Princess 38 diesel tank removal.

[PeterGW87]

Has anyone removed the fuel tanks from a Princess 38 without taking the engines out?

This is the old 38, built 1984. Same hull and layout as the later 385 and older 37 V-hull. Engines are VP tamd60B.

The tanks are in the engine room, outboard of the engines. The port tank sprang a leak so I'm hopeful that it's possible to remove the tank through the floor panels once the exhaust elbow and turbo are removed. Has anyone on the forum got any experience doing this?

They are very tight to the saloon floor, so I imagine the tanks were installed before the superstructure was fitted, but I'm hoping it will turn through 90 degrees and be wrestled out?

These boats are old girls now, so many other 38s and similar boats of that era with steel tanks will have had issues so hopefully someone can speak from experience and tell me how to do it, or suggest another solution.

Pete

 

[QBhoy]

Hi
We have the P385 with twin Tamd61a.
We’ve often wondered and worried about such a thing. There is no doubt these monster engines and auxiliaries like fuel tanks were put in the hull before the top half was put on. The thought of it sickens. Having been an MCA coded engineer and been usually always willing to have a go and engineered my way out of many problems...even this frightens me. Hate to say it, but I’d be trying to seal the leak in situ with CT-1.
God knows, just changing the starboard oil filter on this set up is a challenge on its own, along with getting the two cooler drain plugs out for winter.

 

[Momac]

getting the two cooler drain plugs out for winter.

Could you not use a frost protection heater instead?

 

[oldgit]

Suspect in the end its tank out. On next generation 388 , tank failure is def a engine shift job. Murv of this forum did seal a leaking diesel tank on his T36. It involved a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure the tank surfaces were absolutely pristine to enable the sealant to stand any chance of doing its job. The interior baffles did not help. Might be worth PM to get details, not sure if it was failure of seams or corrosion of bottom plate.

 

[Bandit]

What year is the boat? What is the tank, steel aluminium or grp?

Metal fuel tanks generally corrode where they are sat on a salty base often rubber strips, I have seen carpet, it gets wet with salt spray from the engine room air intakes and the corrosion attacks the tank where it sits.

Alternatively corrosion of the welds.

I had a Fairline Sedan 36 with steel tanks and the tops corroded through.

Bear in mind the other tank is the same age and probably in a similar condition so it may be both engines out check and replace tanks then a good going over for the engines while they are out.

 

[volvopaul]

Has anyone removed the fuel tanks from a Princess 38 without taking the engines out?

This is the old 38, built 1984. Same hull and layout as the later 385 and older 37 V-hull. Engines are VP tamd60B.

The tanks are in the engine room, outboard of the engines. The port tank sprang a leak so I'm hopeful that it's possible to remove the tank through the floor panels once the exhaust elbow and turbo are removed. Has anyone on the forum got any experience doing this?

They are very tight to the saloon floor, so I imagine the tanks were installed before the superstructure was fitted, but I'm hoping it will turn through 90 degrees and be wrestled out?

These boats are old girls now, so many other 38s and similar boats of that era with steel tanks will have had issues so hopefully someone can speak from experience and tell me how to do it, or suggest another solution.

Pete

You will either have to remove the engine , not too difficult with a good HIAB and driver as you can pick it through the patio doors , above the tank from memory is a glass fibre moulding so you would have to cut that away first to lift out the tank vertically or take the engine out then slide the tank via the engine space , the tank is mild steel .

 

[Seastoke]

Could u not cut them up in situ then fit smaller tanks and link them together

 

[QBhoy]

Could you not use a frost protection heater instead?

We flush anti freeze mix through the raw water system before winter. Makes certain and gets the salt out. Also use space heaters.
Never a good idea just to rely on heaters. Asking for trouble.

 

[PeterGW87]

dThanks everyone for your input.

It has confirmed what I suspected. The tanks can't be removed without taking the engines out. I't is very unlikely that a repair could be done as the tank is firmly wedged between the hull sides and the engine.

The other option is to cut the tank up and remove it in pieces as seastroke suggested. Bandit, you are right, the other tank is the same age and also a time bomb.

Choice is; bite the bullet, pull the engines out and replace both tanks or cut the port tank out and replace, whilst praying the other side is ok.... for a bit.

Removing the engines isn't complicated, just very time consuming and a complete rave. Think we need to sleep on it....

 

[volvopaul]

dThanks everyone for your input.

It has confirmed what I suspected. The tanks can't be removed without taking the engines out. I't is very unlikely that a repair could be done as the tank is firmly wedged between the hull sides and the engine.

The other option is to cut the tank up and remove it in pieces as seastroke suggested. Bandit, you are right, the other tank is the same age and also a time bomb.

Choice is; bite the bullet, pull the engines out and replace both tanks or cut the port tank out and replace, whilst praying the other side is ok.... for a bit.

Removing the engines isn't complicated, just very time consuming and a complete rave. Think we need to sleep on it....

It isnt complicated at all , I’d have both out in a day once it’s out the water with a suitable Hiab , then possibly another day to take the tanks out once drained.

 

[volvopaul]

Are they Mermaids or Volvo 60b/c ?

 

[PeterGW87]

Vovlopaul they are Volvo Penta tamd60b engines. I guess once all the linkages are disconnected and the floor bearers removed the engines lift out and come through the patio doors without actually removing the door frames?

 

[volvopaul]

Vovlopaul they are Volvo Penta tamd60b engines. I guess once all the linkages are disconnected and the floor bearers removed the engines lift out and come through the patio doors without actually removing the door frames?

Possibly , a lot depends on how high the boat is off the ground , the angle the HIAB can get between the doors and of course how wide the doors open in relation to the width of the engine , your boat doesn’t have much of a flybridge overhang which is good, a more modern boat gives problems with height when extracting the engine .
I have in past years lifted an engine high enough to pull the tank out then drop the engine back in it’s space .
There are all sorts of ways doing it with the right equipment and of course the boats design dictates what’s possible .
What area of the uk is the boat on?

 

[PeterGW87]

Well the boat is currently on its' way back to UK from Port de Pollenca. Because of the busted tank, we rigged the fuel lines to the port engine up to a 4 gallon drum wedged in the space between the engines and motored her there from Alcudia (refilling the drum half way) up to Pollenca for a lift. Boat Transport Limited are collecting the boat on the 3rd Oct. She will be delivered to Fosdyke, Lincolnshire in a couple of weeks.

 

[oldgit]

Chap with the faulty fuel tank in a P41 (not a 388) had two tanks fabricated in advance and installed both. Took opportunity to tidy and paint engine compartment in between jobs.

 

[PeterGW87]

Oldgit, would be a great opportunity to paint the engineroom out with the green lumps lifted out. Nearly impossible to even wash the bilge with the engines in. I can just about squeeze between them, was a doddle when I was slimmer.