Quote:
Originally Posted by FishMagnet
. . . I ve had several boats that didnt have vents and didnt have mildew in the bilge. Is there something particular to the Sea Craft hull that requires this additional ventilation?
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In the factory brochures in the early 70's, SeaCraft said they didn't foam in their gas tanks because it was a bad idea, i.e., the foam would hold moisture against the tank and cause it to corrode. They said this (lack of foam) required them to ventilate the bilge (maybe a USCG requirement?) which added cost, but said ". . that's just the way it is when you're building a boat to last forever!"
Did your other boats without vents have foamed-in fuel tanks by any chance?
All I know is that my almost 40-year old SeaCraft, which was always an outboard configuration, has hull vents, and it still has the original fuel tank! Fortunately I pulled the tank right after I got the boat when it was 3 years old and found that it was resting on top of a brass nut that had evidently been dropped in the bilge during manufacture! If I hadn't done that I'm sure that the resulting galvanic corrosion would have put a big hole in the tank a couple years later! Fortunately I was able to grind out the pits and seal it with Marine Tex. I painted the whole tank with epoxy and it was in good shape when I pulled it again 6 years ago to clean it and replace hoses when I repowered. The plywood floor under the tank, which is only glassed over on the top side, was also in good shape. I think it might have rotted out by now if the bilge had not been ventilated. Bottom line: I think that the factory knew what they were doing when they installed the vents. If it was my boat, I'd keep 'em!