Ok John, get working

Be nice to have some updates posted on my old boat, like the gas tank removal and the other things you are doing

He's posted updates and pictures over at the other place, it's getting closer.

Oh yeah, didn't you bet me that this one would be done before mine...............so..........what did I win??

You won a non-restored boat.

So often guys buy these boats and do a hurry up job on them. It's a shame, and why you don't see more true showpieces.

When you consider that all 1980s foam encapsulated tanks are corroding in place, I wouldn't want to have to wonder when it will start leaking. Maybe it won't be a serious hazard for another year or so. Maybe two?
How somebody could do new power in one of these, and then connect that power to a fuel tank of questionable condition and anything other than 100% new gas is beyond me. With power costing anywhere from $15k to 30k, and a new custom tank costing $1,300?

It's a great lesson that when you buy one of these boats, you should be ready to be patient and take it all the way down to the hull and back up.

A true restoration resets the clock on the boat, not just get it back on the water fast with unknown elements in place.

Oh, I see. My gas tank is bad because yours is. The bet was who could have their engine's done and in the boat first. Nothing hurry up about it. A simple congrats would have sufficed.

No. The life expectancy of those tanks is 20 years. Less in salt water environments or if the boat was poorly covered. While aluminum tanks don't rust, they do corrode. Water from the deck gets into the sealed tank cell area through deck hatches and the tank cover and is trapped. Over time, It gets caught between the foam and the tank. Once it gets in, it can't get out due to the design.
In the abscence of air, this water causes galvanic corrosion. The inside of the tank looks fine, but the outside is a mess. Eventually a pinhole forms and fuel leaks out into the foam, and over time it breaks down the foam and seeps into the fir bulkhead behind the tank. This is happening with all boats constructed in this manner. It is just a matter of how much.

My point is not that your tank is bad because mine was. My point is that you have no idea whatsoever what is going on with your tank. You are at the limit of life expectancy on that tank. Now, you can run the boat many more years like that if you want.... and you can think about it each and every hit. But you just don't know what is going on down there. The last two owners of my boat had no idea what was going on below deck.

Lots of guys don't.

But I am doing a restoration, rather than a race to get it back on the water....so I need to know.

More information about this tank, and other items related to the re-restoration can be found at S eriousOffshore.

Lots to be said about storing a boat in dry storage, and not in your front yard........

I think the life expectancy of a transom is also around 20 years. I look forward to watching you replace that as well

I don't know either one of you but here's how I see it... For whatever reason you both have been at odd's since you got these boats and are both passionate about them... (kind of reminds me of myself and Comanche3six). Unfortunately you have/had different ideas on approach, neither of which was wrong in my opinion.

So fast forward to now. You ask for a "simple congrats" (submission) but you insighted Fund by posting you were done first, problably knowing what he was up against with delays with parts and other "projects" that showed their weary head... It happens to all of us...

Also, I wouldn't have rubbed your nose in it when you had problems when you first got the boat...

Can't we all just get along.....


PS, I don't think I would give a congratulations to someone if they were rubbing my nose in it.

Many people also have good luck with boat covers.

The transom is a very different system than the tank. It is also much easier to inspect. Mine has checked out great. Along with your tank, you should have your transom checked.

Of course, you're running lower HP and in smaller water, so maybe it is not as important as it was for my project. For my complete restoration and custom repower, it was critical to really get down to the bones of the boat and bring everything back to perfect. I can't even imagine rolling the dice of some of these things... when you already have the power out. Makes no sense to try to sneak in a couple of extra weekends rather than do the whole job, and do it right.