Anyone who has read my saga regarding white smoke and injectors will know I have had water in my fuel tank. This has resulted in pitting of the tank interior in a small area around the fuel uptake where the tank is deepest. Those pits are eventually going to turn into leaks. The vast majority of the tank is in perfect condition. I am wondering if the community thinks it is feasible to remove the tank and ask a fabricator to cut out the small pitted area and re-weld a replacement plate in there. It seems crazy to have to replace the entire tank to fix about 4 square inches of pitted interior surface.
Hi Mike -
Before you cut into a non-leaking diesel tank maybe you should consider coating the affected area (if you can reach it) or try coating the tank innterior with a specialty lining material like: http://www.northernfactory.com/UserFiles/Documents/Product/Tank%20Liner%20Tech%20Bulletin.pdf to try and prevent leaks from developing.
My tank started leaking a few years ago and I took it out and replaced it with a new one from the original tank manufacturer used by Freedom located in Florida. They still had the original specs and dimensions and shipped me a new tank matching the original for about $750.
Yes, I can get into the tank and get at the pitted area. Thanks for the link. I will check this out. I was wondering, but forgot to ask, about possible interior coatings.
My surveyor a few years ago told me about a liquid paint like product that you can use to line the interior of fuel tanks. It is a product designed for the aviation industry so my thinking was if it worked in that highly regulated environment it would work in a marine environment. You might be able to just “paint” the area of pitting at the low spot in your tank if you have a suitable access port to reach it.
Doug
Freedom 21 Maketea
Previously Freedom 28 Free at Sea
Hi Mike,
On my last sailboat, a 1973 CAL 29-2, I used KBS Coatings on the leaky aluminum diesel tank with great success. The tank does need to be removed from the boat and is quite a process, but the results were impressive. The coating felt hard as a rock but when I bent some test patches that I painted onto other surfaces, they flexed without issue. As a matter of fact, I kept bending to see if the coating would crack, it did not. The inside of the tank looked brand new of course and I had enough material left over that I coated the exterior also. The tank held pressure as expected. If I recall the kit I needed for a 20 gallon tank was under $100.00.
To All
I am currently removing my fuel tank in a 1983 Freedom 33 Cat Ketch. What a PITA the tank is beyond repair. The tag on the tank is unreadable does anyone know who made the tank. Any help would be appreciate.
Thanks Erik
33 Cat Ketch # 74
I don’t have any idea who made the tank. Having said that I think it would not be too difficult to find a fab shop to make you a new one using the old one as a pattern. I think I would do that. I am near Houston and there are many fab shops around here. I believe due to the petrochemical business. Best
The tank for my 1986 Freedom 30 was manufactured by"
Aluminum Fabricated Products
PO Box 1088
Perry, Fla 32347
904 584-6898
I ordered a new tank from them in 2011 and they still had the tank specs and dimensions. The new tank matched the original and dropped right into place.
Thank you will give them a call Monday
Erik