1990 Albin 27 fuel tanks

[obertra9]

I have someone interested in my boat asking what material the fuel tanks are made of. The tanks are original. Thanks, Roger

[hetek]

Tanks... as in plural?

That must be an "SC" thing. My FC had a single aluminum "box" tank under the cockpit sole, visible trough the seat compartments and the aft cabin.

You will definitely need an "SC" owner to chime in here. Good luck with the sale!

[garybodie]

My Albin 27 SC has twin aluminum tanks. I've been meaning to measure the dimensions to calculate the capacity, but I believe it is about 38 gallons each.

[SkipRocks]

My '85 A27 Sport Cruiser has two tanks. The two saddle tanks are made of aluminum and hold 50 gallons each for a total of 100 gallons. As far as I know these are the only tanks that were installed in the SC.

I replaced mine two years ago. Luther's in Bristol, RI has built several of these for Albin SC owners. I've attached their drawing with the dimensions. The only difference between these and the originals are that the drawtube and return fittings are recessed 1 1/2 inches, otherwise you'll never get them back in. The original tanks were set in place prior to the deck being mounted.

[Ambler27FC]

My 89 FC has Twin tanks. Originals were .090 aluminum. Just replaced with .125 tanks, which is doable w/o cutting fiberglass.

[coolchange]

my 89 fc has 2 aluminum from where they made them on the east coast...I think of them as 40 gal and may be slightly larger but hey these are going to go a long way..days actually on 80 gallons..so when I get low on one I switch over and stop to top off in the next day or so...unless at home port..then I just bring down a 5 gal every once and a while. (an aside comment: on a super rough crossing of Juan de Fuca I lost fuel to the motor and it (after a towboat rescue) turned out that the wave action was so violent that the pick up tubes in both tanks broke off near the top...I called Luther and they sent new pick ups ..and said they had never heard of this happening but 33 years submerged in fuel can have an effect i guess)

[DonC1956]

Ambler27FC. Did you have to remove the motor to avoid cutting Fiberglass? Mine has the twin tanks with 157 Isuzu. I think they are 50 gals.

[Ambler27FC]

DonC1956 - I didn’t have to touch the engine. The tanks will fit out of the back cabin with a little work.
- I had to modify the board that the back cabin Step attaches to for additional height (it is now partially removable).
- Also had to cutout and replace the plywood floors in the seat lockers to get to the fill and vent hoses (also now removable).
- On my boat there is also a bulkhead just aft of the tanks that I made removable as well.

So there is woodwork involved, but for me that was easier than a big fiberglass project. It also created very good access to the tanks, transmission, and shaft when needed. It was a good winter project.

[DonC1956]

Great answer, thank you. Will have to take a closer look aft. Today was the third time on the boat. Have a lot to learn. So far i feel great with my purchase.
Don

[Ambler27FC]

Let me know if you need pictures or tank dimensions, but you shouldn’t need to pull the tanks unless a leak develops - and it doesn’t seem to common. Congratulations - these are good boats.