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I am just about to install my new tank. I plan to zinc chromate the Aluminium exterior and foam in place. There was a good bit of corrosion on the outside of the old tank. However when you consider that the tank had been in service for 30 years that's not so bad. One item I will be adding is a fuel sending unit, located in the 6" rear pickup cover plate. Since I wanted to keep everything original, I have kept the original dial indicator gauge that is located in the floor at the helman's feet thru a clear cover.

I think you are fine to epoxy coat the tank and in fact the tank would likely be fine for years without any coating but the added protection is a plus. I don't know about the structure foam contention, although I have heard from several people, including a mechanical engineer, that the foamed in place tank has a lot of stress removed from the straps or clips that are bolted into the floor. Remember there can be over 500# inside of that tank trying to move forward when you hit a good size wave that stops the boat. That is a lot of force. So at a minimum the fore and aft panels of the tank should be foamed.

Good luck