new seacraft owner
 

first time ever posting to any forum but long time admirer to csc. bought a 76 23 cc about a month ago and have been in heaven. this boat was the one posted in the for sale section of the forum that sank at the dock. After cleaning the hull up and removing all of the hatches and removing all wiring and tanks. i am pleasantly surprised at how good of shape this is in. I am sure i will have pleanty of questions but rather than type for the next hour i will ask them as i get to them. For starters the rear tank which is fairly new looks to be in great shape except for where it sat on the rubber strips on the bottom. there are 4 areas that are pitted and was wondering what i could do to stop the corossion if anything? I have read in the forums about the rubber and aluminum reacting but havent seen any soulutions as of yet. thanks for having such a great site.

Welcome Capt'n, jump right in- the water is fine and full of wingnuts who are Seacraft Crazy!!! One tip, bring a thick skin because we love to have our fun.

Anyway, installing an aluminum fuel is the question and you might find this to have a lot of information and possible answers on the subject. I haven't found it to be wrong in anyway yet.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm

Good luck, welcome and keep us in the loop!

thaks big lew geat article i will have many more questions to come

If the pitting is not too bad then the thing to do is get the west systems cleaning and etching kit and some epoxy primer. First clean the tank with soapy water and a stiff brush. Then sand the entire tank down and rinse it off. Then use the system 3 cleaner and etcher and prime the tank with the epoxy primer. I use Awlgrip epoxy primer. You only have a couple hours after etching to prime the tank before it starts to oxidize again. This should stop the corrosion. Every gas tank that I have removed that had the rubber strips had some corrosion under the strips. You can always pressurize the tank to make sure it is good before you dive into trying to save it.

strick

thanks strick, picked up my etching yesterday hopfully tackle this next week once the temp picks up a bit.

Hi, Steve congratulations on your new ride. I own a 20 SF it is the best riding twenty I've ever been on. The 23 is a beast, I would love to own one, some day. Good luck with yours and post some pics!!

Welcome!

that's pretty good advice...


however - it's a much better system using a barrier coating,like interprotect 2000e - put this product on,till you gain a 10m thickness - use a matchbook cover as a guide...

do not skip the chemical etch prime process...



problem with pitting is,the depth of those pits/erosions and another process called "polis corrosion" - i know i spelled that wrong.this actually explains the process that causes the erosions to "grow"...if those erosions are deep - remember,the tank's probably 1/8" aluminum right ? there's not gonna be much there.the weight of the fuel can cause a huge problem...read that as leak - personally,i would replace the tank and make the smart play...

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=24936

the second page of that discussion,i described the process i use for installing fuel tanks - follow it,you will NEVER have a problem...

aluminum isn't "self protecting",if it was,it wouldn't corrode,right ?

the neoprene strips,these act like gaskets,trapping any moistue against the tank,creating a very corrosive environment - bad move to use that method of installation...

thanks for all the welcomes and responses. pelican my tank is 3/16 and the pitting is only on surface i know the tank does not leak as of now i just want to insure i stop the corossion from continuing. Anyway I have to bigger fish to fry as of right now. i think I'm going to have to replace the transom. i knew it was due but was hoping to get by for a while. the upper outer sections of the transom are soggy. where the motor mounts is dry. i drilled test holes from the inside. i want to eventually enclose and bracket this boat but that is down the road aways. how stupid would it be to do a standard transom rebuild now when in 5 years or so when i can hopefully afford it i would like to put a bracket and enclose. money is tight right now and i want to get this out on the water in the next year but safely. should i have posted this under repairs?

if you're asking my opinion:

this is where i get into trouble,and someone gets offended...

purchasing a "project boat" and attempting that project on a tight budget - "money is tight right now and i want to get this out on the water in the next year but safely.",this is never the smartest move...

gonna take a guess here - this is the boat ? http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=24746

previous owner stated his concerns for the transom...

it sank - if it sank with "hot batteries",something is thrown into the mix -"stray current",from the batteries - this can and will cause metal parts to deteriorate -specifically aluminum - that white powder on aluminum,that's aluminum oxide - get where i'm going with this ?

what's required,to get your ship into "useable" condition,isn't cheap...

no offense intended...

i guess i should have read my post before i sent it. i understand what your saying about the tank. my question about the transom should have read. can i do a standard transom replacement now. and later down the road when i can afford it, can i just enclose the cutout, install a bracket without redoing the whole transom i just installed? would this be economical or should i have the boat sit in my yard till i can afford a bracket and do it all at one time?? I'm not trying to cut any corners where safety's concerned . just trying to get my priorities in line. and yes you were right pelican this is the boat from the classified add and no matter what I'm happy its mine now.

i've spent the last 2 days researching the web on replacing the transom. all of the info out there can be a bit overwhelming. i have minimal glass experience, i replaced the transom on my 18' bass boat 10 years ago and it turned out desent. i want my 23 to be purfect and i need your help. i thinking about using marine grade ply does anyone that has done a 23 have the material list they used for the replacement? im sure theres a post on this site but i've searched and cant find it. thanks

You can use a composite or marine grade plywood. The composite's I researched, Coosa Bluewater was about $225 a sheet as compaired to $72.00 for 3/4''marine grade plywood. You want to bring the new glass to as close to the original thickness as what your replacing. You need to decide whether your going to replace it from the inside or outside. You can probably count on using about 30 feet of glass for the transom, a little less if your just doing what's there. I used 1708. You'll use a little more for re-tabbing the stringers (from the inside) and 3 or 4 layers if you decide to fill in the space on the outside of the transom. Depending on what or how far you decide to go also will dictate how much resin you'll need. You need to decide whether your going to use poly or epoxy. The epoxy will make a better secondary bond but it run's about $54.00 a gallon. I used about 5 gallons of epoxy on my 20's transom.

You can do a title search here on the tool bar for transom rebuilds under search and find all the answers your looking for.

good luck and welcome aboard WildBill