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Do You have Fiberglass Fuel Tank Problems?

REVENGE 97

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If you own a boat that has fiberglass fuel tanks you must have a fuel supply issue! Fiberglass fuel tanks do not hold up to the fuel after many years of use and fuel additives, some tanks also have a coating of gel coat on the interior that starts to break down and plug off your fuel supply pick up and hoses after time. This can cost you as much as $10,000 to repair to replace the tanks. I have come up with a fix for this issue that seems to work really well. Depending on the location of your tanks and your pick up tubes you can do the repairs yourself for a couple 3 hundred bucks plus your time. I have done this several times to different types of tanks, first pump the fuel out of you tanks, remove the pick up tubes from the tanks if possible and add a filter to the end of the tubes and reinstall. I have also fabricated new pick up tubes to tanks that the tubes are not accessible, after replacing the tubes clean all of your fuel lines and replace your filter and you will be as good as new. Many ways to do this but here are some pics of what I did on the last one I repaired, any questions PM me, Happy Boating !!
 

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REVENGE 97

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Yes, but what do you do about the degrading fuel tanks, saturated glass and stringers?
Must be a Hallett?......Ya can't do much with the fuel tank that is built into part of the hull , I worked on a Hallett that the fuel was running out of the rear of the stringer through a drain hole that was drilled into the stringer to let the water drain to the center of the boat. That was a bomb ready to go off!
 

RiverDave

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If you own a boat that has fiberglass fuel tanks you must have a fuel supply issue! Fiberglass fuel tanks do not hold up to the fuel after many years of use and fuel additives, some tanks also have a coating of gel coat on the interior that starts to break down and plug off your fuel supply pick up and hoses after time. This can cost you as much as $10,000 to repair to replace the tanks. I have come up with a fix for this issue that seems to work really well. Depending on the location of your tanks and your pick up tubes you can do the repairs yourself for a couple 3 hundred bucks plus your time. I have done this several times to different types of tanks, first pump the fuel out of you tanks, remove the pick up tubes from the tanks if possible and add a filter to the end of the tubes and reinstall. I have also fabricated new pick up tubes to tanks that the tubes are not accessible, after replacing the tubes clean all of your fuel lines and replace your filter and you will be as good as new. Many ways to do this but here are some pics of what I did on the last one I repaired, any questions PM me, Happy Boating !!

The ethanol in modern fuel is what is eating the tanks.. if you use ethanol free gas or AV gas the tanks should hold up fine. For tanks that are starting to degrade its time to rip them out and put aluminum or other tanks in. I have seen guys out bladders in the existing tanks as well as a different approach where they filled the tank with some coating and drained it.

personally having fuel leak into the bold ge etc is replace them.. or in the case of a race boat I’d run AV or ...
 
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