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Why All Outrage Fuel Tank Cavities Are Wet
Blackduck	#1  Posted on 07/13/09 - 7:21 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 519 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/25/06	While waiting for better weather conditions yesterday to work on some gelcoat repairs, I decided to try to find out why so many people are having problems with water in the fuel tank cavities of their 80's Outrages. Most of these people have caulked the cover seams and replaced all the Beckson seals, where is the water getting in? It didn't take long to find the answer. The small tunnel which the fuel line fill and vent occupy is the culprit. This tunnel is not watertight. By design, water is allowed to run into this space every time it rains, or the boat is washed. The water follows the fill pipe to the top of the tank, and then runs down the tank and then over to the sump, in theory anyway. The only problem is that Boston Whaler thought the foam surrounding the tank was waterproof. We all know now, that just isn't the case. All of these boats, unless always covered, and never washed, are getting some water intrusion. As far as a solution, you could calk the small wood strip that the access panel attaches to, this would keep water from getting under it, but it still will get in through the opening in the bottom of the panel. A bead of caulk placed at the front of the little opening could act life a dam, but these seem like makeshift repairs. I am going to keep working on a simple solution to the major design flaw. In the meantime, maybe someone else has already addressed the problem, and will share with the rest of us their fix. Edited by Blackduck on 07/13/09 - 1:24 PM Walter Reynolds 1973 Boston Whaler 16 Nauset 90 HP Yamaha
chris55386	#2  Posted on 07/13/09 - 7:42 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 40 Comments: 1 Joined: 03/26/09	This is a great topic and I think most of us have seen the same or similar issues with our 80's Outrages. I am no Boston Whaler expert but I have been trying to figure out where the water in my fuel compartment has been coming from as it sounds like allot of other people have been trying also. I am absolutely sure that that is not where the water is coming from on my boat. I trailer my boat and it is covered all the time when it is out of the water. I do not get water in the boat or at least not the amounts that I have both bilge pumped from it and sponged out from the fuel tank compartment. As I stated in another post I am just about positive that my water is coming from the anchor compartment drain tube having a bad O ring. I caulked it as a temporary fix and it was working but the caulk was scraped on something this weekend and now the water is back. I am going to replace the brass drain tube and O rings this week or as soon as Sue at Twin Cities marine can ship it to me and hopefully this will be the final solution. I will have my fingers crossed. I am open to listening to all other theories on this subject and I will be actively working to resolve this problem as i would love to not have water in there and also have a clear view of my fuel gauge. Chris
Derwd24	#3  Posted on 07/13/09 - 8:04 AM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	Chris, Can you be more specific to where that drain tube in the anchor locker is located and where it goes? I'm having a hard time picturing how it could let water into the tank cavity, but am not sure of the specific layout on the 18'. Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
WhalerDan	#4  Posted on 07/13/09 - 8:46 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 245 Comments: 1 Joined: 11/13/05	When I replaced my tank. I addressed this issue with $7 worth of Mortite putty. So far so good. I will probably replace it each season. I like the fact that I can easily remove it.
chris55386	#5  Posted on 07/13/09 - 9:23 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 40 Comments: 1 Joined: 03/26/09	Hi all the drain tube from the anchor compartment is in the front anchor compartment down through the bottom of the hull and it does not have a Perko water deflector in front of it so it seems that the water pressure when the boat is under way forces water into the anchor compartment. It drains back out but when I discovered this I put a plug in the top of the drain tube and this solved the issue of all the life jackets in the anchor compartment getting wet. it appears that this same water pressure when the boat is moving is what is forcing water into the hull and somehow it makes its way into the fuel tank cavity. This said, I may be completely wrong with thinking that this is where the water is coming from but it is the only place that is taking on any water so it is the first place I plan on fixing and when I had the tube well caulked the water stopped leaking into the fuel tank cavity. As I said before I am willing to listen to all possibilities and maybe there can be more than one source of water leaking in. Chris
Blackduck	#6  Posted on 07/13/09 - 9:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 519 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/25/06	Chris, The anchor compartment is completely isolated from the rest of the boat. The only way water could move from it to the fuel tank cavity, would be for some sort of fracture. Even then, it would have to be fractured on both sides, and pass thru a couple of inches of foam. Maybe I'm missing something, but seems almost impossible. Walter Reynolds 1973 Boston Whaler 16 Nauset 90 HP Yamaha
kamie	#7  Posted on 07/13/09 - 9:43 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	We are discussing two very different areas here. Chris, you are correct that the forward locker is not watertight unless you plug the forward locker drain. At rest, some water will fill the locker and will drain out while underway. If you want everything in here to stay dry, plug the drain and unplug it once your back up on the trailer. Rain will get into the forward locker. Walter, BW never anticipated that the tank compartment would be water tight. In an open center console boat, there is no way. I also don't believe that BW ever envisioned that the foam would not absorb water, if water was allowed to stand on top the tank. And that is the difference. A lot of folks, didn't keep up with the caulk around the tank cover or replace the seals in the inspection ports. Those, need to be done every couple of years. If you get water under your tank cover, make sure that it drains toward the sump, mine actually drains to the port side not the starboard. Leave the inspection plates open to allow the water that does flow under there to evaporate. It was all one big system, designed to move water from the front of the boat out the stern if you took a big wave over the bow, that would make the boat unstable to handle and prone to flipping. If you keep the tank cover caulked, the amount of water under the cover should be minimal and should evaporate quickly. If you want to keep all the water out, then you need to leave the boat on land, short of that you can caulk the deck plates and caulk the wooden strip that the access panels screw into. Make sure you do both sides since the port side has the fuel/vent lines and the starboard side runs right into the rigging tunnel. If this backs up with water there are two ways to access the tank area, the obvious one is the stern sump, but there is an opening forward of the console from the rigging tunnel to the tank area as well.
chris55386	#8  Posted on 07/13/09 - 10:24 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 40 Comments: 1 Joined: 03/26/09	That is what I was thinking that somehow the water was passing from the leak in the O ring at the bottom of the anchor compartment drain tube through the foam and into the fuel tank compartment. I did not mean to say the water was going into the anchor compartment and somehow migrating into the fuel tank compartment through the fiberglass. I know it sounds like a stretch but it is the only place I had water leaking and every time I would take the boat out the fuel compartment would be dry to start and when I would get home there would be the same amount of water in there again until I temporarily fixed the drain tube bottom by caulking it. This week when I replace the anchor compartment drain tube and O rings we will see if I still get water in the fuel tank area and that will either prove or disprove my theory. I will continue to read other peoples experiences and hopefully learn more from you all. Chris
Derwd24	#9  Posted on 07/13/09 - 10:30 AM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	If you had no clamshell in front of the thru hull on the exterior and no plug in the interior of the locker well, I wonder if you were getting a significant amount of "spray" in there while you were at speed and this is where the excess was coming from? I'm not sure exactly where the thru hull is located on the 18 in relation to the water line, making this a possibility? Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
chris55386	#10  Posted on 07/13/09 - 10:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 40 Comments: 1 Joined: 03/26/09	No spray as the bottom of the drain tube is completely under water, the inside of the boat stays completely dry and I do not try to boat in the rain at all, The placement of the drain makes me think when we are sailing along at 45 mph in the big boat waves of Lake Minnetonka there has to be a significant amount of water pressure on that drain tube and especially now with the anchor compartment plugged and the compartment is dry. I do plan on installing a Clamshell to the drain tube after replacing it. Like I said it is still a mystery to me and I am a newbie to this boat this spring. Chris
Derwd24	#11  Posted on 07/13/09 - 10:49 AM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	Sorry, I meant spray inside the locker from the water pressure on the outside forcing it through the tube, esp if the tube is under water, unplugged, and without a clamshell. Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
Joe Kriz	#12  Posted on 07/13/09 - 11:03 AM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11434 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	kamie is correct, we are talking 2 different areas here. Let's keep focused on the original post concerning water in the fuel tank cavity. The fuel tank cavity is a compartment of its own. Water getting in this area does not get into the foam of the hull. It only gets the foam wet that is around the fuel tanik. The fuel tank compartment is similar to a bow locker except the bow locker has a thru-hull drain where the fuel tank compartment does not. I agree with Blackduck, the water that gets into the fuel tank compartment mostly comes in through the access cover area on the port side of the boat where the fuel fill and vent lines enter the area.
elmroc	#13  Posted on 07/13/09 - 1:35 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 78 Comments: 0 Joined: 11/14/05	Prior to replacing my fuel tank this season, i ALWAYS kept the bilge plug out. This always kept a good portion of water in the bilge. Whn no one was in the boat, the water level in the bilge would remain low, but when me and a few others would get in the boat, it would naturally sit lower, thus taking more water in the bilge, and the possibilty of water spilling back into the tank area. When i replaced the tank, i decided no more leaving the plug out, so i Installed an automatic bilge pump, and i now keep the plug in. I hope this will reduce the risk of water spilling over into the fuel tank area.
HarleyFXDL	#14  Posted on 07/13/09 - 4:55 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 917 Comments: 30 Joined: 07/24/07	As I stated in one of my posts, I feel water is entering the tank cavity by way of the fuel line tunnel in the stern. The sump is on the starboard side, and when the plug is out a little water pools in there. When the boat is loaded down, the sump fills up. During turns the water travels through the fuel tunnel into the cavity. In my opinion, the fuel line should be of a stainless steel type and pass through a rubber gromet with rubber hose on either end. Kevin 1988 11' Super Sport, 1987 Johnson 15hp. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance "Vegetarian - old Indian word for bad fisherman."
In2Deep	#15  Posted on 07/13/09 - 5:17 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 177 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/14/08	I think aside from the obvious entry points,around the deck,beckman plates,cracks,backup from the sump through the rigging tunnel and side access covers(fuel access and wireing),that the fuel in the tank is always a few degrees cooler than the air. The tank is acting like an insulated cooler and allowing the fuel to remain cool,as the day heats up water condenses and vic a versa as the eve cools. These daily cycles cause cthe condensation to accumulate and water builds up. I believe this because it gets wet under the deck without being in the water,rain or washing the boat. Just my $0.02.