Getting the tanks back on the boat is only a small part of the whole process. It is a great milestone but still lots of work left to do. Now the tank has to be 'locked' into place. When full, there is 800 lbs of fuel and 200 lbs of tank that likes to move around. Remember, this boat goes out into 8 to 10 foot ocean waves. The tanks have two baffles each to slow the fuel movement down, but the tanks have to be locked into place very securely.
The tanks sit on a platform that is made up of three ribs glassed into the bottom of the boat. On the outside of the tank there are big rubber strips that the tank leans on along the whole length of the tank. On the inside are the 2x3 inch posts that are visible in the pictures. Between the tank and the posts are more rubber strips glued to the posts. At the front and back of the tank are the triangle supports glassed to the bottom of the boat with a sealer between the support and the tank. Even on top of the tank is a 3x3 inch block of wood between the tank and floor above. This is glued in place.
In this picture I have fiber glassed back in the triangle support at the back of the tank. It keeps the tank from sliding backwards in the boat. There is another piece of wood up against the hull that supports the covers around the tank. That has also been returned.
No comments:
Post a Comment