Replace the water tank

[Don]

I own an '89 32 SF & my original aluminum water tank has sprung a serious leak. The 91 gallon tank is located just aft of the bulkhead/wall at the rear of the refrigerator, under the forward bunk in the aft sleeping area. It appears that the boat was built with no thought given to future removal of the tank. Does anyone have any suggestions as how to remove this tank? There are no inspection ports in the tank- Is it possible to cut off the top of the tank & install a bladder tank inside ? How are the baffles placed inside the tank ? Thank you for any help/suggestions !

[Seaslug44]

I have the same problem with my refigerator issue. I spent around $1k for the new refigerator and now I can't figure out how to get the old one out and the new one in.

[Veebyes2]

Typical of so many boatbuilders! It is so easy to build from the bilge up with no consideration for later owner access to do maintenance & replacement of components that WILL eventually need attention.

My 1996 32 has 2 water tanks, giving a total of 115gal, connected by a hose at the bottom. The hose is accessible. Tank replacement will involve major surgery to the cabin floor.

[jprohan]

Dynamite will work to get the old tank out; and depending on how many sticks you use, putting the new one in should be a snap.

[GrandAl]

Best of luck in this, I had the same problem in my '90 SF. Previous owners dealt with it by cutting the top off the Alum. tank and dropping a stainless one down into the remains of the old one. They then filled in the gaps around the stainless one with spray foam to hold it in place. Looked horrible, worked fine. They built the stainless one to drop through the wood hatch above the tank. My best guess is that it's about a 40 gallon tank.

I believe that with the water heater and sewer tank pulled out that you could get two thin plastic water tanks to stand vertically in that void, and then plumb them together to one outlet and fill. It's on my list of things to do next year. I'll post a picture update if I end up doing it.

-david

[BlackWidow]

I have a 1993 32 Sportfisher. When my water tank started leaking, it immediately became apparent that the old 90-gallon tank would not fit through the cabin door. I had the boatyard cut it apart in order to get it out. I then carefully measured the width of the door and the dimensions of the space the old tank occupied. With this info in hand, I had a local metal fabricating firm make me a stainless steel 56-gallon tank. Problem solved.

And for those of you wondering what to do when the 'fridge dies, the answer lies with your local A/C repairman. Mine assures me that, when the time comes, he can disassemble both the old 'fridge to get it out and the new one to get it in. Then, once inside the galley, the new one can be re-assembled and installed.

[Nordic Spirit]

Don't let the tank get the best of you. Any carbide blade will easily cut through the aluminum tank. I just removed mine in less than 2 hours, not counting cleaning up the chips of aluminum. I will be installing 2 plastic tanks in the same area. I agree that boat builders should plan a little better when considering tanks and refrigerators. My aluminum tank was the worst bacteria collection I have ever seen in my 45 years of boating and rebuilding many vessels. Throw that aluminum tank out!