DeFever 44 , 3rd fuel tank

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Grahambda

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2015
Messages
84
Location
Cayman Islands
Vessel Name
Bom Dia
Vessel Make
DeFever 44 OC
We have recently purchased a 1990 DeFever 44 , currently nearing its delivery destination from Sheboygan Wi to Tarpon Springs Fl. Once there we will put her on the hard for a few months to start the projects to get her long range cruising ready for the Islands. It seems common that most 44’s rely on the twin main fuel tanks in the engine room, each approx 325 gallons. We do want to bring back into service the 3rd tank under the master cabin berth (unsure of capacity of that tank?), but as it has clearly not been used for several years , would anyone have recommendations on how to put it back into service to ensure the any tank gunk is cleaned out and she is structurally sound and ready for fueling? Also related, any recommendations for an on board fuel polishing setup would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Congrats on your new boat. It depends on whether or not the tank has access ports in it. If it does it would be easy to open them up and see what the condition is inside. If it doesn’t then you may want to add some access ports. Then you will have to proceed with whatever you find. Hopefully the tank isn’t rusty and leaking since that may be the reason it is out of service. Good luck!
 
I can't speak to your location, but in my area of North Carolina there is a fuel polishing/tank cleaning service. Someone like that could make an inspection to put your mind at ease or tell you how to safely return the tank to service.
 
Congrats on your new boat. It depends on whether or not the tank has access ports in it. If it does it would be easy to open them up and see what the condition is inside. If it doesn’t then you may want to add some access ports. Then you will have to proceed with whatever you find. Hopefully the tank isn’t rusty and leaking since that may be the reason it is out of service. Good luck!

:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
Congrats on your new DeFever. If you haven’t already, take a look at DeFever Cruisers, a very active owners group.

The aft tank on our ‘87 Is ~250 gallons. We use it exclusively as a day tank, transferring filtered fuel to it before set out each day. Our saddle tanks are only used for fuel storage. We’ve never been in a situation where we needed to fill all three tanks (~900 gallons). A tank cleaner, as recommended above, can often install an inspection port if you don’t already have one. If there are still doubts, you might find a tank manufacturer or inspection service that will do a pressure test.
 
What does the empty tank vs a full one do to the trim of that boat?
 
What does the empty tank vs a full one do to the trim of that boat?
The aft tank on our DF44 has been removed. Trim is largely unaffected. The boat, according to the water line paint still sits well.
 
Congrats on your new DeFever. If you haven’t already, take a look at DeFever Cruisers, a very active owners group.



The aft tank on our ‘87 Is ~250 gallons. We use it exclusively as a day tank, transferring filtered fuel to it before set out each day. Our saddle tanks are only used for fuel storage. We’ve never been in a situation where we needed to fill all three tanks (~900 gallons). A tank cleaner, as recommended above, can often install an inspection port if you don’t already have one. If there are still doubts, you might find a tank manufacturer or inspection service that will do a pressure test.
The following was my response to Graham on the DeFever Cruisers Forum. Our tank was rusted out on the underside. It was totally beyond retribution.

Our aft tank was decommissioned when we bought her. When I removed the bed platform, I found out why. The aft tank was a rusted out mess. I believe it is because the bottom of the tank conforms to the shape of the hull with about one inch of clearance. Water from the condensation pan of the air conditioner air handler drains underneath the tank to the aft bilge as does water from the rudder packings thus creating a very moist environment with ZERO air movement. I had the tank removed and created long-term storage there by installing a sheet of marine plywood across the stringers. I know of one other DF44 that had and removed a rusted-out tank, Life's Travails.

The aft tank capacity is 235 gallons but you have more than 700 gallons in the side tanks. That gives you at least a 1,000 mile range with a very healthy reserve. Even going to the Bahamas for an extended period, I doubt you would need more than one thousand miles worth of range. Bottom line is, you very likely do not need that aft tank. Plus, if you fill it you will be hauling around 1,500 extra pounds of weight.

You will have to have your refit yard to remove the mattress and the platform on which it rests to inspect the tank. My bet is that it is unserviceable. Our refit yard gave us a firm-fixed price of $10,000 to replace that tank. Instead, they removed it for $2,000, a bargain in my estimation. We did a Great Loop and never came close to running out of fuel.

As far as cleaning out that tank, even it is not rusted out, there is no inspection port on the top surface. Plus the fill hose is not a straight drop into the tank as they are on the side tanks. Therefore, a dockside fuel polishing service would not likely be able to get a pressure wand into the tank to ensure that anything and everything living in there is stirred up and polished out. Here's some more bad news. When our refit yard cut away the top of the tank there were FOUR INCHES of mud on the bottom. From where did this "mud" come? I believe the mud was the dead bodies of diesel eating bugs that thrive when water is in a tank.

Some diesel was still in that tank. It did not leak into the aft bilge because the mud sealed off the holes in the bottom of the tank. Unfortunately, even if you inspect the tank from the top you cannot know what is the condition of the tank on the underside so, if you try to clean the tank and there are holes in the bottom that are now blocked by mud or other gunk, you risk diesel fuel going directly to your aft bilge. You DO NOT want diesel to get into your aft bilge. The only access to the aft bilge on a DF44 is a 12-inch square hatch in the left corner underneath the ladder to the owner's cabin. Cleaning the aft bilge of diesel fuel would not be fun.
 
That is why I asked if you knew why it was removed, figured it was something like a poor installation. The OP can learn quite a bit from your experience.
 
I missed the second part of the OP’s question—the fuel polishing system. One benefit of a typical DeFever 44’s fuel manifold is the ability—with the addition of a pump and some hose—to shift fuel quickly to and from any of the three tanks. I use the system I installed mainly to filter fuel from the saddle tanks before sending it to the day tank. I’ve had engine shutdowns twice underway and don’t want another. The first was shortly after we bought the boat when conditions in the tanks were unknown. The second was after a bad load of fuel in NY two years after we’d had the tanks professionally cleaned.

So I designed and installed a filtering system using a Reverso fuel pump and FleetGuard “mud filter” that has worked well for us. While having coffee in the morning, I’ll transfer whatever amount of fuel is necessary to bring the aft tank up to 3/8 full (~70 to 80 gallons). I also installed a reed sensor fuel level sender in the aft tank with a gauge in the ER. This has almost zero impact on our morning prep routine and we have confidence we’re running on clean fuel all day. When the boat’s going to sit up for awhile, I’ll empty the day tank back into the saddle tank. I can also use the system to filter fuel from either saddle tank and return it to either saddle tank, which I do in sporty conditions when things are stirred up. Our tanks draw from fittings on the very low point of the tanks—not dip tubes—so anything not glued to the bottom should get sucked out and through the FleetGuard.

Other benefits are the ability to use fuel to quickly trim the boat and never seeing a vacuum on the Racors, which have not been replaced since the system was installed. I know this is a belt and suspenders approach, but the costs were not prohibitive and I’ve never regretted installing it.
 

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