Fuel Tank Leak - 2008 40' DA - Diels

[Tom Horan]

i have a 2008 40' DA and the starboard tank has a leak, not sure where. I open the bildge the other day and there was a lot of fuel in the bilge. i had a tech come look at it and none of the lines were wet nor the filters. He scopped up the side between the tank and hull and could see fuel, could not determine the leak source (not enough room) . The rub mat the tank sits on is falling apart guessing from the fuel. The tank was a tiny bit more than 1/2 a tank.

The boat is only 13 years old, tank should last for at least 25 years. To eplace i have to remove the engine and generator, so not an easy fix.

has anyone else had this issue? Should insurance cover the costs?

 

[JHornsby3]

If you can, put some fuel dye in there. Then use the light to see where it's leaking. Then you should transfer the fuel over to the other tank. Hell your leaking gold water. That dye should give you a place to patch.

Just a thought

 

[fwebster]

We've seen it happen to 3 or 4 Sea Ray Sundancers in our marina, large Gulf coast marina with 75-90 larger Sea Rays in wet slips. In every case the leak source was traced to water in the fuel tank that eventually corroded a spot on the tank bottom. Every insurance has policies he must adhere to and most who have tried to file a claim here have been denied with the reason that water in the fuel to tank is a maintenance problem and not a casualty loss.

The repair is usually ugly, expensive and involves removing the deck and at least one engine/transmission, plus, boats with the generators mounted outboard of one engine, the generator is usually removed as well.

The other thing we are seeing is that even though Florida Marine Tanks is a great company, they no longer feel like a Sea Ray owner is due any special consideration on replacement tanks or cost for replacements.

This is going o be an expensive repair, so good luck..............

 

[spikedaddy99]

We've seen it happen to 3 or 4 Sea Ray Sundancers in our marina, large Gulf coast marina with 75-90 larger Sea Rays in wet slips. In every case the leak source was traced to water in the fuel tank that eventually corroded a spot on the tank bottom. Every insurance has policies he must adhere to and most who have tried to file a claim here have been denied with the reason that water in the fuel to tank is a maintenance problem and not a casualty loss.

The repair is usually ugly, expensive and involves removing the deck and at least one engine/transmission, plus, boats with the generators mounted outboard of one engine, the generator is usually removed as well.

The other thing we are seeing is that even though Florida Marine Tanks is a great company, they no longer feel like a Sea Ray owner is due any special consideration on replacement tanks or cost for replacements.

This is going o be an expensive repair, so good luck..............

Frank, can you expand as to how/why water is in the fuel? Condensation? How would you fix this since the sep filters are "down stream" from the tanks?

 

[fwebster]

Some condensation is in all diesel tanks. If you get a load of bad fuel and do not use the correct additives, the trapped water just gets worse. Water can also get in the tank past a dryer out and cracked o-ring on the deck plate cap via rain or wash water.

Once in the Florida Marine Tank's aluminum tank, it is difficult to remove trapped water unless you use a good additive on a regular basis. Once there is water in the tank, aluminum tanks will corrode and corrosion ends in pin holes that are impossible to repair.

 

[ttmott]

Not keeping your fuel tanks full promotes "breathing" and consequently water in the atmosphere deposits in the fuel. I think this is second only to fueling from the bottom of the marina's storage tanks for water contamination. I always ask how much fuel is in the marina's storage tanks and when the filters were last serviced; yes I've been bit....
Before you tear the boat down get the FM serial number off of the tank and also measure it and have one / both built.
Consider installing the new tank on those PVC snap together garage floor mats so water can leach from underneath.
Consider also replacing both tanks; if the boat is torn apart and the other tank is a time bomb might as well go all in.
Lastly, follow Mr. Webster's @fwebster fuel treatment program which will prevent many fuel related problems.

As an Edit - I've heard of in-place tank repairs where they cut a hole in the side, clean, and apply a sealant of some type but I have no other background.