At 12:49 PM 2/2/04 -0500, you wrote:

Jim, Can you get to the top of the tank in such a way as to remove a large
portion of it?  I repaired a couple of tanks on a previous sail boat by
cutting about a 2'x3' hole in the top, these were aluminum tanks.  After
cutting the large holes I was able to remove the baffles and then I was
able to seal up the tanks using marine-tex followed by painting with a
product called "glove-it" which is available at West Marine.  Then I sealed
up the tanks using pieces of 1/2" Lexan which were cut to overlap the holes
by about 2" around.  I drilled pilot holes into both the Lexan and the
tanks and then treaded the aluminum to accept 1/4x20 stainless
screws.  Space the screws about every two inches. Then re-drill the holes
in the Lexan with a 9/32 bit to allow for expansion so that you will not
get cracks at the holes.  Seal all around with silicone sealant and screw
the top into place (after replacing the baffles), you now have not only a
permanent inspection and repair hole, but one that allows visual inspection
of the tank as well.

Jim Alexander, Realtor
Boatless again (but not for long)
Port Charlotte, FL

49 AM
Subject: TWL: Leaking Water Tank

Slow seeping leak somewhere along the base, where the

engine

Has anyone been successful with any of the sealant materials you

Jim,
Been there  done that.
The following  is a copy of a post  that I made several yrs. ago.

I did the repair yrs ago and have had no additional leaks since.
There are several articles on my web page involving leak repair to :
Windows, Teak Decks , Fuel Tanks and the like.

CCC
M/V CC RIDER
CHARLES C. and PAT CULOTTA, Jr.
Patterson, La.
http://www.geocities.com/charlesculotta/

Message:

Stainless Steel Water Tank Leak
"What a bummer, I had one recently. Note the past tense. Fortunately I
could get to one side of the stainless steel tank that had two small
leaks. Since it is a ss tank they were in the weld. The other was a
whole different scene as it was against a bulkhead on the far side of
the tank. Moving the tank would be a big problem even the few inches
required. The tank is 26" frt to back 29" high and 48 inches long with
an inspection hatch midway on the long side it is 7" in diameter.
After much thought measuring and commiserating with friends the
consensus was that I use a product called SPLASH ZONE by Devoe Co. It is
an epoxy resin, 2 part.
I have used it often in the past and had some on hand . It's shelf life
seems interminable as my cans of it are over 6 yrs old!
Any way it is the consistency of stiff putty, one black and the other
white. These are mixed equally in your hand.
It is applied with your fingers as this gives excellent control or with
a putty knife this project req finger work! I rubbed it onto the seams
of the tank all around I mean really put it on there as there was no
need for pretty work here just cover every bit as I could not see where
the leak was on one part of the tank.
Note that this stuff hardens like steel and is then treated as such. It
can be ground ,drilled filed and painted if need be. It adheres to
almost any surface glass, steel , ss , alum. fiberglass and the like.
Given the dimensions of the tank I was able to reach all seems except
the top far corners , so I just applied it to the OUTSIDE of the tank.
With its adhering properties this was no problem. END OF LEAKS
A friend of mine had a commercial wood fishing boat that developed a
leak under water, a diver went down and applied it UNDER WATER it held
for years.
CCRIDER , my trawler ,sustained a deck leak , a hole 15 inches long and
5 inches wide during Hurricane Andrew . While it was still pouring
rain I applied SPLASH ZONE and it held until I could get the boat to a
ship yd months later. This is one of its greatest attributes , that it
can be applied to a wet surface.
There are similar products on the mkt such as JB WELD that comes in very
small tubes. S. Z. is packaged in 1 gal cans and I think 1 qt cans , Of
course you need one of each. A qt goes a long way as I probably used
about 1 pint or so on this 130 gal tank.
I have kept it on hand for my various boats for over 20 yrs.
There was a fitting on top of one of my diesel tanks that was
impossible to get to and it would drip a small amt of fuel when the tank
was completely full so I puttied around it with S.Z. and end of leak.
That was 12 yrs ago.
As to the handling of the product I usually wear surgical gloves but it
is not really necessary just makes cleanup faster. By the way clean up
is with water just wash your hands! If you let it dry on your skin you
must rub harder.
Keep your hands wet while working the product and it will not stick to
your hands Just like using silicon sealant.
This is grt stuff and I highly recommend it. I am not a dealer , or any
thing else! If you desire more info email me off list.

I think I saw this originally in Passagemaker, but it may have been in
another boating rag. http://www.microleak.com/brochnew.htm. It's a solvent
based sealer that you can pour or spray, and is OK for potable water
systems.

Keith
__
"Application denied.  One cannot fertilize with flatus."
-Abraham Lincoln, on rejecting homeopathic medications for the
dispensary of the US troops.
----- Original Message -----

tank.