The Tank & the Welder

Occasionally things just do NOT go as planned.  When David (the welder) got the tank to his shop and started cleaning it his close inspection had him make a call to me.  

"I think you need to come and see your tank," he said.

"What's wrong?  What's going on?" I replied.

"I just think you need to make some decisions..." was David's tentative return.

"Oh dear me... I'll be there in about 20 minutes."  I said as I reach for the truck keys and started getting off the boat in the marina.  David's shop is deep in the heart of Guaymas and given the time of day it took me a little over 25 minutes to reach the shop from San Carlos.

The Tank after cleaning attempt

When I got there the tank was on the ground in front of the covered part to get the full effect of the sunlight.  There were pin holes in most of the welded sections and the plate surfaces had fair sized holes in them.  It seems that as David cleaned the tank he found the metal in many of the plate surfaces to be so thin that his cleaning tool started going through the metal.  His investigation showed that if he brushed over some of the areas with his screw driver it would go through without much or any effort.  Looking at the tank I knew what his question was going to be so I asked, "How much to make a new tank?"

Note the screw driver

He told me he had already upped the order for aluminum to do the rebuild and that instead of the NP$4000 it would be NP$8000 to finish the job.  Okay, that's is not the end of the world.  That was telling me that it would not be the anticipated US$312.50 but US$625.00 instead.  In the big picture that is wonderful news.  I mean, to get a tank that will probably out live me for a reasonable price is a good thing, right?  

Now we will see how this plays out because sometimes things don't go as they are planned.    

El Tanque - The Removal

When we got the boat to the slip, after a tow due to low batteries, we got serious about the removal of the errant water tank.  Mike (Stenbak) had helped to uncover the tank when we were in the work yard before going back to the States for a few days.  It took the better part of a day and lots and lots of unscrewing bulkheads from the covering shelf and tank veneer.  When the builders put together the typical boat they do some strange things.  I mean, not only is the tank attached to the hull via six (6) aluminum tabs with four (4) lag bolts each but it's also encased in a shelf/front arrangement that is FIRMLY attached to the two bulkheads at either end!!

First, they (the builders) assume that nothing on the boat will ever break.  That's a bad assumption but you see the evidence everywhere.  On Faith the water tank seems to be the cornerstone, so to speak, of the whole construct.  They install the tank before they put the deck on... in fact, it is clear now that they put the bulk heads and installed the tank before they built the aft cabinetry.  

Secondly, since it is an aluminum tank you would think that people would go to great lengths to be sure that dissimilar metals never come in contact with it.  When we got the tank uncovered we found that coins, in particular pennies, had slipped down behind the tank and started a corrosive process that led to some of the leaks we found.

So, third, an extension of the first problem really, the tank does not fit through any of the possible openings to exit the boat.  The companionway is 23" wide but one end of the tank was 26" plus the tabs that hold it in place (another 2").  

Tank gets to bottom of the companionway

After talking to various people and contacting my welder friend in Guaymas we came to the conclusion that we would just have to cut a chunk off of the side of the tank.  At one point while were turning and examining the tank we turned it so that the input spout tilted too far and a white milkshake like substance oozed all over the galley sole (don't tell Sandy).  Later when I was cleaning that up it was obvious I will also have to completely clean all of my tools in one of the tool boxes because it was also in the way of the yuck that poured out!!

 

David Cuts away the excess

Normally I wear a mask and earplugs when cutting metal.  Likewise, I normally have everything sketched out so I can follow a precise pattern to take off exactly what needs to come off.  Well, David the Welder just scored the metal with the end of a file I had sitting there and used a very long screw driver I had as well as a straight edge!!  The tabs were soon history too and we then tugged and pushed the tank through the companionway and onto the dock and later up into his van... as it spewed radiator substances all over the place.  It turned out the David had an accident on his way to the marina that morning.

The cut away piece!!

Anyway, the long and short of where we are today is that the tank has gone off to the shop in Guaymas to be cleaned and repaired and we hope to put it back in place on Wednesday or Thursday.

Tank on the Dock... Finally!!

In the meantime Faith lists like she is in a full gale without the weight of the tank and its 125 gallons of water.