My aux tank gave up the ghost and my main tank can't be too far behind as they are both 17 years old. I am planning on replacing them both along with all the lines this offseason. I have a recommendation for a tank fabricator in my area. My question is do you guys think the install is a job I can do myself? I am pretty handy and like doing work on my own--for both the knowledge you gain about your vessel and to save the $100 plus per hour on marine labor. So other than pulling out the old tanks and dropping in the new ones what else is involved that could cause me problems. I think the best scenario would be to have someone who has done this or a similar job before help me. I would even be willing to pay them for their time...just not $100 per hour :wink:
New Fuel Tanks and lines
- Thread starter amr72
- Start date
I watched the R&R being done by a tank fabricator (and his helper) on my 255. The greatest difficulty for them was gaining access to and removing the fill lines. There was a fair bit of cutting and knuckle busting required which made me cringe. I'm glad I didn't tackle it myself as it turned out to be quite physically difficult, and their prior experience was invaluable, as they had to resort to a few tricks. You're on the right track to find someone who's done it before, as I wouldn't consider it a one man job. I got my satisfaction by removing the hatch covers, detailing the bilge after the old tanks came out, and buttoning up the whole project. That was plenty for me.
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As Pez mentioned, stuff like new fuel fill lines will be a PITA....but its really not technically difficult....it comes down to what your threshold for BS PITA stuff is and are you allowed to swear on Sundays??? Is 2-300 in additional labor worth your time? Thats an individual decision...the rest is fairly straight forward
Scott W.
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- Jan 28, 2010
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- Location
- Plainview, New York
- Model
- Seafarer
In March I replaced the main 19-year old 93-gallon fuel tank on my 1991 Seafarer 228G with a little help from my 9 year old son. We hired Phil from Alloy Metal Works in Farmingdale, NY 631-694-8163 to fabricate a replacement tank for about $750. After siphoning out most of the gas, I removed and delivered my old gas tank to Phil, and he properly disposed of the same for free. I had purchased online from WEMA, a great sending unit at 30% off the listed price and had Phil install it on my new tank. As for the tank coating, at Phil's recommendation I applied three coats of Zinc Chromate to protect the tank from corrosion and then glued neoprene strips with 3M 5200 Adhesive to the bottom areas where the boat well's tank supports are located.
As for the replacement of the gas lines, the hardest part was the replacement of the fill line, which took me about an hour to complete. What you want to do here is to attach the new fill line to the inlet side of the existing fill line by taking a smaller hose and insert it into both lines and then insert screws in same to prevent them from comming apart. Then you pull the fill lines from the tank area until the new hose is pulled through.
I am considered to be a "handy" type of guy, but I logged about 10 hours on this project from beginning to end and took my time to do it right the first time. If you are handy and don't mind putting in the time to save about $800 in labor, go for it. There are other great posts on this topic within the Grady Repair and Maintenance Forum that I found helpful before I embarked on my tank replacement - check them out for more great advice! Good Luck!
As for the replacement of the gas lines, the hardest part was the replacement of the fill line, which took me about an hour to complete. What you want to do here is to attach the new fill line to the inlet side of the existing fill line by taking a smaller hose and insert it into both lines and then insert screws in same to prevent them from comming apart. Then you pull the fill lines from the tank area until the new hose is pulled through.
I am considered to be a "handy" type of guy, but I logged about 10 hours on this project from beginning to end and took my time to do it right the first time. If you are handy and don't mind putting in the time to save about $800 in labor, go for it. There are other great posts on this topic within the Grady Repair and Maintenance Forum that I found helpful before I embarked on my tank replacement - check them out for more great advice! Good Luck!
I replaced mine (1987 Overnighter) a few years ago. Not too bad of a job, and you can take your time and do things right. I got my tank from RDS in Perry, Fl. I found them by searching the ID Tag that was on my original tank. I think they changed names since then, but were the OEM of the tank. I talked to them & they e-mailed me a drawing to confirm that is exactly what I wanted. Had it shipped & worked out perfectly. It also came with the sending unit. I replaced all hoses as well. If you search, there are other threads on this subject. Good Luck!!