Water tank

[flawler]

I have a 1984 Albin 27FC. Over the weekend during a two-day cruise I noticed water on the floor by the engine battery box and water seeping just above that from the bottom of the water tank. Most likely the tank froze and cracked, even though I thought it was empty. Interestingly, the tank has been full for months, but did not leak until we ran the pump.

I need advice: Remove the tank? Seal the tank somehow? Consider the possibility that something else may be leaking? How difficult to remove the tank? It looks like moving the exhaust canister should allow removal without pulling the engine starter battery box. Surely someone has experience with this problem. Also, has someone added an in-line water filter to the system?

Thanks,
Frank Lawler
Anchor Management

[coolchange]

All I can say is in my experience water leaks are almost never from where I thought at first...so, be sure to triple verify before you start tearing stuff out.

[Beta Don]

The previous owner removed the tank from my 1984FC - I think leaky tanks in the early model boats are pretty common. If I'm not mistaken, you have to cut up the old tank and remove it in pieces, assuming the engine is still in the boat

Since mine had no tank when I bought it, I installed a pair of Todd 15 gallon tanks side by side with the input, output and vent lines paralleled. If you decide to replace yours, I can give you the dimensions of the Todd tanks I used. They are an excellent fit for the available space

Don

[TorreyWP]

Don,

I may be in for the same trouble as Frank.

What were the dimensions of the Todd tanks you retrofitted?

Thanks,

Torrey

[JT48348]

I had the same problem you described. My water tank had a crack in it due to age. I had to cut up the tank to remove it. It's a tough job due to limited space and the size of the original tank. I posted pictures under the A27 Head Modification Thread.

If I remember the issue was not the muffler , but the straps used to hold the tank in place.My tank was so large it left very little room to access the top of the tank to cut the metal straps, or the fill/output hoses. The fit for the tank is so tight, you cant really move the entire unit out witht he engine and extras in the way. Not sure if moving the muffler would help.

I used a sawzall to cut the tank in half and then remove it in pieces. There was no point in trying to salvage it, and it was disgusting with the mold and all inside. Haven't installed a new one but may go with Don's two tank idea.
Good luck

[Mark Deeser]

I have 1986 27 FC, over time mine developed a small crack in bottom seam. Was able to remove tank with out cutting it up. Batteries had to come out and some wiring tied back. Very tight, took a lot of back and fourth movements. Could not find replacement tank of same size. One option could be cut out front of tank and us it as a box for a water blatter. I am putting in two blatters, one port one strarboard in second compartments from aft, will have 82 gallons tankage. Will only fill them when I want to stay out for extended period. Thanks, Mark.

[DesertAlbin736]

Not sure if this would help, but there is an outfit out in California named Ronco Plastics that will make custom HDPE plastic resin tanks to order.

Here's their website

http://ronco-plastics.net/

And their online catalog in .pdf format.

http://ronco-plastics.com/newRonco/Prod ... 5-2016.pdf



We had the outlet fitting on a HDPE holding tank in our previous boat, a 1989 Catalina 25, repaired in 2012 by removing the tank from the boat and taking it to their shop when we had our boat in San Diego. They can do just about anything or refer to other manufacturers if needed.

Ronco is located in Tustin, CA, in the L.A. metro area not far from Newport Beach, but they can ship anywhere.

[JT48348]

I am putting in two blatters, one port one strarboard in second compartments from aft, will have 82 gallons tankage. Will only fill them when I want to stay out for extended period. Thanks, Mark.

Mark, I'd be very interested to hear how your bladder option works and how you plumb it. I've thought about the same thing so please let me know when you get this going. I thought of making a "box" where the old tank went so I could put a bladder there. 82gal would be impressive!

[Beta Don]

Mine are like these

http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetail ... =94-1627WH

The sit in the boat just as pictured - Vertical, side by side with the tank fittings facing forward. I added some 3/8ths ply about 3 inches tall around the mounting platform (about an inch sticking up proud of the platform) to keep them where they belong - Screwed and epoxied. A pair of 2 inch wide straps from an old USAF cargo net over the top of the tanks, snugged down ensures they can't jump out of place

Very easy to install with the engine and the exhaust canister still in place. Parallel the small top vent ports and the small bottom ports which lead to the pressure pump inlet port. I *think* I only plumbed up the outboard tank filler to the deck fill hose and just plugged off the other fill port - The water in the tanks will equalize via the paralleled bottom fittings, though it does take a bit longer when you're filling them. You could parallel the fill ports too with a little more work

Don

[JT48348]

Must. Have. Pictures.

[Albin_Bda]

Gents,

I used these folks to build me a custom tank for my C-Dory-very impressed: http://www.customroto.com

My best
Peter

[smacksman]

I've fitted water storage bladders on other boats and the thing to watch for is chafe. With many gallons of water sloshing about the bladder can move a lot if allowed to. A common place to locate them is in a locker where the bladder tends to be supported on all sides. Replacing solid plastic tanks with a bladder in the sides of the engine room as they are in Free State would cause problems. A 30 Imperial gallon tank is 300 pounds of water being thrown about in rough weather and takes some restraining.
I also put an open weave plastic netting or mesh between the bladder and supporting surfaces to drain off any condensation between the bladder and the boat.

[sail149]

An A27 I looked at to buy fitted an oversize holding tank buy cutting the bulkhead on the stb side between the locker and the engine room, slide in a large tank, don't know the size, and then glassed up the bulkhead.
You could do the same to port with the water tank of you wanted to.
W

[Beta Don]

I have a Todd 20 gallon holding tank in the stbd lazarrette aft of the engine compartment, laying flat. It's a perfect fit for the space and it slides in place through the aft cabin, so no cutting anything. Beside it, up against the hull I have a 12 gallon aluminum diesel tank for my generator which is sitting on the stbd shelf in the engine bay where the original holding tank used to be. The lazarrette also holds a conventional 5,000 btu window unit air conditioner which cools the aft cabin, though you do have to leave the lazarrette door open when it's in use. Running on low cool with the zero to ten dial set on 4 or 5, it will almost freeze you out of the aft cabin even on a hot Mississippi August night - We lived on the boat for a couple months after Katrina and the A/C was what made it bearable. The same compartment also holds the macerator and assorted plumbing for either overboard discharge of the holding tank or marina pump-out. The 40 amp Truecharge battery charger also lives in that compartment Even with all that 'stuff' crammed in there, there's still room to sit a pair of 5 gallon diesel or water jugs on top of the holding tank. When I think of all the time I spent laying on my belly plumbing everything in that locker together, I can honestly say it's not something I would ever do again - It was a nightmare! . . . . and I generally like working on old boats

The opposite (port) lazarrette holds a pair of AGM 6 volt Golf Cart batteries and the refrigeration compressor. Other than that, it's for fenders, jugs etc . . . . oh, and the 1200 watt inverter is in there on the forward bulkhead too

Sorry, no pictures . . . . I don't have a wide angle lens

Don

[JT48348]

Researching water tank and holding options. Took some minimum measurements of the two sides of the engine compartment:

Port 48x18x15high
Starboard 46-47x14deep x17 high

Based on my calculations this puts both tanks at about 50gallons. I want to go as big a tank as possible for fresh water and holding tank.

Where and how are your tanks plumbed? It's been so long since I started my project I forgot. I assume mine was plumbed from the top. So I'm assuming I back off the measurements approx 2"-3" for the fittings, especially assuming they exit the top?

I've found a couple of tanks that are close in size. I may also look into a custom shape since there's lots of space along the curve if the hull in the engine room.

The easiest thing would be to put 50 gallon fresh on one side and 50 gallon waste on the other. But then with full water and empty waste I'm wondering how off balance the boat will be?

Not really interested in splitting to smaller tanks...other options?