After five years, my 9.2A is out of the water. Now what?

[woodster]

You big boat boys are always bragging about the size of your companionways! Actually, if the old tank can come out without cutting it up, I may see what folks think about coating its interior. I put some Eastwood tank coating inside the gas tank of my old 280SL about 25 years ago and it's still holding up.

i am not to fond of the short cuts ....if you spring a leak you have a mess on your hands ...it will all go to the bottom of the bilge and then the pump is going to pump it overboard and then you are going to have a BP moment that you will never live down its just not worth it get a new tank or at least have a welder weld a new bottom on the old one out of 3/16 plate and make sure he does a 100% weld

 

[bugbitten]

Looks like my current focus will be on pumping out the old fuel tank, getting it out, ordering a new one, and then looking at the alignment issue. I'm not sure whether I already mentioned this, but to align the engine with the shaft log (rather than how it was aligned with the strut previously), it looks like I'll have to raise the rear of the engine about 3/4". I should think that, to maintain proper alignment, the front of the engine will have to come up even more. I'll attach a very crude drawing showing the outline of the output shaft, with a traced outline of the light coming from the shaft log. The difference between the centers of the two is how I came up with the 3/4 of an inch difference. I fear that raising the engine enough will put it too close to the upper limit on the mounts. I could then either put in larger bearers or do like Woody did and have the shaft log moved. Seems like moving the log wouldn't be much worse (or much more expensive?) than lowering the strut and would have the benefit of leaving the engine pretty much unmolested.

John

 

[bugbitten]

A quick check of the Moeller catalog shows just one tank specifically labelled "diesel" close to the 18 gallon capacity of the original. This one's 15 gallon. Is this what you used, Woody?

 

[woodster]

A quick check of the Moeller catalog shows just one tank specifically labelled "diesel" close to the 18 gallon capacity of the original. This one's 15 gallon. Is this what you used, Woody?

i was able to use the original 20 gallon tank after welding a new bottom on it but 18 gallons will work for your boat what are the dimensionsof the tank and where is the filler neck located on the new tank

 

[woodster]

oops just looked at your drawing and that will work great

 

[bugbitten]

We do have lots of good marine welders around here. I probably have a couple of neighbors who might do the job. I've got the original tank already plumbed for my fuel polisher, so that's another reason to go with reinforcing it rather than replacing. My mechanic admired the tank, and he's pretty picky. We'll see how it looks once it's out and cleaned.

 

[bugbitten]

Here's my weekly update. I've mostly worked on the fuel tank. It was nearly full, so the first task was getting the fuel into jerry cans. After a few false starts, it finally dawned on me that the old Facet fuel pump that had apparently been part of the previous engine install and that was still plumbed into the system might do the trick. I led some fuel line from it to a can, connected my automotive jump box to its unused connections, and off it ran. Took about 45 minutes to move a bit more than 15 gallons, all pulled through the Racor filter, so it looks very nice.

Next task was cutting the opening in the quarterberth wall to pull the tank through. Got that done this morning, removed the connections, and with a little elbow grease, the tank is now out. Very little fuel remained in it, so it was pretty light.

I'll attach a few shots of the process. I've got a fiberglass expert from our yacht club coming to look at my gelcoat issues. I see if he wants to advise me on moving the shaft log, too. Would you expect me to have to buy a new log, or cut the old one out and remount it so it's at a bit shallower angle to the hull and in alignment with the strut and with where the output shaft should be?

John

 

[woodster]

john all i did was cut the access hole larger and make a bigger door to get the tank out ...looks like you cut the whole bulkhead divider out.....on the shaft log i used the old one just cut it loose and realigned it after establishing the angle needed and then glassed it back with lots of layers rodded cloth and thicken epoxy along with some six-10 west systems ....while you have all that out clean up that rats nest of cables,hoses, and wires you will be glad you did
keep on working and if need be take a break to kill burn out

 

[bugbitten]

"Rat's nest"! Actually, I had taken some pics, then decided I should at least vacuum up some of the debris first, so, believe it or not, what you see is already an improvement. I'll definitely tidy up the wiring and plumbing while access is relatively easy. The old wiring harness for the original engine is still down there, along with the original hot water heater tubing. It's a good time to put all new hoses to the fuel tank, too. What would you think about cutting a large access panel in the top of the fuel tank (now that you know how I tend to get carried away with that sort of thing)? Too easy to end up with leaks? It sure would make it easier to clean it and get all the various fittings snugged down. I may give up on the fuel polisher, now that I'll have a clean tank. It was a tight squeeze fitting its additional Racor filter, hoses, and electric pump in there.

I find dark chocolate Raisinets and a nap keep burn out at bay. We've had unusually cool and damp weather this week, so it's been pretty perfect to plugging away down below.

Oh, and my marina will only pull the mast with the boat back in the water, so, once the alignment's resolved, the drive train is all back together, and everything necessary below the waterline is done, I think I'll get in some sailing before tackling the mast and standing rigging. Well, there's the gelcoat to do, too, but maybe I'll have her on the water a little this season.

John

 

[woodster]

on the clean out for the fuel tank ...if you just keep good fuel in the tank after its clean and use a additive to keep it fresh and bacteria safe there is no need on a 20 gallon tank ...ya just don't need one

 

[bugbitten]

Man, I was just thinking that I could've kept the bulkhead divider intact and just cut a 2 x 2 foot hole in the hull when I pulled out the shaft log and gotten the fuel tank out the easy way!

That fuel polisher never seemed to do much - just putting some additive in the tank, keeping it topped up with fresh fuel, putting an H2Out on the vent line, and running the engine while out when it was rocking and rolling ended up having the regular Racor pull all the junk out. I think the polisher's pump was too puny, so it could run when you were away from the boat and not drain the battery. Another lesson learned.

Here's another ball o' wax: I've thought the transmission had been a bit slow to engage the last few months. It used to clunk into gear pretty I've read a bit about pulling out the cones to sand off the glaze, I think it was. Should I add that task to the spreadsheet, while everything's relatively accessible? Of course, it may just be that the cable needs adjustment. I'm guessing I won't get very far with disassembly until I get the coupler off the output shaft.

John

 

[woodster]

that clunk could very well be cable adjustment how old are your cables they may need replacing.....i wouldn't go into the tranny until it stopped working if all you got is a clunk but i am not really the one to say for sure ....a lot depends on how you run your engine when shifting ...to much rpms may be the problem....just a thought ....these things were meant to use but they do need respect as well....

 

[woodster]

i see no need for fuel polishing if you start with a clean tank and keep it that way

 

[bugbitten]

The tank was full of sludge when I got the boat. Maybe four Racor filters later and a hundred or so hours of operation and most of it was gone. Here's the inside of the tank as of today. Not pretty, but I don't think I'm seeing any pitting thus far. My pressure washer is kaput, and I'm not keen on putting a ton of pressure on those inside seams anyway. Any favorite method for cleaning without pressure? Maybe just slosh some gasoline around in there? Maybe I'll start with some Simple Green and decent water pressure through my garden hose nozzle.

Actually, I just looked at the second pic full sized and it does look like there's some (what seems to me) minor pitting. I'll put some hot water and cleanser in there and see how it looks.

John

 

[woodster]

don't put too much water pressure on that tank....as for cleaner use greased lighting....and slosh it around ...and drain it out and flush it several times because it is caustic...fill the tank up and flush it out with e water hose stuck down to the bottom for about 30 mins or so then do it again flushing that is after draining and refilling again with fresh water and flush again for about 15 min

 

[bugbitten]

Here it is after some cleaning and boiling water and fresh water rinse. Do you think the pits require a new bottom?

 

[woodster]

yes i would and i did

 

[Mark Maulden]

How well do you want to sleep at night?

 

[bugbitten]

Just back from a longish road trip. I've got a local expert coming to help me with the gel coat repairs Saturday. I bought a gallon of waxed GC, so I should be good! (Got the yacht club discount and paid just $43.)

I never sleep well at night, so having a pitted fuel tank won't affect that much! I guess I'll haul it to my local aluminum guy and get it done. I have a hard time not listening to solicited advice. I can also have him weld shut the opening I'd cut for the fuel polisher while he's replacing the bottom. (And after I'd just - totally unnecessarily but just for grins - polished the tank all up.)

Woody, any tips (I do love those templates) for how much to cut around the shaft log to get that ready to reposition?

John

 

[woodster]

no template..... just some creative surgery with a fine multi tool and a carbide dremel blade