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Just took the deck off my 18 Outrage ( 1988) to inspect the tank. Deck is good and dry and the tank looks pretty good. Under the fwd deck just below the stencil number (and the fwd locker) is a chord ( string, lanyard) that goes into a small hole fwd. This string is covered by the deck when the deck is in place. Anyone have any idea what this might be for ?

Also thinking about lifting the tank out for a total inspection of it. Does it come out easily when the hold down straps are removed ? Better to refoam or use rubber spacers when reinstalling the Tank ?

woodyt

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The cord is for pulling wires if you want to install a bilge pump forward. Taking the tank out is a major project from what I have read. As long as you got the tank exposed, I would recomend replacing the fuel lines. I had a bad fill hose on my 1983 Revenge. If I was going to remove the tank, I would replace it. John

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The tank may look good but that doesn't mean it will last much longer. If you've gone to the trouble of removing the deck, it may be a good idea to replace the tank, fuel lines, and reseal. Tanks usually have a life of 20-25 years. If it were my boat that is what I would do. I would probably replace it with a tank that has thicker gauge aluminum, and spray it with Line-X bedliner material then re-foam in place.

Not sure what the string is for?

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Thank you gentlemen ! I'll give a call to the tank manufacturer and see what a new one will run us. Incidently this "88" 18 Outrage sat in a Cape Cod marina the last 9 or ten years out of the water and covered for at least 7 of those years. The trailer was completely rusted out and the boat was filled with leaves and no doubt was home to several generatios of critters. It has a 115 2 stroke Yam (also 88) which tested ok for compression and actually ran quite well at first start. Had the water pump done over and a new shift pin installed. Bought the rig for 3K and put a new trailer under it and brought it west to my son's in Vacaville , CA. Now we are in the middle of the restoration. The hull is in great shape by the way. We'll post some pics shortly.

ET

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3K? What a steal!

I agree, replace the fuel fill and vent hoses. A straight forward DIY project.

If you have the time, get a pressure test on the tank (in place). Florida Marine Tank, the original manufacturer can make you a new one but note, they are not cheap.

Use a good polysulfide marine caulk when you reinstall the cover.

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woody,
i am in the process of changing my fuel tank. after cutting away the foam the tank still wouln't budge. so i constructed a frame out 4x4's and 2x4's and used a come along to pull the tank out by one of the fittings. the tank came right out once i did that. if i were you i would change the tank whie you have the deck removed it is just too much work to be doing twice. here are a couple of pics of the tank being removed.

http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa...thendel79/
(made link active)

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The longer we look at that tank in place the more reluctant we are to try and remove it. Physically it looks fine and the interior as seen from the aft access port looks nice and shiny. What is involved in doing a pressure test ( in place ) ? Is it a given that these tanks only last about 20yrs?

Thanks,

woodyt

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woodyt,

If the tank looks in good shape, the fittings aren't corroded and you don't smell gas, don't worry about it. Replace the hoses while you have the tank cover up. Also check the green grounding wire to make sure it's still in good shape and replace if it is not. A new tank is $600 plus shipping which is not cheap.

While you have the tank cover up you should check the gelcoat for cracks or thinness, especially in the rigging tunnel. If you find any you want to fix that before you put the cover back down, also check the plywood and seal any spots that didn't get totally sealed, especially around the cutout for running rigging. The exposed plywood was rotten in that area on my 1987 boat and I stabilized it with git-rot and then sealed it all in with a thin coat of marine-tex.

The string is for running wires.

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Good advice above. I'd also replace the "string" that runs forward to the anchor locker so you can pull wires in the future, or as a courtesy to the next owner if he wants to install the raw-water washdown option that this tunnel serviced.

To pressure test the tank you will need to plug the vent fitting and the pickup tube, and then cap off the filler area and pressurize the tank. This will tell you if you need to spend the money on a new tank or not - if your boat is in good shape and was kept on a trailer, you probably don't need to replace it.

I'd call the folks at E-Components and get new seal for the fuel gauge and re-seal that while you're at it.

As Kamie mentioned, this is a good time to inspect the gelcoat under there for any damage, rot, etc. Fix it now or else you'll have that deck up again!

Good luck.

Dave

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The areas you can't see are most likely going to be where problems and or corrosion occurs. Water can and will find its way to the bottom of the tank, it will corrode-eat through the tank. Sometimes this occurs from inside. Water sitting in the bottom over time will penetrate through. The worst thing that can occur is when the boat sits in storage for years and there is water in the bottom of the tank, with no movement the water just sits and creates small pin holes in the aluminum. A small amount of water trapped inside the foam that is up against the side of the tank will also cause pin holes, and problems with fuel system.

I'm not saying you are having these problems. I contacted Florida Marine Tanks (the co. that manufactures Whaler tanks) a couple years ago and they told me the life expectancy of these older Whaler tanks is, 20 - 25 years max, typically....

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If I went through all the trouble of taking of the console, remove all the wiring, and removed the fuel tank cover (deck), I would also replace the fuel tank.

It's like rebuilding an engine. Would you not put in new rings on the pistons because the old rings still look good.... No way...

This way you know exactly what you have... A brand new tank that you most likely will never have to worry about for the next 20 to 30 years....

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Well we decided to take the tank out. We used a sawsall as found in another thread to cut all around the foam perimeter but unfortunately we used a short blade and only sliced down to about half the depth of the foam.Next door neighbor has an engine hoist ( about six pcs that bolt together, great gadget) and we wrapped the hoist chain around a short length of 2X4 which we inserted into the aft pickup port ( lengthwise) and started pulling. Because we had only cut about halfway through the foam there was still a strong bond between the tank cavity walls and the tank itself. As the tank AND attached boat lifted about 4" off the trailer we realized our error. A pry bar was needed to rock the tank , gently", around it's edges. Finally the two separated !! It would have gone a lot quicker had we cut deeper into the foam around the sides. We will submit plenty of pics and anyone doing this will find it relatively easy using a portable engine hoist. The tank indeed has some corrosion issues, photos available) as evidenced by two or three powderpatches her and there . We found about 1/2" of water at the extreme aft end of the tank cavity and the foam was wet/moist in several locations. Now we're waiting for an estimate to fabricate a new tank locally. Fla Tank( original) outfit quoted 650-700 plus shipping ( 100-400 !). They said the tank would actually be fabricated at their MO facility. We will not refoam but would like to choose the rubber strip option mentioned in another thread where rubber was purchased at home depot. We'd be grateful if the owner who mentioned the rubber he purchased at Home Depot would give us some more info on the product. We're thinking about putting a tube of some sort coming from the bottom aft end of the cavity up over and out thru the cable tunnel in order to siphon out water at any time in the future. Still looking for a kicker ( 8hp yam) in northern cal, anyone know of any good deals on a new one in this area ?

Thanks,

woodyt