[Captjp]

Has anyone ever looked into having a custom fuel tank built that would fit in the hatch of a 2001-2002 Hells Bay Waterman and if so what kind of volume was it. Friend had his start leaking so he cut the old tank into pieces to get it out but is trying to avoid cutting the deck to replace the tank. I have a 2001 HB Waterman that I'm currently sanding the hull and deck and was thinking of maybe nipping this in the bud if there is an alternative to cutting the deck. Had another HB Waterman in the past and that tank was just pulled and it was almost gone so I'm thinking it's a matter of time on the current one.

 

[Water Bound]

Tom Gordon just did one for my Guide, I’d call him. He will know

 

[slewis]

@backbone

 

[backbone]

HB did mine last year. They did great work, but the replacement tank was only 15 gals.
If I knew beforehand it was that size, I may have opted to cut the deck. It floats great and sits in the water better with the 15 gal cell. 90% of the time 15 is fine.
They had the cheapest quote of the options out there and did the work in two weeks.

 

[jonny]

I did my Guide by removing the battery shelf. Then you can just pull it out in one piece. Makes much more sense than hacking the deck up. Plus I was able to put same size tank back in(29 gallons?) Actually it was the same tank. Mine wasn’t leaking but it was heavily corroded. I just had a new bottom welded on. Then had the entire heavily LineXd. Never gonna leak or corrode ever now. Easy as pie. Don’t short change yourself on gallons if you can help it. Your friend has big balls cutting on a empty tank. Ive seen a washed/flushed steel fuel tank. That had a hose in it supposedly filling it with inert gas. Explode soon as the mig lit up. Luckily it blew away from the two guys doing it. Those power tools do spark when you pull the trigger. Gas vapor don’t play . Hopefully he used a air saw at least

 

[Water Bound]

I should add that Tom had the tank specs already, he had it made then shipped it to me

 

[backbone]

I did my Guide by removing the battery shelf. Then you can just pull it out in one piece. Makes much more sense than hacking the deck up. Plus I was able to put same size tank back in(29 gallons?) Actually it was the same tank. Mine wasn’t leaking but it was heavily corroded. I just had a new bottom welded on. Then had the entire heavily LineXd. Never gonna leak or corrode ever now. Easy as pie. Don’t short change yourself on gallons if you can help it. Your friend has big balls cutting on a empty tank. Ive seen a washed/flushed steel fuel tank. That had a hose in it supposedly filling it with inert gas. Explode soon as the mig lit up. Luckily it blew away from the two guys doing it. Those power tools do spark when you pull the trigger. Gas vapor don’t play . Hopefully he used a air saw at least

Mine is a 2002, 17’8. The front hatch is smaller than the guide model. Supposedly the 15 gal was the only size that would fit through the hatch on mine. My original cell was 25 gal. They told me they had to cut my old one out in pieces after taking the battery shelf out. Not sure what they used to cut it out with.
They glassed in places to bolt the new tank in, re awlgripped the hatch with new battery shelf and replaced the fuel lines all the way to the motor.
Again it was $800 cheaper than the other four quotes I found and more importantly to me, it was done in two weeks.
Hope yours goes well!

 

[eightwt]

Anbody make a collapsable fuel bladder with hardware for boats? Would it work?

 

[jonny]

Anbody make a collapsable fuel bladder with hardware for boats? Would it work?

Yes
But you may want to think about that over. After reading up on Chittum’s experiences. If you haven’t already.

 

[Captjp]

I did my Guide by removing the battery shelf. Then you can just pull it out in one piece. Makes much more sense than hacking the deck up. Plus I was able to put same size tank back in(29 gallons?) Actually it was the same tank. Mine wasn’t leaking but it was heavily corroded. I just had a new bottom welded on. Then had the entire heavily LineXd. Never gonna leak or corrode ever now. Easy as pie. Don’t short change yourself on gallons if you can help it. Your friend has big balls cutting on a empty tank. Ive seen a washed/flushed steel fuel tank. That had a hose in it supposedly filling it with inert gas. Explode soon as the mig lit up. Luckily it blew away from the two guys doing it. Those power tools do spark when you pull the trigger. Gas vapor don’t play . Hopefully he used a air saw at least

Tom Gordon just did one for my Guide, I’d call him. He will know

Tom Gordon just did one for my Guide, I’d call him. He will know

Where is Tom now days. He was at HB when I bought the first Waterman. If I can get 15 gallons that would be fine with 4 strokes today. I rarely burned over 10 before with the 70 2 stroke on the first one.

 

[Captjp]

I should add that Tom had the tank specs already, he had it made then shipped it to me

If you don't mind me asking how much did that cost

 

[Goatlips]

Where is Tom now days. He was at HB when I bought the first Waterman. If I can get 15 gallons that would be fine with 4 strokes today. I rarely burned over 10 before with the 70 2 stroke on the first one.

The Skiff Shop
Edgewater Florida

 

[dgt2012]

Check with Paul at HB. It would be worth a call. They have experience with keeping these old skiffs updated. He's doing my fuel cell right now.

 

[Redhead]

 

[lemaymiami]

Thought that was pretty reasonable - then realized it was seven years ago...

A lot to be said for having a good, professional job done when it's a fuel tank... and not just something that's a plug and play routine... No matter what it costs...