53 MY Classic Fuel Tanks

[Plan B2]

Hello all, new member abd a 53MY wanna be here.
I have been lurking for the past couple of weeks and really appreciate the insight offered by the participants.
I have followed the input of PASCAL on another forum for several years and when I decided on my next boat, I found this site. And yes, some of his experiences have led me to strongly consider a 53MY Classic.

I wish I were in the immediate market, however it might be another year or two. When it comes time and I have selected a potential boat a survey will be conducted, however in my pre-screening process I would like to have a better understanding of how fuel tanks are mounted, and what materials were used in thes e boats from 1979 through 1988. What are the concerns for those tanks now and in the future to look out for.

General system, plumbing, pumps electrical, the mains and generators I have a good feel for. Cosmetic and hull/ deck issues... got it. Fule tanks are my current weakness and with BIO fuels ever on the horizon I find myself wondering what maintenance expence can I expect out of fuel tanks that are 20 to 30 years old?

[MikeP]

The fuel tanks are all fiberglass - which, at the time was a GREAT thing! I don't know if the resin changed on the 53 or not as it appears to have done with some Hatts. The tanks are not "mounted" in the sense that a metal tank is - they are glassed into the boat structure. Even if you had access, you can't "unbolt" the tank and remove it.

Who knows where diesel is going as far as revisions to the fuel itself are concerned. At the moment it appears to me that the biofuels don't present any problem at all unless ethanol is involved.

If ethanol is added, then diesel boats could face the same problems that it appears the gas boats face re resin problems. If that occurs with a 53, I can't imagine how you could mechanically fix the problem unless some chemical thing shows up that could be dumped in the tanks and somehow coat or associate it self with the resin to eliminate the problem. I can't imagine that happening but anything is possible. The reality is that very few boats were made with FG tanks so the demand to fix it, and the profits for whoever figures out how, are extremely low.

Replacing the tanks on a 53 looks like a nearly impossible task short of disassembling the boat though I'm sure folks like Slane could do it. God knows how much it would cost!

[SKYCHENEY]

The tanks on a 53MY are mounted centerline in the keel. They were increased in size from about 500gal to 700gal total capacity in the late 70's(1978-1980 or thereabouts). Other than contamination from bad fuel or lack of use, all of their diesel tanks are still as solid as new with no known issues. In fact, they were all UL listed which was a big deal at the time.

As Mike said, I doubt you could remove them without major surgery as there are bulkheads that span over the top of them as well as part of the forward water tank. This should not be an issue as diesel bio fuels are not a problem. Ethanol has proven itself to be detrimental, but the use of it in diesel is probably not going to happen.

[Plan B2]

Thanks fo the reassurances. I'm looking forward to learning from this forum and envy those that have already joined the family of Hatt owners.

[krush]

Has anybody ever pursued cutting a hole in the tanks and putting a bladder in?

That's what they in some airplanes...ever see that Dirty Jobs? My roomate replaces bladders in f-16's.

[MikeP]

The tanks are internally baffled so there is no way to do that.

You'd have to somehow remove all the baffles before you could insert the bladder. It looks to me like it might entail the same level of boat disassembly as previously mentioned.

[67hat34c]

bladder would not have baffles and would enable the fuel to slosh all around.
We have gas boat in FL, no ethanol yet but it will come. I dont know what we are going to do when it happens. all alternatives will be costly. we simply dont have the money for diesel conversion. I thought of pulling the tanks, removal of baffles and then sandblasting them down to clean glass then setting a layer of fine mat with proper resin then make new baffles. I would think this system would work but it would be a lot of work and expense if it did not work.

Sure wish someone could save an old tank so i could experiment with it.

[Pascal]

welcome !

the 53s saw very few changes over the years, i doubt the tank construction changed. doesn't look like ethanol is ever going to be a problem in diesel but you never know... personally, I woudlnt' have anything but fiberglass tanks, it's the ultimate piece of mind.

as Mike said, forget bladders since these tanks have bafles...

if they ever need to be worked on, i'm not so sure they'd be hard get to. the forward tank is right under the companion way so it woudnt' be hard to pull the floor and cut the top of the tank open. the aft tank maybe more of a problem since it extends into the VIP SR and under one of the berth but again, access coudl be gained to glass and refinish the interior or install something else...

hopefully this will never need to be done !

[SKYCHENEY]

Pacal,
Gaining access to either of those tanks would not be easy. The fwd tank runs not only under the companionway floor,but also under the steps and into the gen room. It is also wider than the companionway and actually extends under the walls on each side of the companionway.

The aft tank is even worse. It has the aft companionway wall over it, the framework for the mid stateroom bunk over it and the fwd water tank sitting on top of it. That bunk would have to be ripped out completely to get to the water tank. Then, the water tank would have to "untabbed" and moved somewhere else. Lastly, the wall between the hallway and the stateroom would have to come out.

All of these wall/bulkhead removals would also necessitate headliner removal. Also, the floors that would be coming out have transverse supports that once cut, would have to be put back.

No way is this "easy". If you just wanted to put in an inspection port, yes that's easy, but to gain access to the entire tank is nothing short of a complete lower level tear out and remodel job.

[67hat34c]

Krush , since you are the engineering major, interested in marine industry and live near the north east where ethanol fuel is being used, you would be the perfect person to conduct the experiments on the tank. You should be able to find a take out fiber glass tank and work on a system such as i outlined.