To get started I removed the bottom of the corner seat of the port side settee. The plywood top is one piece with the rest of the settee but the bottom just unscrews. Then after carefully measuring the hole size necessary I used my skill saw and cut down the two long sides. I was careful to cut along one of the holly strips. I then used an oscillating tool to cut the ends. Here I just cut through the plywood veneer. Then after removing the trim boards from around the small hatch in the floor I stuck a wide chisel in and pounded away trying to separate the floor plywood from the subfloor. It took a while but eventually the glue began to give way.
Once that outside edge started to lift I got a chisel and then a pry bar under it being careful to not damage the floor. Then it was just working my way down the edge until suddenly the whole thing just popped out.
I then proceeded to cut the ends of the subfloor with the oscillating tool and it popped right up exposing the fuel tank.
We had installed a composting head several years ago and so I was able to just cut the sewer pipe and hose which connected the head to the holding tank and remove it. For those of you with regular marine heads this pipe was filled with dried solids. I then cut the stringer out and the fuel tank just lifts out. At this point it dawned on me to worry if it would fit through the companion way. It did but by the barest of margins. And I wrestled it out onto the ground.
As you can see the fuel tank rests in a fiberglass pan. There are drain holes in several spots but it is not to contain spilled fuel but rather to keep the aluminum tank out of any water that
Surprisingly the tank was in pretty good shape and I had a hard time finding where the leak was. There was some corrosion on the aft bottom as you can see but it did not leak there. It was only after getting it home and rolling it over that I found the leak. On the bottom there was a small piece of corrosion that was filled with black gunk. When I cleaned it out I could stick the probe right into the tank.
People keep asking if I could repair it but my feeling is its a 40 year old tank and owes me nothing. For the trouble I went through to get it out I will put a new aluminum tank back in. We have ordered a new tank from Luthers Welding in Bristol RI. He has the plans already and has made them before.
I made a temporary stringer and replaced the two floors so I could walk in the boat and now its on to the next project while waiting for the new tank.
Russ
