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Old 02-23-2016, 10:22 AM   #5
rwidman
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City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle911 View Post
So the previous owner installed a water tank, well not fully, it's in the boat just not hooked up to anything. I was thinking of using it more as a ballast since the starboard fuel tank has never been hooked up and running at a gallon an hour I don't really have a use for it. Thus 150 gallons of fuel sitting on one side of the boat creates a bit of a list.

My questions are:

1) Is there an efficient way to create a new deck fill to fill the tank?

2) I don't want to use a thru hull just above the water line with a pump for a drain, would there be a better way to drain it without a thru hull and pump?

3) The tanks been sitting for a few years so may have to be cleaned out, what product do you suggest to do so?

4) Should I also put in a vent since there will water sitting for a period of time?
It's a 36 foot Marine Trader.

Thanks!
What did you do, buy a kit boat?

You have an extra fuel tank but it's empty and not hooked up? Hook it up. That way you can balance the boat by drawing fuel from both tanks equally. Adding a tank full of water as "ballast" won't work unless you have a way of filling and emptying it to match the weight of the fuel in the fuel tank.

If you don't need the extra water tank for water, remove it or leave it be. You can add a deck fill if you want to use it for its intended purpose but you must connect a vent. Otherwise you'll have trouble getting water in and out of the tank.

You don't drain a water tank overboard, you drain it into the bilge or you just run water in a sink until the tank is empty.
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