Sealine S37 fuel tank leakage

D

DavidWhite

Member
Joined
13 Aug 2003
Messages
31
Location
Surrey
Visit site
Have discovered bilge filling with diesel and port tank guage slowly going down and so far have removed about 70 ltrs into cans and buckets etc.
Would be very grateful to hear from any members of the forum who have experienced this problem - the tanks appear to be made from aluminium but are so enclosed it's impossible to see the site of the leak.
Thankful for any responses.
 
On my boat the aluminium tank was resting on wooden supports which having become wet with bilge water over time corroded away with several pin holes on bottom plate of tank.Most economical repair for me was a entire new sheet of aluminium welded over old sheet at bottom of tank as rest of tank was perfect.
It may however be a split seam.
What ever the case suspect unfortunately it is a tank out job to fix properly.
Sure somebody will be along soon with experience of this problem in your type of boat.
 
Last edited:
I changed some a couple of years ago, I changed both diesel and water as they were all badly pitted, they do just come out through the door without too much work.
 
hello David......we spoke yesterday at sealine,s office..it sounds like the leak is worse than you first thought..sorry i cant be of any technical help but, i do send lots of moral support incase it helps !!
 
Hi David, sorry to hear more woes with the boat, I'm in port Solent tomorrow if your there, thanks for passin on my details to yet another boat on your pontoon, if this carries on all the boats there will be under my wing!
 
volvopaul said:
Hi David, sorry to hear more woes with the boat, I'm in port Solent tomorrow if your there, thanks for passin on my details to yet another boat on your pontoon, if this carries on all the boats there will be under my wing!
Click to expand...

Problem now is that we won't allow you to retire until at least 2050.
 
DavidWhite said:
Have discovered bilge filling with diesel and port tank guage slowly going down and so far have removed about 70 ltrs into cans and buckets etc.
Would be very grateful to hear from any members of the forum who have experienced this problem - the tanks appear to be made from aluminium but are so enclosed it's impossible to see the site of the leak.
Thankful for any responses.
Click to expand...

Hi David,

Getting the tanks out is not an easy job.

YOu need to pump the diesel somewhere for a start.

You need to cut quite a lot of GRP in the aft cabin, remove the door and frame, and the chest of drawers. All the cuts are invisible once everything is back together though.

On mine, a stainless steel rivet had been dropped into one tank, eroding it. I had a plate welded onto the bottom, had it pressure tested and refitted it. The other tanks (2 diesel and the water are under the aft cabin bed) were inspected and were fine. They are indeed aluminium.

You will need to recarpet the aft cabin after refitting/replacing the tanks.

Then wash all the bilges with cats pi55 stink remover from a petshop.

Having done it, I would quote 3 man days for removing and refitting the tanks. So budget that plus the tank repair/replace costs and a new carpet. If you can find someone to do it cheaper then go for it, if not I could do it for you.
 
Hi Elessar
Many thanks for your reply - much to our amazement the stb tank also started leaking two days after the port tank failed - both tanks at the same time which were both full became a major problem. I had contacted Phil Huchins (Huchins Marine Services)over the weekend as he had dealt with this problem before on another S37 and between us we managed to get both tanks out by Tuesday night, the worst of the spillage dealt with and mangaged to salvage around half the contents for reuse. We think we were lucky that we spotted the diesel in the bilge at the onset of the leak so soft furnishings are pretty much unspoilt.
Once again many thanks for your offer of assistance - greatly intrigued by the use of pi55 as a means of getting rid of the odour- is that what I ask for at the pet shop?
Regards
David
PS Look forward to meeting you sometime and buying you a pint.
D
 
Hi
We only had to remove the aft cabin headboard, door and door frame surround, vanity unit top and corner locker door to get the tanks out so no cutting required. The tanks were removed with only inches to spare - maybe we were just lucky although Phil Huchins previous experience was a great asset in the circumstances

regards
David
 
DavidWhite said:
Hi
We only had to remove the aft cabin headboard, door and door frame surround, vanity unit top and corner locker door to get the tanks out so no cutting required. The tanks were removed with only inches to spare - maybe we were just lucky although Phil Huchins previous experience was a great asset in the circumstances

regards
David
Click to expand...

Yours must be newer than mine perhaps they modified it.

The GRP above the tanks ie the bed base, was all one piece and had to be cut to get the "lid" off the tanks.

Otherwise the same - except I didn't have to remove the wardrobe door!
 
BrendanS said:
It's this stuff
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Solution-Odour-Stain-Remover/dp/B0002APQ66/ref=pd_cp_kh_0
works well on any organic material making smells, including diesel. It doesn't mask the smell, like many, it removes it with enzymes and bacteria. There are marine products that do the same, but cost a great deal more.
Click to expand...

it's you that gave me the idea to use an enzyme product in the first place when my tank leaked.

There are other makes and I've helped quite a few people by giving them some, and pet shops seem to generally stock one or the other.

It is 100% effective on diesel (as well as on leaky holding tanks - not mine!!) and is a top tip.
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys for the odour remover name.
Re comment from Elessar the GRP over the tanks was in two pieces split down the length of the tanks and over the water tank so no cutting required to remove.

Thanks again for your support

Regards

David
 
I had the same problem on my Sunseeker a few years ago. Once I had got the tank out I got a firm called Tank Renew to weld a new bottem on it. They came down from up north, collected the tank, repaired it and delivered it back for less than £300 which I was well chuffed with. Their number is 01429 236300 if you can`t get it done locally. Good luck!
 
One possibility is to drain the tank and fully clean it, if you can get to the leak from the outside you can fully clean and abrade round the leak and apply some chemical metal made by Plastic Padding, This is a polyester based product like ordinary car body filler, but is diesel and oil resistant, you apply two or three thin coats for a permanent repair.

With the tank now sealed you can apply an epoxy based sealer/lining to the tank which is merely a thin two pack epoxy which you mix and pour in. You will need access to the inside of the tank so you can put something in to coat up the sides of the tank. Once coated you should have no more problems, and the double leak sealing capabilities of the chemical metal and the epoxy.
 
DavidWhite said:
Thanks guys for the odour remover name.
Re comment from Elessar the GRP over the tanks was in two pieces split down the length of the tanks and over the water tank so no cutting required to remove.

Thanks again for your support

Regards

David
Click to expand...

You were lucky. It was a big bit of the work for me. I had the split down the middle but they were bonded to the floor and headboard, lots of cutting needed. Only cuts under carpet and headboard though so thankfully faired re installation was not required.
 
Assassin said:
One possibility is to drain the tank and fully clean it, if you can get to the leak from the outside you can fully clean and abrade round the leak and apply some chemical metal made by Plastic Padding, This is a polyester based product like ordinary car body filler, but is diesel and oil resistant, you apply two or three thin coats for a permanent repair.

With the tank now sealed you can apply an epoxy based sealer/lining to the tank which is merely a thin two pack epoxy which you mix and pour in. You will need access to the inside of the tank so you can put something in to coat up the sides of the tank. Once coated you should have no more problems, and the double leak sealing capabilities of the chemical metal and the epoxy.
Click to expand...

Trust me, if you knew how hard it is to get the things out, you wouldn't skimp on a new/properly repaired and pressure tested tank!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top