On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:03:35 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

If everything goes according to plan, I'm about to buy a Grand Banks
49 trawler that needs new fuel tanks (500 gallons each).

Any thoughts from this group on the best material for new tanks,
fabrication hints, and/or removal/installation suggestions?

The small light Cessna products of the last 50 years use aluminum
fuel tanks. Those tanks don't leak. Some bigger airplanes carry
internal fuel tank bladders. Those DO leak, after a while.
My rain gutters, possibly yours too, are either aluminum or vinyl.
(USA practice)

After my neighbor's not-so-handiman cut down an overhanging
tree onto my gutters, I replaced several. I was interested to see
what water had done to the inner unprotected aluminum surface.

In general they were clear - though I saw several small patches of
black corrosion, where possibly some leaf had sat for a good while

Brian W