Water Tanks in a Prout Cat... What to replace with? Adding hot water...

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Morning all... A friend has an old Prout cat which is in the process of being renovated.

The water tanks are filthy and he's considering how to replace them or clean them.

Current thoughts are to cut out holes in either end and try to plumb in a new "bag" system or clean them with something pretty strong and potent. The floor is being replaced and the supports are being glassed in, so it's an ideal time to do it.

They don't need to be massive as he doesn't do big passages, but they could do with holding enough water to last a couple of days (maybe 4 or 5 quick showers, plus hand washing etc).

Any thoughts on the best way to approach this? Any suppliers of the bags?

He's also thinking of adding hot water in order to install a shower... IS the tank better going close to the engine or close to the shower? We're just in the design stages and hope to do it early next year.
 
You don't say what the tanks are made of. If moulded GRP in the hull then flexible tanks are a good way to go. The easiest and most economic types are PVC and you can get them from Force 4 (and probably other chandlers) or Vetus. Various sizes/shapes/capacities. I happen to have a new unused triangular bow tank of 100l if that is suitable.

If the tanks are metal or moulded plastic then you should be able to clean them (if there is good access).
 
Personally fitting a bag is the last thing I would do. The best way to clean a tank is with a brush. My tank came with an inspection hatch at one end and I added another to be able to brush the whole lot. I find a toilet brush (new!) is ideal for the job. Use a little detergent, flush thoroughly, treat the water with silver salts.

My calorifier on the Sadler is next to the engine, hoses only about a metre long, calorifier same height as the engine. On the motor sailer the calorifier is more than a metre above the engine with hoses perhaps 3-4 metres long, with a booster pump. Both work equally well.
 
A chap in my club renovated his Prout 37 tanks using a potable epoxy and long handled brushes not paint brushes to redo the tank and from what he said it was a bit fiddly, but depends whether you have more time than money. I think sourcing the potable expoxy, might have been water based epoxy was the difficult part of the job. He said it was perfect when done with no taste at all. I quite like the water tank Prout arrangement as it effectivey gives the hull a double skin.
 
When refitting my Harley 25 I started with the flexible tank idea (from Force 4) but it is not as simple as you might think and I managed to split the new tank when installing the inlet. I then had a custom tank made from poly-something for not much more than a flexible tank and it fits like a glove. You can use Jotun 2-pack epoxy paint inside a potable water tank but there are some rigorous flushing instructions. All the info is on their data sheets.
 
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Kindred Spirit had a flexible bag. I fitted a new one when we bought her as the old was grubby and unlike a rigid tank with an access hatch you can't really clean them.

The water from the bag always tasted plasticky, to the extent that I wouldn't drink it except to dilute squash. Tea never tasted right either.

Ariam has a rigid polyethylene tank, and the water from the galley tap tastes just like from my kitchen tap at home.

I would always choose a rigid tank over a flexible bag. I have misgivings about integral GRP or epoxy-painted tanks, but I admit these are based on gut feel rather than experience or knowledge. A rigid polyethylene tank with a big access hatch on top for occasional cleaning is the best.

Pete
 
My advice would be to clean the original tanks and reuse. You may need to fit an extra inspection hatch to make cleaning easier Ripping everything out during a renovation can prove to be very expensive and unnecessary.

In the past the way fibreglass watertanks were cured to stop any after taste is very interesting. John Tyler of Tyler Mouldings told me how they and most manufacturers did it in the 1960's. Simply, they left a 100 watt light bulb on in the tank for a few days. The heat it generated made the gel coat set really hard, like being slow oven baked.
 
Thanks for the replies guys... If we do go for the option of leaving the current tanks in and cleaning them, is there anywhere we can buy new inspection hatches from? They are corroded to buggery... they're approx 5-6 inches in diameter and seal down with a lever.
 
The water tanks on my Prout (previous boat) were simply the insides of the keels coated with gelcoat, there was an inspection hatches at each end. They were a bit mucky with lumps of black organic growth when I got the boat. Filled tanks to overflowing and added chemical water purifier for a few days. Filled and flushed out a couple of times. There were still some black stains afterwards but looked dead. Water had slight 'styrene' taste so fitted a General Ecology Seagul IV filter with tap at galley sink for drinking water. Used the filter on the Prout for 5 years, and was pleased to have it when filling with some dubiously coloured water in Ireland (could have been peat or rust). I have fitted the same model filter to my current boat and have good tasting water without have to carry (an dispose of empty) plastic bottles of drinking water.
 
srm said:
The water tanks on my Prout (previous boat) were simply the insides of the keels coated with gelcoat, there was an inspection hatches at each end. They were a bit mucky with lumps of black organic growth when I got the boat. Filled tanks to overflowing and added chemical water purifier for a few days. Filled and flushed out a couple of times. There were still some black stains afterwards but looked dead. Water had slight 'styrene' taste so fitted a General Ecology Seagul IV filter with tap at galley sink for drinking water. Used the filter on the Prout for 5 years, and was pleased to have it when filling with some dubiously coloured water in Ireland (could have been peat or rust). I have fitted the same model filter to my current boat and have good tasting water without have to carry (an dispose of empty) plastic bottles of drinking water.
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Will look in to those filters, definitely... Seem like a great idea!
 
srm said:
The water tanks on my Prout (previous boat) were simply the insides of the keels coated with gelcoat, there was an inspection hatches at each end. They were a bit mucky with lumps of black organic growth when I got the boat. Filled tanks to overflowing and added chemical water purifier for a few days. Filled and flushed out a couple of times. There were still some black stains afterwards but looked dead. Water had slight 'styrene' taste so fitted a General Ecology Seagul IV filter with tap at galley sink for drinking water. Used the filter on the Prout for 5 years, and was pleased to have it when filling with some dubiously coloured water in Ireland (could have been peat or rust). I have fitted the same model filter to my current boat and have good tasting water without have to carry (an dispose of empty) plastic bottles of drinking water.
Click to expand...

Yes +1 forgot the filter bit-they are very good for removing all taste and most bacteria. I fitted 2 flexible tanks 11 years ago and washed out with vinegar (as per manufacturer recommendation) to remove any plasticky taste. It worked but they then tasted of vinegar even after 10 total flushes but an Aquacource filter about £18 fixed that and never any stomach upsets or taste in 11 years!
 
I redid my Snowgoose tanks last winter - cleaned out and dried thoroughly, one at a time as we are living on board and then painted with a potable water epoxy using a very long handled roller and brush - it took days to dry hard in a UK winter but a hair dryer helped... I made new covers from a polythene anti bacterial chopping board cut up with a neoprene gasket and self tappers to secure. The water tastes fine (though I also then installed a Seagull filter because despite knowing the tanks were clean I always pictured the mould I found in them before I cleaned and painted). I was advised to baffle the tanks as they were un-baffled but this would have meant a major job to access the tanks enough to glass in baffles. I chose instead to get the sort of big plastic open weave balls that they put in petrol tankers to stop the water moving about too much. Then I saw the price of those so I chose to buy a whole load of £1 each plastic colanders, cut the handles off and cable tied two in to a ball shape and dropped those in the tank. No swishing, no problems, and no leaks all year long over 3000 miles
 
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