Passport 40 water tank removal

[Jeremy Dinsel]

We’re taking the starboard water tank out to get space for a water maker. I’m slowly taking the furniture out with the goal of only removing what I need to access the tank. I’ve found all the screws in the vertical plywood, but it’s still stiffly connected.

Has anyone removed theirs and found places where it’s either glued or hidden screws on the backside?

A picture is attached to show the white piece I want to carefully remove.

[Bill Schmidt]

Jeremy, I've had the port tank removed, but not the starboard, But
before removing any more, if you are going to put a water maker in
there, why not just cut the tank out? Alternatively, it may be easier to
take the front side of the settee.

Bill

> -jeremy
>

[Marty McOmber]

I've done this already.  If I remember correctly, the backing seemed to have a few spots of glue holding it to the cleats in addition to the screws.  Just carefully run your multitool between the back and cleats.  Also, I believe I needed to cut the lower portion of the athwartships hold dividers to be able to remove the tank.  I got the backing out in one piece and just refinished it and reinstalled it using screws and finish washers so I could remove it again in the future if needed.  I had the tank shortened to create space for a watermaker forward of the tank.

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-jeremy

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[John Warren]

Many, many years ago I did the same project with Warren Peace.  When we got to where you are now...we used a sawsall to cut the tanks out in order to not cut out more teak.  The original tanks on Warren Peace had descent stainless tanks, but the welds were terrible which is why they leaked.

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[Marty McOmber]

If helpful, here are some pics from the project: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rYzC6h9rDgUUg1aN6

Reviewing them again, I think I see the specific issue.  In the eighth pic, you'll see that I did need to cut a bit of plywood along the seam of the cleats at both ends.  I used a multitool to do this.  

Oh, as an added bonus, there was room to add a third access hatch and have a new, albeit narrow, storage area behind the settee back.  

[Marty McOmber]

Sorry, use this link for the full album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mScyFAu4qAuaT7MaA

[Ken Buckley]

Thanks for sharing these. We may need to remove that tank in the future.

For those that removed or shrunk the tank, was there any noticeable change to the balance of the boat on her waterline?

Thanks,

Ken

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[Kenyon Stewart]

So Marty, what did the capacity end up around after shortening the tank?  Seems like a good middle ground to gain some storage without losing too much tankage.

Our problem is we already have a little list to port as that's where most of the tanks are.

Kenyon

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[Marty McOmber]

Hey Kenyon,

I can't remember the original capacity, but it is now 50 gallons. Since I was creating space for a watermaker, I didn't sweat the loss.  And the weight of that watermaker helped compensate for the loss of water weight.  Unfortunately, that watermaker didn't last and I'm now considering a more efficient model that might require a relocation, unless I can figure out how to fit a Spectra or Schenker in that space.  Worst case is I'll have additional storage there. 

The other nice thing is the ability to remove the tank gives great access to remove the old trim ballast below it if necessary.  You can then replace using lead (as they should have initially) and better balance the boat.  

In all honesty, I have not noticed any additional issues with trim after this project.  We just have boats with a port lean due to all the furniture on that side of the boat.   

[Jeremy Dinsel]

Thanks for the pictures and the inspiration!

Best regards,

Jeremy Dinsel

jeremy...@gmail.com

[Jeremy Dinsel]

We got the starboard water tank out this evening. 

For us, we didn’t have much to cut to remove the back plate, but I did find that there was a lot of glue around the sides and top. 

We had to cut a little out of those vertical boards to remove the tank, but not much. I used Marty’s pictures as a guide and some inspection of our own tank to determine how much. 

Our anthropology dig turned up a lot of screws, a deck of plastic cards, and a container of legacy 5200. When did they stop making that label?

The area had experienced a lot of water intrusion over the years. We have some cleanup and a little to rebuild, but the structure seems to be in great condition otherwise. 

-jeremy

S/V Whale Shadow

On Oct 2, 2025, at 17:06, Jeremy Dinsel <jeremy...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the pictures and the inspiration!