I need some advice/expertise on repairing the leaky water tank in my 1981 Hunter 27. The tank is underneath the port side of the v-berth and the top is a panel with many screws. I removed the screws but cannot remove the panel because it has been bedded with some kind of white bedding compound. Is there a way to soften that compound so that I can remove the panel? Am I going about this the right way? thanks in advance
Hunter water tank cover question
- Thread starter Stephen OBrien
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There's a couple of photo articles
on the Hunter 31 page of this site that probably have all the information you need. (Try the link at the bottom of this post) Your situation sounds the same as on my H31, and it was just a matter of VERY VERY carefully working at 1 corner of the lid with a small screwdriver, a putty knife, a sharp blade to cut the bead in the seam, carefully working it loose.... that was nerve-wracking, because I could just imagine the difficulty of getting a new cover made! Of course, there are sealants and then there are adhesive sealants. If the PO put the lid on with an adhesive, then you probably do need some kind of solvent... and the PO needs a spanking! One of the articles also talks about making a butyl rubber gasket for the lid - I didn't do that, just used (non-adhesive) sealant. That may be a better way to go. Good luck. The good news it that it isn't your holding tank!!! Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8
on the Hunter 31 page of this site that probably have all the information you need. (Try the link at the bottom of this post) Your situation sounds the same as on my H31, and it was just a matter of VERY VERY carefully working at 1 corner of the lid with a small screwdriver, a putty knife, a sharp blade to cut the bead in the seam, carefully working it loose.... that was nerve-wracking, because I could just imagine the difficulty of getting a new cover made! Of course, there are sealants and then there are adhesive sealants. If the PO put the lid on with an adhesive, then you probably do need some kind of solvent... and the PO needs a spanking! One of the articles also talks about making a butyl rubber gasket for the lid - I didn't do that, just used (non-adhesive) sealant. That may be a better way to go. Good luck. The good news it that it isn't your holding tank!!! Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8
Piano wire 'garrote'
Get some thin wire from music store.... wire that has an 'overwrap' such as would be found on a base string of a guitar, banjo, etc. take two wooden dowels to use as handles to which you attach the wire between. Loop the 'garotte/garrote' around the flange and 'saw' through the caulk between the flange and the tank - the rough wire will 'cut' the caulk. Same process can be used to loosen the flanges of 'side-windows', portlights, etc. ;-)
Get some thin wire from music store.... wire that has an 'overwrap' such as would be found on a base string of a guitar, banjo, etc. take two wooden dowels to use as handles to which you attach the wire between. Loop the 'garotte/garrote' around the flange and 'saw' through the caulk between the flange and the tank - the rough wire will 'cut' the caulk. Same process can be used to loosen the flanges of 'side-windows', portlights, etc. ;-)
Good idea, RichH.
I saw that suggestion for removing portholes, but didn't think of using it for my tank cover. I was curious about which spelling of garrotte/garotte was proper, so I googled it. Either spelling seems OK. Now I'm ill.... turns out that garrotting was used as a means of official execution in Spain as recently as...... 1974!!! And I thought Spain was civilized! As an aside, I question whether any country with the death penalty qualifies as 'civilized'.. but that has nothing to do with sailing and doesn't belong in this forum! Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8
I saw that suggestion for removing portholes, but didn't think of using it for my tank cover. I was curious about which spelling of garrotte/garotte was proper, so I googled it. Either spelling seems OK. Now I'm ill.... turns out that garrotting was used as a means of official execution in Spain as recently as...... 1974!!! And I thought Spain was civilized! As an aside, I question whether any country with the death penalty qualifies as 'civilized'.. but that has nothing to do with sailing and doesn't belong in this forum! Cheers, Bob s/v X SAIL R 8
Would you use a bladder tank?
I got the cover off! Now I'm thinking of installing a bladder tank for cleaner water and ease of maintenance. Anybody done that here?
I got the cover off! Now I'm thinking of installing a bladder tank for cleaner water and ease of maintenance. Anybody done that here?
Water is no cleaner in a bladder...
and can be worse if it's unvented bladder. As for maintenance...how much does ANY water tank need? A recommissioning of the whole system once a year is about it.
and can be worse if it's unvented bladder. As for maintenance...how much does ANY water tank need? A recommissioning of the whole system once a year is about it.
final straw.
Stephen: I had to repair the lid on my tank on a H'31. After 3-4 futile attempts, for caulking and rescrewing the lid on, I had it glassed in place. My problem was the fact that the screw holes had become oversized. When I drilled out new ones it appeared that there was not enough fiberglass for the screws to bite into. I took the boat over to the yard. They ground all the gelcoat off the edge of the lid and the tank and applied new fiberglass cloth and re-gel coated the area. There are now two cleanouts in the lid and FINALLY it no longer leaks. I personally think that bag tanks are a poor idea, but it is fairly easy to install. The problem you may encounter is the fact that you need to partially destroy your existing tank to get new fill, outlet and vent hoses hooked up. I would try either making a gasket with butyl rubber or just using caulk and see if that holds it. If you have access around the tank, you can always use nuts and washers on the back side of the screws too.
Stephen: I had to repair the lid on my tank on a H'31. After 3-4 futile attempts, for caulking and rescrewing the lid on, I had it glassed in place. My problem was the fact that the screw holes had become oversized. When I drilled out new ones it appeared that there was not enough fiberglass for the screws to bite into. I took the boat over to the yard. They ground all the gelcoat off the edge of the lid and the tank and applied new fiberglass cloth and re-gel coated the area. There are now two cleanouts in the lid and FINALLY it no longer leaks. I personally think that bag tanks are a poor idea, but it is fairly easy to install. The problem you may encounter is the fact that you need to partially destroy your existing tank to get new fill, outlet and vent hoses hooked up. I would try either making a gasket with butyl rubber or just using caulk and see if that holds it. If you have access around the tank, you can always use nuts and washers on the back side of the screws too.
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