Actually I haven't been following what Robinhood Marine is doing so don't quote me as saying they are building a 30. On the other hand there are a lot of boat builders out there installing tanks so maybe one of them has a tank that would work without doing a custom fabrication.John R. wrote: Tom,
First of all I didn't know Robinhood was building a 30. If they are then I have a hunch they might use a similar or the same tank if they are using the same CD30 hull and liner mold. I'll send them an e-mail and follow up with a call on monday. Jeez maybe we should trade our CD30's in on a R30! Sounds good to me......except for the payments, thinking about that option makes a new tank seem pretty attractive and cheap!
You are right that every product is great and there are never any problems until you own one!
I'll keep everybody posted on as much of this saga as possible as it unfolds as I think this is an important matter for everyone with a CD that has polyethelene tanks on board.
John R. wrote:Tom wrote:Just a thought, but have you checked with Robinhood Marine to see what tank they are putting in the Robinhood 30? They may have a tank that will set right in there. Either fabricated for the new boats or left over from the old days.John R. wrote: Okay, here it goes:
For those following this thread from the past message I have come up with new information from Kracor Inc. regarding replacing the original bow holding tank on our '83 CD30.
Kracor still has the aluminum tank mold used to form the polyethelene holding tank. They are willing to make a new replacement tank. The problem is the cost. Not the tank cost but the "setup cost". They charge a $200 fee for interrupting their normal production and installing the other mold on their machine and producing the one tank.
The tank itself is $161.24, not too awfully bad for a unique tank that is very geometric in design and out of production. Remember we are not talking about your basic rectangular tank like a Todd tank.
The tank is still made as a HDPE tank (high density polyethelene). Those tanks have a life expectancy of 10 - 15 years maximum. Less for a low density version such as is used for water tanks. They apologized for telling me they had never heard of any cracks in the tanks in over twenty years, that was meant for the "crosslinked polyethelene tanks". They use aluminum or stainless ports for the fittings and the "cross linked" polyethelene molecules won't allow cracking like the linear molecules in a high or low density tank.
They told me according to their records Cape Dory was informed of the limited life span of the HDPE tanks. The particular bow tank I have a problem with was also used in the following boats: CD30,CD28,CD36, Intrepid 9M, Intrepid 28, Intrepid 35 (didn't know there was such an animal). All tanks made by Kracor in CD's and Intrepids will have the same cracking problem in time according to Kracor, it's the nature of the material I was told. Keep a close eye on areas right around the tank connection fittings. You can try and repair small cracks. Call Kracor, see my earlier post for contact info.
The model number of the bow tank discussed above is Kracor # 2-6256.
The mold number is Kracor #5059-24.
The tank design date is 3/30/78.
Capacity is 24 gallons.
They faxed me a copy of the original engineering drawing. Really considerate of them. They stated that heat is the worst enemy of the polyethelene. That is probably why they crack at and near the heated connection fitting ports. The rest of the tank I'm having problems with is in as new condition.
So what is the solution.......pay $361 for a very limited lifespan exact replacement or........
1) have one fabricated from aluminum exactly like it. (salt damage?)
2) build one out of plywood,glass and West epoxy exactly like it.
3) install a Nauta or plastimo flexible tank and free up more storage space under the V-berth.(note: the Nautas have a special "Nadra" liner that will not let odors permeate through it - guaranteed).
4) try and find someone that can fabricate a copy of the original
out of PVC. (which would last a long time).
Or any other ideas out there?
Isn't it interesting how when you first talk to a manufacturer they've got something off the shelf that will cure your problem and they've never had a problem like the one you're describing. Then when you drum up volumes of people with the exact same problem, it turns out they don't have a cure, the type of tank you have can't be fixed, and if they sell you a new one they can't guarantee it. What happened to those 20 years without a failure?
BTW if you work with Crosslink 3 you do have to "conditon" it with a propane torch before any patch. You quickly run the blue flame over the material, but you don't do the actual weld with the propane torch. At least that's what their factory rep told us. Before you just heave the old tank out why not practice repairing it with the welding rod they send you and see what it's like to repair one? You may need this knowledge down the line somewhere and it will give you a feel for what can be done and what can't. Some sailing buddy who has no problem now may discover one in a few years and be posting questions here
And finally, if you're going to have Kracor make a new tank in the old mold, why not make it out of the new material that they guarantee rather than the original plastic that apparently was inferior?
Thanks for doing the research on this, John. That's what makes this BB so great.
TomCambria@mindspring.com