1998' 2520 tank replacement

[Jddboyd]

Thanks for your post. How did you get the new fill and vent hoses in?
Thanks

 

[warthog5]

You put them in....When the tank is out....You need the room.

 

[eric_1]

Finally replaced the tank in my 2520. I emailed Parker and they sent me the dimensions of the original tank in my mod V, after measuring to confirm and making adjustments on the placement of the gauge and ports I had the tank made. I also shortened the tank 6" overall to make it easier to drop in when allowing floor cutting distance from the front bulkhead. After the tank was made I picked up everything that was needed to do the job and completed it in less than a week. I was able to cut and reuse the same floor, epoxying it back into place thus saving fiberglass and refinishing. All the wood underneath was in great shape!!! yeah! My plan is to add a custom floor covering to cover the seam, the bonding epoxy is holding extremely well! Only issue I had was where I cut the floor on the sides, it was cut beyond the "tank box" and it was factory nailed down to the box walls, In hind sight I should have cut right along the tank walls as I did in the rear. Ended up having to use a port-o-power wedge to slide through the port holes to remove the floor in one piece, little by little. Since the floor consisted of 3 pieces I reinforced the bottom while making it straight. I will include photos of the operations, all in all I am very happy with the results and how well Parker's are made! Now, if I could only make my own fuel!

New tank epoxy coated

View attachment 33338

Measure & cut

View attachment 33340

Tank was empty for two years, fastest way to remove the foam! This is Floriduh lol!

View attachment 33341

Everyone said how hard it would be to remove, not that bad at all. I found the hardest part was running the new fuel hoses!
View attachment 33342

One hole, from water in the fuel.
View attachment 33343

View attachment 33344

nails in original flooring

View attachment 33346

View attachment 33347

Epoxy lip in place & used felt strips on the sides to prevent epoxy from escaping. You can also see that the tank was short enough to drop straight in.

View attachment 33349

Epoxy back in!

View attachment 33351

Finally replaced the tank in my 2520. I emailed Parker and they sent me the dimensions of the original tank in my mod V, after measuring to confirm and making adjustments on the placement of the gauge and ports I had the tank made. I also shortened the tank 6" overall to make it easier to drop in when allowing floor cutting distance from the front bulkhead. After the tank was made I picked up everything that was needed to do the job and completed it in less than a week. I was able to cut and reuse the same floor, epoxying it back into place thus saving fiberglass and refinishing. All the wood underneath was in great shape!!! yeah! My plan is to add a custom floor covering to cover the seam, the bonding epoxy is holding extremely well! Only issue I had was where I cut the floor on the sides, it was cut beyond the "tank box" and it was factory nailed down to the box walls, In hind sight I should have cut right along the tank walls as I did in the rear. Ended up having to use a port-o-power wedge to slide through the port holes to remove the floor in one piece, little by little. Since the floor consisted of 3 pieces I reinforced the bottom while making it straight. I will include photos of the operations, all in all I am very happy with the results and how well Parker's are made! Now, if I could only make my own fuel!

New tank epoxy coated

View attachment 33338

Measure & cut

View attachment 33340

Tank was empty for two years, fastest way to remove the foam! This is Floriduh lol!

View attachment 33341

Everyone said how hard it would be to remove, not that bad at all. I found the hardest part was running the new fuel hoses!
View attachment 33342

One hole, from water in the fuel.
View attachment 33343

View attachment 33344

nails in original flooring

View attachment 33346

View attachment 33347

Epoxy lip in place & used felt strips on the sides to prevent epoxy from escaping. You can also see that the tank was short enough to drop straight in.

View attachment 33349

Epoxy back in!

View attachment 33351

Great job! We are going to replace ours in a 2520 open back. Do you have the measurements of where the inside of the stringers are? Also how would you have supported the sides of the floor if you would have cut to the inside of the stringers instead of on top of them? Thanks

 

[sweetjourney]

Thanks for the great post. I am dealing with fuel smell and some raw fuel in the bilge but so far have not been able to find anything. The tank has passed a pressure test and no obvious sign of leaks from any of the hoses. Wondering if you had similar experience or if it was obvious to you that you had a compromised tank.

 

[eric_1]

Thanks for the great post. I am dealing with fuel smell and some raw fuel in the bilge but so far have not been able to find anything. The tank has passed a pressure test and no obvious sign of leaks from any of the hoses. Wondering if you had similar experience or if it was obvious to you that you had a compromised tank.

Tank seems fine other than being very very dirty, with loose stuff and what seems like other debris stuck to the tank as well. We are not confident that we can clean it properly and that the stuck stuff will continue to get unstuck in the future

 

[99Parker2520]

nice job.

 

[jimjybe]

Thanks for your post. How did you get the new fill and vent hoses in?
Thanks

That was the hardest part of the whole job, I put the fill hose in first but that made it hard to install the vent hose. Ended up using a borescope from the top to see and grab it with a soid wire in the hole I drilled in it.

 

[tomc585]

Laying the new hoses out in the sun can help navigate the routing. Using mule tape helps too.

 

[jimjybe]

Tank seems fine other than being very very dirty, with loose stuff and what seems like other debris stuck to the tank as well. We are not confident that we can clean it properly and that the stuck stuff will continue to get unstuck in the future

Mine failed the pressure test, had the fuel smell in the bilge. Borescope inside, I could see corrosion in cell phone pics through the fuel guage hole.

 

[jimjybe]

Great job! We are going to replace ours in a 2520 open back. Do you have the measurements of where the inside of the stringers are? Also how would you have supported the sides of the floor if you would have cut to the inside of the stringers instead of on top of them? Thanks

This is what Parker sent me for my 1998 2520. I was able to measure the tank through the inspection holes to verify. had the tank made months in advance (since I was using the boat on a temp tank) and it fit like a glove!

 

[eric_1]

This is what Parker sent me for my 1998 2520. I was able to measure the tank through the inspection holes to verify. had the tank made months in advance (since I was using the boat on a temp tank) and it fit like a glove!

This is what Parker sent me for my 1998 2520. I was able to measure the tank through the inspection holes to verify. had the tank made months in advance (since I was using the boat on a temp tank) and it fit like a glove!

Thanks for the attachment! I’ll call around tomorrow to find someone to fabricate it.
Did you put supports across the the coffin box to support the floor? Or did you epoxy flanges on all 4 edges? Am planning on cutting floor flush with the coffin box to avoid the nails. Any tips from anyone? Thanks

 

[jimjybe]

Thanks for the attachment! I’ll call around tomorrow to find someone to fabricate it.
Did you put supports across the the coffin box to support the floor? Or did you epoxy flanges on all 4 edges? Am planning on cutting floor flush with the coffin box to avoid the nails. Any tips from anyone? Thanks

I had my tank made 6" shorter since I cut the floor 3" aft of the cabin door, probably didn't need to. The cut behind the door is where I epoxy in a strip of fiberglass board to support the floor. The rear was cut right down the center of the coffin box. On the sides I laid felt paper under the edges and on top of the existing foam. After laying the floor back in I run screws in the seams to hold it into place then loaded structural adhesive epoxy into caulking tubes, injecting it into the seams. Several trips later she seems fine! Tip to consider, cover the rest of the floor with felt paper when working on it to protect it, epoxy drips or where my gloves touched the non skid made a non removable stain, a sandblaster wouldn't even get it all out!

 

[jimjybe]

What a great post and perfect timing! I’m in the process of replacing the 148 gallon tank on my 2330 now. I’m going to cut, remove, and instal the tank myself then hire someone to do the finish work. As of now I plan to use Coal tar epoxy to seal the new tank and foam it in with 5lb density poly foam. Does everyone recommend foaming in the tank cavity? I have heard others say to NOT foam it in due to it possibly allowing water to remain in contact with the tank. All advice welcome!

Great job on the instal jimjybe, I’m sending you a PM to talk more!

The fiberglass shop said that coal tar epoxy is epoxy with filler added and I was better off to go with straight epoxy, so I did. With that said, my tank Corroded from the inside out. The only corrosion on the outside was from where the leak was, the inside was pitted to death.

 

[jimjybe]

Thanks for the attachment! I’ll call around tomorrow to find someone to fabricate it.
Did you put supports across the the coffin box to support the floor? Or did you epoxy flanges on all 4 edges? Am planning on cutting floor flush with the coffin box to avoid the nails. Any tips from anyone? Thanks

My floor is setting on the coffin box, another post here shows added floor bracing that looks pretty nice!