Ok....I was out last weekend on Long Island Sound, in the so-called 1' chop (actually 2' plus some rogue waves thrown in for good measure)...and I got a "little air" under my boat quite a few times. While I didn't land *that* hard, I still think I am about 1" shorter...but I digress..

Anyway, I started to hear a thump under the floorboards every time I hit a small wave and landed. I looked under the floor from the engine compartment and I saw that the fuel tank straps had come loose...

So, I decided today to pull up the deck and see what was up... Man am I pissed ...The previous owner paid big $$ to have a new fuel tank put in...Look at the pics. What a hack job! Can you believe that they used PVC Toilet Closet Flanges and 3" PVC pipe as spacers?!?! No foam ANYWHERE.... The 2 straps were only held in with 1/2" Long x 1/4" Lag Screws.

So my question to you guys is what is the BEST way to get the tank seated and secured properly? What foam to use? How should I strap it in properly? I don't want to make it a nightmare if the tank needs to be replaced again.

Thanks!

-Larry

That is definatly scary!! First of all I know what they were going for. It is technically against coast guard regs to foam in a tank. There needs to be the ability for air to move around the tank. That being said whe does not foam in the tanks???? When I buy my new tank I am going to ask the manufacturer their recommendations but I am assuming that they will tell me to foam it in.

Jon

Here's an article I saw a while back on replacing fuel tanks. He's part of the no-foam crowd, and it does seem to make sense. I think it would still need to be strapped down though. His site deals mostly with big cruisers and salt water fishing boats so his recommendation of using just 5200 and the weight of the fuel to keep it in place is probably fine in a slower boat, but I wouldn't trust it in an offshore.

http://www.marinesurvey.com/yacht/fueltank.htm

If I were to foam in the tank, what foam would I use and how would it be done? Does West Marine have any of this stuff? I am assuming it is a 2 part system that has some crazy liquid to expanded volume ratio..

The last thing I need is to dump a cupful in an area and have it expand so much that it dents my tank or bubbles my hull.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

-Larry

You can do a search for expanding foam. I think you want 3 pound density. It expands like crazy and you have to mix it and pour it in. I suggest about a quart at a time. If you mix a quart you will get about 3-4 times that.

Jon