New Holding Tank for 336

[rachelmackenzie]

We are replacing the holding tank on our 1995 336. The big challenge we are having is finding a tank that's a comparable size--30 gallons--that will fit in the odd space on the boat. Has anyone done this? We will be taking the tarp off the boat in a couple weeks and head down below with the tape measure (again), but I thought I'd ask so we don't have to 'recreate the wheel' if someone out there has found a solution! We really don't want to downsize since we are a family of four sailing on a lake.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Peggie Hall recommends Ronco tanks. They have a huge selection of various sizes.

 

[rachelmackenzie]

Hunter Owners worked with Ronco and weren't able to find anything that matched our measurements that was over 22 gallons. Instead of having to start from scratch with their catalog (which is great and has all the dimensions for each dank) I am hoping to get info. from someone who as done this. We bought one of the boats that came through with an aluminum tank instead of plastic; quite rare since they changed to plastic not long after ours was made.

 

[nveater]

I replaced the holding tank (twice) on my 335. Second time I went to ronco- I called them gave them dimensions and where the outlet fittings were and got a new tank fairly quickly. On the 335 the tank is under the starboard/forward sitee. It required removing some screws but the seat tops came out easily. One thing to remember is to measure carefully the height from the top of the tank to the bottom of your seat- if you had a metal tank the hose fitting will be smaller in height than the the plastic ones that ronco supplies

 

[robertsapp]

Rick on Whiskey Chaser replaced his tank with a 30 gallon. If you ask him I'm sure he'll send you a picture. What you're probably finding out is that you'll be unable to find a stock trapazoidal tank that will fit in the aft quarter area. You basically have two choices. Have one custom manufactured, or go with a rectangular 30 gallon tank, which will hang off the shelf the tank sits on and extend into the centerline void above the exhause line forward of the rudder stock. That's the way Rick did it on his boat. It's not pretty, but it works, and once you reinstall the aft bulkhead, no one will know.

 

[rachelmackenzie]

Thanks everyone. Robert, Rick has e-mailed me photos of his new tank but I don't have any dimensions. He did not know the model number of the replacement tank. I sent him an e-mail to see if he remembers the dimensions. I know it's a pain to get in there and measure. My husband was looking at some rectangular tanks on the Ronco site. Good to know it was 30-gallons that Rick used, that will narrow it down quite a bit. I can't imagine the frequency of pump-outs we'd need with a 20! Yikes! Did your boat come through with the plastic tank? Ronco told me it would be $1,500 for a custom tank. Think of all the other great boat stuff you can buy with kind of money!

 

[robertsapp]

Ours has a plastic tank. We've replaced all the hoses and the level sender, which is a lot of fun and involves hanging upside down in the stern lazarette for hours. Taking the dimensions of the tank and measuring for a new one isn't hard, just remove the rear bulkhead in the aft berth and everything is right there. You could get a new one made approximately the same size and shape out of aluminum - it wouldn't last as long as the plastic one, but I bet you'd get at least ten or twelve years out of it, and it would be a lot cheaper.

I guess I don't don't remember for certain that Rick put in a 30 gallon tank, but I know that when I was looking at fuel tank options last year, I found several 30 gallon poly rectangular tanks that were the required 12" tall and would fit in the space, provided I let it extend over the center area as I mentioned.

 

[robertsapp]

By the way, why are you having to replace the tank? Is it leaking?

 

[rachelmackenzie]

Old Tank...

The tank had a hole in it and the vent was broken/clogged--? I don't know the details on that part. The survey revealed the tank problems; there wasn't a hole in it at that point, but it was just about there. We were hoping it would last through the season. It made it up to mid-August before a repair became necessary. You can see the classy and functional repair job that my husband performed on a hot, humid, 90-degree day out on the mooring. A good time to be the First Mate and not the Captain!

 

[robertsapp]

The tank had a hole in it and the vent was broken/clogged--? I don't know the details on that part. The survey revealed the tank problems; there wasn't a hole in it at that point, but it was just about there. We were hoping it would last through the season. It made it up to mid-August before a repair became necessary. You can see the classy and functional repair job that my husband performed on a hot, humid, 90-degree day out on the mooring. A good time to be the First Mate and not the Captain!

It's not clear from the picture what's going on here. I see what appears to be some sort of bowl or pan that has been attached where the level sender would go, and a short length of really bad waste hose with some duct tape on it. If the tank itself is sound, I think you'd be way ahead of the curve by just fixing the tank by putting in a new vent connection and installing a new WEMA holding tank sending unit. And new hose of course. If there's a hole somewhere else in the tank, you might be able to get another five years or more out of it by cutting an access hole in the top of the tank, thoroughly cleaning the interior, and then painting it out inside with several layers of epoxy and maybe some fabric where the hole is. Install a Seabuilt access plate in the hole when you're done.

 

[rachelmackenzie]

The tank had a big hole on the top and had more signs of corrosion on the bottom; even the surveyor said it had to go. We are going to replace all the hoses--hence the hose attached in the photo. I looked at the Ronco catalog and there are six 30 gallon rectangular tanks. Hopefully one of those will work.

The tarp is coming off the boat this weekend so we'll get some measurements and then perhaps make a mock-up with some cardboard if necessary. We plan to keep the boat for another 8-10 years so it would be great to just have this taken care of once and for all. We do have a local welder who could make a new metal tank, as you previously suggested. That would probably last long enough that it would be a problem for the next owner! My husband replaced the hoses, head and tank on our last boat.

If we do find a plastic tank I'll post the model number and dimensions in case another 336 owner finds himself in this predicament!

 

[rachelmackenzie]

Found!?

We unwrapped the boat yesterday and took measurements. It looks like we have three tank possibilities. The best one has a largest measurement of 16" which is the exact opening of the door to the rear cabin.

 

[robertsapp]

Re: Found!?

I had to actually take the aft cabin door off the frame to get my tanks out of the aft cabin. They'll fit through the door frame, but the little bit of extra space the door takes up when open prevents you from making it work. No big deal, twelve screws and it's off.