be about 3’x3’. Here are a couple pics of my water fills and tank tops are directly under the deck about 15” from the bottom of the deck. Suggestions?
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Old 11-18-2018, 06:39 AM   #35
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A modest inspection port in the top will allow a custom flexible tank to be installed.

Depending on the size of the tank a water bladder that is larger than the tank will fill it and have no problems.

Vetus sells 35 Gallon , other sources may have OTS larger.
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Old 11-18-2018, 09:21 AM   #36
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Aero Tec Labs will make a custom liner to fit in your tank.

http://www.atlinc.com/potable-drinki...der-tanks.html

Scroll to the bottom of the page.
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Old 11-18-2018, 10:11 AM   #37
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Greetings,
Mr. PM. I think Mr. FF is onto something (post#33). I vaguely recall a soft plastic "mushroom" type device for changing seacocks that one pushed through the through hull and held in place. Perhaps that may be an option instead of a piece of cardboard to provide backing inside the tank to allow epoxy patching.


I HOPE someone can help me out here regarding the plastic device I mentioned above. NO memory is a real bugger sometimes. Thanks.
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Old 11-18-2018, 10:12 PM   #38
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Firefly... They make a plug for pipe that you can insert then turn a bolt or screw that expands and seals. Think the drain plug on a small boat. 2 Metal washers with a rubber insert between and a bolt thru it. When you tighten the bolt the washers expand the rubber sealing the pipe. No idea on the sizes but I've seen 1.5 inch...
Since the OP said he has wood coring inside the fiberglass walls of the tanks I think epoxy would be better. Or a flexible tank as others have suggested.
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Old 11-19-2018, 12:32 PM   #39
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I found a 39 gallon off the shelf poly tank that I think I can make work without cutting the deck up. I'm going to make a plywood mock up of the tank,cut the top out of my old tank and set that in the area and see how it looks. If that looks like it will work I'll frame out a area inside my old tank to hold the new poly tank secure and go from there. Originally my old tank was 50 gallon so I'm only losing 11 gallons if it works.
Regardless of what I decide to do I still have to cut the top out of my old tank to repair the area. Even if I go with a bladder or try to repair the old tank the inside of the old tank needs repair. This is my plan until I sleep on it again
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Old 11-19-2018, 03:18 PM   #40
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Marty, do you know about Ronco Plastics? They make close to 500 different size and shapes of high quality plastic tanks. When you are looking at the different shapes remember you can change the orientation of the tank.
https://ronco-plastics.com
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