Rich,

Thanks for the fast reply -- I thought there were probably two baffles, but
my old tank has been out so long I wasn't sure.

I'm in the process of building an integral fiberglass fuel tank to replace
the black iron tank. I have an aluminium day tank custom built for the
space directly under the companionway (where the drain pan previously lived)
that holds about 23 gallons. The FG tank will start about 3.5" forward of
this, and run to within 5" of the mast step (which was replaced with an
aluminium step this year, but that's another story...). The 3.5" between
day tank and main tank is specifically measured to allow space in this cool
area for a few wine bottles -- the third, or maybe even second most
important liquid aboard a good sailing vessel.

The tank top will be 7.5" below the bottom of the floor joist/stringer which
will give me about 14" of depth at the aft-most bulkhead anad about 10.5" at
the forward-most bulkhead. I haven't calc'd the capacity of this particular
configuration, but I would guess about 120+ gallons. That and my day tank
and I should be approaching 150 gallons.

There will be two baffles and three clean-outs. I plan to make the
bulkheads, baffles and top out of polyester or vinylester resin and
fiberglass and then all components will be glassed into place and well
coated with West Systems epoxy, which is diesel resistant. The various
pieces will be around .75" thick and will not only serve as tank structure
but will also strengthen the hull laterally (as if it needs it). I like
overkill. The top will be formed intact offsite and then cut athwartships
into 3 sections which will be installed aft, forward and center in that
order.

I will allow for a forward bilge sump to collect water from the chain locker
and mast, and transfer pump it to the sump area below the engine.

On the advice of a baba-l member I've checked with a reputable marine
surveyor in Seattle, and as long as the tank is successfully pressure tested
he sees no problem with it. I'll document the project with photos if you're
interested. If you can, best wait until we see if this fiberglass idea
works before committing to anything.

All of the various solutions I've seen or heard of in such a project start
with the assumption that cutting or removing cabin furniture is out of the
question, and I also started with that assumption. I can't even imagine the
difficulting in removing the galley or sette structures to install a single
large tank. Other options you may want to consider to preserve original
fuel capacity are 5 aluminium tanks which was successfully done on Rob and
Teresa Sicade's Yohela (see Yohela's website:
http://svyohelah.com/TheBoat/FuelTank/Baba40FuelTankReplacement.html) and
Steve Hodge with his 40' Alcyone in Seattle opted for a aluminium day tank
and a large fully-baffled bladder tank which is a very interesting idea.

I hope this is helpful.

Best Regards,

Shane Wilson
SV Muse - Panda 40
Port Townsend, WA

>From: Richard Cassano <rcassano@optonline.net>
>Reply-To: baba-l@ballreich.net
>To: baba-l@ballreich.net
>Subject: RE: [Baba-L] Baba 40 Diesel Tank Baffles
>Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 16:25:03 -0500
>
>There are two baffle walls in our tank on hull #160. The center compartment
>has no top access port. Can you tell us what your plan is for installing
>the
>tank? Will it be one or two tanks? How much floor/cabinetry will need to be
>removed to gain access?
>
>I'm interested because this is a crisis project I will be facing in the
>near
>future. (I just have that uneasy feeling it's around the next corner) There
>are others on the list who have dealt with the fuel tank but all decided on
>different solutions. The other big question is tank building material -
>aluminum - Polyethylene - FRP ??
>
>Rich Cassano, Gray Eagle, Tashiba 40
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-baba-l@ballreich.net [mailto:owner-baba-l@ballreich.net] On
>Behalf Of Shane Wilson
>Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 12:12 PM
>To: baba-l@ballreich.net
>Subject: [Baba-L] Baba 40 Diesel Tank Baffles
>
>Does anybody know how many baffle walls there are in a Baba/Panda 40 fuel
>tank? I'm building a replacement tank and don't recall the number in the
>original 9' black iron tank.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Shane Wilson
>SV Muse - Panda 40
>Port Townsend, WA
>sv_muse@hotmail.com
>




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Received on Wed Dec 07 15:04:42 2005