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Fuel Tank Construction
The "latest thinking" can get you in trouble more often than the tried
and true. As Evan, who has worked for some major marine architects, said, recreational and small commercial boats almost always use aluminum or black iron. Properly installed they will last the life of the boat. I would not go to your local welding shop but custom tank makers like Ezell in Florida, Aftermarket in Louisiana and Luther's Welding in Rhode Island make hundreds of aluminum tanks a year to higher than USCG specs. They have been building tanks for a long time and know what they are doing. 316TI is more commonly available in Europe but considered a specialty steel in the US. (read EXPENSIVE) The only difference between 316L and 316TI is that the TI limits carbon displacement at high temperatures. That maintains the corrosion resistance better in the welds but does not prevent stress cracking. 316TI is specified for applications where the temperatures regularly exceeds 800F. If your tank ever gets that hot you have a lot more to worry about than stress cracking. A 500 gallon tank is WAY to big to be built in welded or even rotomolded poly. Once you get larger than about 70 gallons they are almost always cylindrical. Above about 250 gallons they are vertical cylinders like farm storage tanks. Wayne.B wrote: There are a lot of different views and issues out there and I'd like to get a sampling of that before making a decision. Most tank makers will just go with what they know, not necessarily the latest thinking or best approach. This is a big decision which will impact the future relibility and resale value of the boat, and also involves major $$$s. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com |
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