Fuel tank

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warrenthames
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Fuel tank

Post by warrenthames »

Hi, my name is Warren. I am the current owner of Makala ( pdq 36, formerly brigadoon II), hull # 36014. At some point in the past, the fuel tank was replaced with a plastic (abs?, polyethylene?) tank. This tank expands at the top when being filled and does not vent unless someone is standing on the cockpit floor. I am 90% singlehander and this is a problem for me. Does anyone know what the original tank was made of? Did it always do this? Is this common to pdq 36 Capella or classic? Can I replace this on with one that does not cause this problem? There is also a potential issue with the venting as it does not vent while being filled and the vent is at or below the level of the tank in the starboard engine locker floor. Is this the common vent or where are the other tanks vented ? I love my pdq 36 and just returned from 3 weeks in the keys with no issues but only feel comfortable filling the tank 1/2 full at each filling. Thanks for any and all responses. I am grateful for any help here. Thank you
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SecondWind
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Re: Fuel tank

Post by SecondWind »

The original tanks were aluminum. The earliest models were smaller (capacity unknown), the later ones were 55 gallon. there has always been a vent problem with PDQ tanks. If yo look at the vent hose you will probably find a dip in the hose rather than a rising run. This retains fuel and does not allow the tank to vent properly. We repaired ours by adding some rising blocks to allow the vent hose to rise continuously.
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thinwater
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Re: Fuel tank

Post by thinwater »

More details. You need to trace out the vent hose path. Since this is a gasoline vent, it needs to be right.

The tank is almost certainly polyethylene.

Yes, it sounds like there is a low spot in the hose. Yes, the vent outlet is probably below the tank (this is good because it keeps water out), but there is a high loop first.

Specifically, as a singlehander, you would be well to trace out ALL of the systems on the boat. Singlehanders place a high premium on reliability and understanding the boat.
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warrenthames
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Re: Fuel tank

Post by warrenthames »

Thanks for the good advice. I also got some good advice from Sam Densler. I will trace and inspect the vent hose carefully looking for a low spot. Sam said that we can also get dirt dobbers in our vent hoses down here ( Punta Gorda) so I will check for those too. Probably will just replace the old hose and make a steady climb with the new one.
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