Water tank removal

[flyboyjack]

I have a 1998 Albin 32+2

It's been a while since I've posted. I'm so mad at my boat!!! It's really a love hate relationship,...most of the time, I'm hating,...but when it's all working sorta,...and I'm on the water, it's a true blessing.

Well, I have to remove the aluminum water tanks from the forward centerline of the boat. (I already removed the cabinetry over the aft tank. Has anyone else had the "pleasure" of removing these tanks?) I've taken out the mounting screws that are accessible, but the buggers won't budge. I'm wondering if there are other securing screws at the ends of the tanks that are beneath the floor/decking and totally inaccessible. (The only way I can see removing the tanks if they're mounted at both ends is to cut them out. What a mess!). Anyway, I need advice and I'm wondering if anyone has done this to their Albin?

Thanks for ANY advice, (including scuttling),

Jack

P.S. Has anyone ever replaced the entire instrument panel??

[Farmer38]

Hi Jack - Feeling your pain. I've no experience here, just acknowledging (and following) your thread.

Best,

[WillieC]

We bought our A25 some three years ago and I am glad I retired so I can work on it everyday. Everything is fixable depending on your own proclivity, perseverance and pocketbook. I can't speak directly to your water tanks, who knows they may be epoxied in, surely someone will weigh in with the magic key, but you keep poking. It is way more exciting when you figure it out yourself, as you know. I try to avoid the drastic (cutting and scuttling, though I understand the desire) because I am lazy and hate fixing stuff that I broke. But I do do a lot of that.

Same with the instrument panel. My tiny panel can be removed as one piece complete with a wiring harness that connects to the engine via a terminal strip. Alternately, you can stand on your head in the head and short out and bust off a lot of wires and round off nuts and bolts to your heart's content and then you will figure out that you should have removed the four screws that holds the whole thing and pull it out from the front, and work in the comfort of the helm seat AFTER you disconnect the batteries. Experience is a wonderful teacher! Stay with it. Or bring out the wallet.

[flyboyjack]

Ok. I've been mulling this over for some time now. I'm first gonna try just isolating the two tanks. I don't see much current need for 120+ gallons of fresh water onboard. (I've read that if you put vitamin C in with the water fill, it will negate the chlorine reaction with the aluminum tanks). Then if that doesn't work and the remaining/useable tank still leaks, I've decided I will cut the tanks along the top and down the accessible ends and use the remaining tank shell to house the new bladder tank(s) which I will insert into the cutout tanks. (I'm figuring this will be a good protection for resisting bladder punctures, etc. as the bladders would only be resting on perhaps a pad in the boat centerline). I'm also heading over to the Miami boat show this week to determine if someone can reasonably make a new instrument panel blank for me. I know I can make a blank, but I also know it's a LOT of time and work and at this point, if it's "reasonable", I'll open my wallet.

Jack

[whwells]

Appreciate your concerns over the alum. tanks for water. I had flaking in my former Albin. Frankly, all you could do was have an excellent filer system. Even then was not confront able drinking the water. Always brought bottled water on board and used the water for washing, showers and dishes on only. Plastic is the place to be. Seems like a huge project to change depending upon the boat. I looked at the 35te and assumed floors would have to be cut and redone. Worried about the money so just lived with it. Funny but I never had the problem after the TE.
Howard

[Deedee]

Don't know if this will help but we had a fwd tank leak and it's fixed! We cruise a lot so I needed my fwd tank...check out my 2014 post. Water Tank Leak fix 2004 35 CB. We did isolate our fwd tank until I fixed the leaks....you'll see in my pictures where (on our boat) there's a hose connecting the two tanks. Had to lift the panel that's fwd of the cabinet where the TV is and you step on when you enter the head to find the connecting hose. This involved taking the molding off. The post explains everything and the product I used....

Happy to say as of today, the Microseal has done it's job.
Contact me if you have any questions.

Deedee