[C38] early 20 gal fuel tanks, remove & replace
Les
hlhowell at pacbell.net
Tue Nov 27 11:47:13 EST 2007
Hi, Don,
I think the slope being referred to is between the forward end of the
chart table and the forward end of the kitchen cabinet, where my boat
(and I think many others) has a step down of abort 3" as you go forward.
I gather from some of the mails, that some boats have a slope there.
My tank is 35 gallons, and apparently was factory installed.
by the way, to find small leaks of any fluid or air, we use talcum
powder. Cheap talc will provide nice delineation where fluid is moving,
and for some other kinds of air leaks will puff a nice little cloud.
Also it will impart a nice smell in the process. Do not use it for
volatile gas leaks, because it can aggravate the flame possibilities due
to static. There use some of the bubble mix that plumbers use, or kids
bubble soap or just mix up some good soapy water with dishwashing
liquid.
A sneaky way to find cabin leaks is to seal the cabin, and inflate it
with a vacuum cleaner. Then use bubble solution on the windows, frames,
hatches and so forth until the leak is found. That is a good time to
wash the boat, too.
Regards,
Les H
Regards,
Les H
On Tue, 2007-11-27 at 05:59 -0800, D. R. Strong wrote:
> Mark:
> Discreet Charm is hull number 50, 1980. She has a factory tank
> that holds ca 20 gallons. The tank is about 20 inches square
> horizontally, about 8.5 high on the outboard (starboard) side, and
> about 12 inches high on the inboard side. It has a pinhole leak along
> a welded seam. My pal and I pumped the residual fuel into a jerry can,
> then got the tank out pretty easily through the underbunk access.
> Cutting the fuel fill hose was necessary because the hose was fused to
> the aluminum fill. I have been told that learned that in California
> shops either cannot by law or will no not by sanity weld tanks that
> have held fuel; it is not worth a drive to Reno to find a welder.
> Upgrades to battery and freshwater strainer, etc have taken all extra
> room in the area, and I could not install a larger tank without major
> fiberglass surgery on the underbunk panel, which I dont want to do. 20
> gallons serves me well, especially with Tom Troncalli's refueling
> scheme installed.
> I got an email quote of about $350 plus $35 shipping from
> Speedytanks.com, in Pompano Beach, FL, a company recommended by Cree
> at Berkeley Marine. We have temporarily reinstalled the original tank
> after lots of epoxy on the leak. After the holidays and when we have
> used the 15 gallons or so remaining in the tank, I will replace it
> with the speedytank. I want to do perfect measurements on the removed
> tank before ordering the replacement.
> The sleuthing job to find the leak has been one of the biggest
> pains we have had with the boat. I hope to photograph the replacement
> operation and place saga on our web site.
>
> ps. Do any C38s not have a sloping floor?
>
> regards, Don
>
>
> mark turner wrote:
> > Hi Phil, The Goose is a 1981 with sloping floor. I have the
> > rectangular under bunk access panel. My fuel tank is shaped like the
> > one in the drawing (goodness knows how I would ever get it out).
> > Can't remember how much it holds except it is more than 18 gals. The
> > brokers advert said 35 gals- i seem to recall it was more like 25.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: eyriepg at comcast.net
> > To: hlhowell at pacbell.net ; Catalina 38 Listserve
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 5:08 PM
> > Subject: Re: [C38] Fuel tank tech info -- 5M attachments
> >
> >
> > After comparing Les's photos of his 1982 fuel tank, which
> > looks like the tank drawing in the tech tips part of the C38
> > web site, I am concluding that this tank could not possibly
> > fit under the quarterberth on my boat. The main problem is
> > the my raw water through hull is in the way. Les's boat
> > also has a larger access hole since his hole follows the
> > chamfered shape of the quarterberth molding where my cutout
> > is rectangular.
> >
> > Now I am wondering if any pre 1982 boats have a larger tank
> > than the 18 gallon one that I have in my boat. I believe
> > that in 1982 Catalina made a number of changes to the
> > interior of the C38. The countertop around the sink is
> > shaped differently and a little higher, and the floor is
> > stepped down forward of the galley where the earlier floors
> > slope down (this takes guests by surprise all the time).
> > Any comments by pre 1982 boat owners would be very helpful.
> >
> > Phil Gay
> > C38 049 Que Linda
> > Everett, WA
> >
> > -------------- Original message --------------
> > From: Les <hlhowell at pacbell.net>
> >
> > > Hi, everyone,
> > > Sorry it took me so long to get the photos and get
> > them posted. Please
> > > forgive the dirty appearance of the area near the
> > fuel tank, we haven't
> > > had time to get that cleaned up this year...
> > >
> > > I used a tape measure to help you see the
> > distances. These photos can
> > > be posted if Catalina approves.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Les H
> > > JACE
> > >
> >
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________
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>
> --
> Donald R. Strong
> Professor
> Section of Evolution and Ecology
> University of California Davis
> 95616
> 530 752 7886
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