H340 chain plate, stuck propane tank

[Chew Oon]

Hi,
I just got a 2001 H340.
1) One of the chain plate nuts is rusted. The bolt is hidden behind the rub rail. Any idea how to get to the bolt?
2) The rusted nut is behind a panel. Any idea how to remove it?
3) The bottom of propane tank is rusted and it is stuck solid in the locker. I have tried using a mallet but still couldn't loosen it. Any idea how to remove it?
Thanks.
Chew

 

[isaksp00]

A guess on my part - if the tank rusting at the bottom is what is sticking (maybe it is rusted to another piece of metal?) you could try a lot of PB Blaster, or any other penetrant you like. I have found it seems to work better than say WD40.

 

[Chew Oon]

Thanks.

 

[Ed Caldwell]

Congrats on the new boat!

I too am curious about access to the chainplate attachment on the H340 and will be watching this post for replies from someone who has gotten in there and removed one. We're on a fresh water lake and corrosion is so far not an issue, but at some point I'd really like to pull them out and inspect. It appears the factory made the attachment before installing the cabinetry. I've never seen a diagram of that attachment for this model.

Regarding the propane tanks and compartment: the tanks fit very snugly into 2 inch deep circular wells at the bottom of the propane compartment. It doesn't completely drain if you get water in there, leading to the corrosion on the bottom of the tanks. I think you're just going to have to apply something to start to dissolve the rust, then more force as it's just the rusted metal tank against gel coated fiberglass. Try very gentle rocking the tank side to side.

Once you get the old tanks out, either replace with new or clean up the rust and paint with corrosion resistant paint. Then go to a car parts store and pick up some plastic door edge guards - they fit neatly on the circular ring on the bottom of the tank, and are flexible enough and long enough to go almost all the way around the ring. Clean up the rust stains on the bottom of the compartment and paint that with a plastic compatible spray paint to make it look good again. The door edge guards on the bottom of the tank make the fit even tighter but have prevented the rust on our boat.

 

[Chew Oon]

Hi Ed,

Thanks and thanks for your input on the stuck propane tank. I have applied some PB Blaster for the rust and will share the results, if successful.

Let's us if anyone has any input on the chain plate issue.

Chew

 

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