Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it? :(

[kmagnuss]

I have a leaky gas tank on my old Action Craft... the good news is it's impossible to get to unless you remove the top cap of the boat (sarcasm). I really don't have any other option other than to take off the cap, do I? :grumpy:

Now I have to figure out the best way to do this... probably just unscrew it, lift it up (hopefully it's strong enough to not need a bunch of support) and somehow prop it out of the way. Oh good times.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Show us a pic of where its at,might just have to cut the floor?

 

[kmagnuss]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Yeah I suppose some pictures would help.

Here it is... 89' Action Craft Bayrunner... filthy after a night of throwing the cast net.
The gas tank is directly under the filler cap... and take up pretty much all of the bow rear of the anchor compartment.
I think this is what I've read as a "shoebox type" top cap... So from what I can tell it should come off pretty easy.

 

[Teamster]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Aren't those inspection holes with the covers on the bow??

Can you reach anything below deck through those??

 

[kmagnuss]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Lol, I wish. They're idiot holes... where the idiot previous owner mounted a bass fishing seat. One is just big enough to change the fuel hose and see a 1 square foot section of the top of the tank.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

I wouldn't remove the cap......personally, I would cut the glass large enough to remove & replace the tank, then glass it back in. Would just have to glass the cut out section back in, and a bit of gel coat. Perhaps get creative and make an access hatch for future accessibility.

Before you tear into things, keep in mind the leak is most likely the filler hose, or where the fuel line comes off the tank. If you can access those two places with a much smaller access hole, you can then buy a hatch on the web, to install where you cut the opening. That would be the easiest and fastest. Check out hatch sizes and prices......iBoats has them......and decide what size you want to shoot for. (Cut a little smaller, then enlarge to the needed size.....) I would suggest an access hole about 6 inches wide, and 9" front-to-back, right next to that filler cap. Center it on the deck, right about where the old seat mounts are. That should give you access to all the fuel lines.

If it's the tank itself leaking......well, either pull the cap or cut an opening and plan on re-glassing it together.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Note: The vertical bulkhead under the bow. After further looking at your pics, if you have to remove the tank, I would cut that bulkhead out, leaving the top deck the way it is. The tank should slide right out through there. You can either glass the bulkhead back in, or preferably make your own with an access panel in it for inspection. Should be just the bottom and the two sides to cut.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

How much gas & how fast is it leaking?

How did you 1st notice the leak??

I don't know how 1989 Action Craft Bayrunner's are constructed, but if the tank has been leaking for a long time, or at a fairly fast rate, there may need to be more done then 'just' pulling the tank & fixing the leak.

In 1989, your Bayrunner may have been foam filled for structural rigidity, for flotation, or possibly both. But either way, if the leak is serious enough, the foam could now be compromised, making it less effective then intended.

Having anything below deck soaked w/ fuel isn't ideal either................

This ^^^ is all the more likely if you 1st noticed the leak at the bilge (if so equipped). Having a bow tank also means the fuel hose feeding the engine runs the full length of the boat.

I'd expect that if the filler hose was the leak, you may not have had much fuel leaking below deck.

Use caution when using tools near the leak & tank.

Your boat, your friends & family, your call...

 

[kmagnuss]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Thanks for the replies guys...
I bought this boat about 6 months ago. Noticed the leak the first time I filled up the tank. It holds 30 gallons and it will leak down to about the 20 gallon mark... so the hole/crack is around 2/3 up the tank. Either somebody drilled a screw through the side of it or it just cracked somehow.
It leaks out pretty damn fast... I'd say when full it will leak out 1.5 or 2 gallons per hour. It's WAY more than a little drip.
And yes... it's very dangerous to have all that fuel and vapor filling up under the deck... not too excited about it.
I'm just going to pull the cap on it and see what I'm dealing with here... my luck I'd cut an inspection hole to slide it out and there would be some weird fasteners in there I couldn't reach and I'd have to pull the cap anyway.
The worst part about pulling the cap is that I have to take off the polling platform and outboard to do it... ahh well. It'll be a good project.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

+1 ^^^ That's the best plan. Good luck.

 

[kmagnuss]

Re: Leaking gas tank under top cap... it's gotta come off doesnt' it?

Got the tank out today... cracked the cap in the process. :facepalm:

Tank was totally blown out... holes and pitting everywhere.
Ordered a new plastic tank that I *THINK* will fit. We'll see.