Epoxy Gasoline Fuel Tank Construction

[Michael Bailey]

I am helping a friend build a 18' Radon fishing boat. We need to install
about a 30-40 gallon gasoline fuel tank. We are debaiting the best way to
do this.

Do we construct an aluminum tank and glass it in? Aluminum seems like it
would be prone to corrosion.

Do we construct a separate epoxy tank and the lay it in a bed of foam
before glassing it to the hull? How will the foam hold up over years of
pounding at sea?

Do we construct an epoxy tank that is an integral part of the hull? One
"expert" suggested that the pounding over the years will weaken the tank
if it is an integral part of the hull but I doubt this. I suspect this may
be the strongest method of construction if done properly.

We know epoxy works OK with diesel but is it also OK with gasolline? He
plans to run the boat with a couple of 50 horse outboards. I built an
airplane once with an epoxy tank and I had no trouble but it was only a 5
gallon tank.

How many layers of 12oz. or 17oz. Nytex glass should we use? Would
baffles be required in a tank this size?

We are assuming that a fiberglas tank should be made of epoxy and not
polyester. We are aware that epoxy bonds to polyester but not vise-versa.

Anyone have any experience with epoxy tanks over a 5-10 year period? Has
anyone seen any articles on the internet (websites) that cover this topic?

Mahalo (thanx) in advance,

mike

[Glenn Ashmore]

Having built 2 integral water tanks, I can say that it is not as easy as
it seems. Had I to do it over again, I would have used poly tanks and
accepted a little loss of capacity. The material for an epoxy/plywood
tank cost more than a complete poly tank and you will not believe the
amount of labor required to make sure the tank has no pin holes.
Especially in the corners.

Integral FRP fuel tanks present a special problem. IF they do get over
stressed do to hull flexing, they don't necessarily produce an obvious
leak. Fuel myy start to migrate through the hull laminate and appear
some place far away from the tank saturating large areas of laminate and
core before it is detected.

Michael Bailey wrote:

> I am helping a friend build a 18' Radon fishing boat. We need to install
> about a 30-40 gallon gasoline fuel tank. We are debaiting the best way to
> do this.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com

[judy van dyke]

When I built my plane, we used a sloshing compound to seal the fiberglass
tank pin holes called Kreem available at
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/main.html
Jerry
Glenn Ashmore wrote in message <3C398B30...@mindspring.com>...

[boatdesign]

A similar question was just posted on our forums at:
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=278

There was also a nice article on integral tanks on page 20 in the
December/January issue of Professional Boatbuilder (#74).

Glenn - would it be OK if I copied your reply over (with a pointer to this n.g.
of course)?

"Glenn Ashmore" <gash...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3C398B30...@mindspring.com...

[Barnacle Bill]

bailey@hawai*clip-out*ian.net (Michael Bailey) wrote in message news:<bailey-0701020113220001@imac>...

Mike,

Check this out...http://lightning.prohosting.com/~raymacke/

The best boatbuilding documentary website I've seen by far! Includes
gas tank info...

[Credence Vision Systems LLC]

Epoxy tanks are NOT ok with gasoline. I've seen people try to make them out
of wood/epoxy and then coat them with so-called gasoline-proof epoxies and
paints only to have them blister up later on. Stick with aluminum or
plastic.

"Michael Bailey" <bailey@hawai*clip-out*ian.net> wrote in message
news:bailey-0701020113220001@imac...

[JAXAshby]

>Epoxy tanks are NOT ok with gasoline. I've seen people try to make them out
>of wood/epoxy and then coat them with so-called gasoline-proof epoxies and
>paints only to have them blister up later on. Stick with aluminum or
>plastic.

Maybe, but I too had an epoxy gas tank in my airplane without problems.

[Glenn Ashmore]

Sure. You might add that I had read all the legal cautions from Gougeon
and added 8 mils of DeVoe 235 tank coating as a sealer. While the EPA
aparently does not aprove any coatings for potable water over epoxy,
there are a large number of tanks coated with 235.

[Bray Haven]

>Maybe, but I too had an epoxy gas tank in my airplane without problems.

Epoxy (cured) generally is listed as having excellent resistance to gasoline.
Having said that, I'd still try to find a poly tank ready made to fit your
application.
Greg Sefton

[Habbi]

I hope you don't mean DeVoe Coatings Bar Rust 235. It will break down in
contact with gasoline. I used it in combination with fiberglass cloth to fix
a small pin hole in my Jeeps gas tank. I did this on the outside and then
coated the entire sandblasted tank with it. The gasoline softened the
multilayered patch and started leaking again. I then bought a polyethylene
tank.

"Glenn Ashmore" <gash...@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:3C3AE2FA...@mindspring.com...

[Habbi]

I built a fiberglass tank for my boat and in the end I built a stainless 316
tank. (I know, I should have used aluminum but 1 year later it is still
holding up). Anyway after a lot of research I used what is called
Isophatalic sp? polyester resin. It is recomended for gasoline and diesel
fuel tank construction. Local lobster boat builder use it in most of the
boats they build so it was easy for me to get. My tank was strongly built
and held 10 psi air pressure overnight but water still got into it. The tank
sometimes layed in bilge water. I came to the conclusion that the water was
wicking in through locations that the glass fibers went from the outside to
the inside. I used fiberglass mat and the use of cloth may have prevented
this. Just my $0.02.

"Thomas Bloomer the @ goes here" <bloomersnip.net> wrote in message
news:3c3acd4b@snip-news....
> The preferred resin for industrial gasoline storage tanks is terathalic
> resin, which is NOT an epoxy. Terathalic is actually similar to
polyester -
> MEKP catalyzed, but with very high HDT. It is used to make underground
> fiberglass gasoline storage tanks. So if you must build your own gas
tanks,
> at least use a resin that is an industry standard . . . oh yea, you have
to
> buy it in 55gal drums, but in that quantity, it's cheaper than any of the
> "boat" epoxies.
>
> You might also consider calling Shell or Dow technical support (they are
> very helpful) and ask them if they make an epoxy resin that is considered
> acceptable for gasoline storage. Other than pre-preg, oven cured epoxy, I
> would be surprised if you found an epoxy that is suitable for gasoline
> tanks.
> --
> Tom Bloomer
> Hartly, DE
>
> "Credence Vision Systems LLC" <briand...@NOcredenceSPAMvision.com>
wrote
> in message news:3Wx_7.5454$762.55731@rwcrnsc54...

[Glenn Ashmore]

It is NOT for gasoline. It is a tank liner for potable water! I'm not
about to build a gasoline tank myself.

[Paul Oman]

Bray Haven wrote:

We sell several lines of epoxies. I get calls from motorcycle makers that use
epoxies for custom motorcycle gas tanks. They make the shape in foam. Cover with
epoxy then dissolve the foam with solvent...

paul

--
PAUL OMAN
Offered By: Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.
Frog Pond Hollow
48 Wildwood Drive - Pittsfield, NH 03263
603-435-7199 FAX 603-435-7182
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EMAIL: in...@epoxyproducts.com
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