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My mechanic tells me that I should replace the aluminum tank in my 1989 Outrage 18 since it sits in water (fresh and sea) all the time. It will fail soon. Has anyone had this problem? What tank will fit in this boat? Finally, is there a way to add a bilge pump to this boat?
Many thanks for responses,
Ray
Winter is coming and your mech is looking to fill his job book for the winter with a $2000 project.
What is the history of the boat? Has it always been moored? Have the fuel lines been changed in the last 5-7 years?
Do you anchor with the drains plugged?
Are there many occasions when the boat has had water above the deck?
The lifespan of the aluminum tank can vary from 10 to ??? years.
There are hundreds of threads on Outrage fuel tanks, do a search.
You can do a tank replacement on your schedule, not the mech's. There is alot to it so you need to research shops, tank fabricators and what work should/needs to be done.
BD......I appreciate your comment. A 30 year old aluminum tank probably is on borrowed time and immediately suspecting a mechanic's (who we do not know the track record of) motivation is kinda unfair. Long range offshore fishing and you better have complete confidence in the performance of your boat. I am still didling with my restoration and have a fuel issue. When fishing close off shore in perfect conditions......had a few extra filters on board to swap out. I did a total rethink coming in when an early small craft warning became a gale force and I had 2 passengers.
When meeting a fellow member (and a fellow Revenge owner) a couple of years ago we were chatting fuel tank cavity water draining issues. I mentioned a bilge in the cavity and found that because there was a fuel tank in the cavity........no electric motor in the same area for safety issues. So the drainage needed to be addressed by water "tighting", additional through drain, water pick up tube with a self priming pump located outside of the fuel cavity, etc...... The water collection in that area is an ongoing head scratcher for many members in this club.
