1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
Striper15
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1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby Striper15 » Wed Feb 15, 2017 12:45 pm

Although I have no reason to suspect I have a problem, I am concerned about the internal fuel tank on my 1992 17' Outrage, only because of the age. Are there any recommended inspections or maintenance that I should be doing? Is its recommended to just change it out at 25 years old, even though there are no known problems?

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Phil T
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Re: Outrage Fuel Tank - 1992

Postby Phil T » Wed Feb 15, 2017 2:03 pm

Duaine -Are you okay on hoses and clamps?

All hoses (fill, vent and supply) need to be alcohol resistant. If OEM, they need to be changed.
Clamps should be stainless.

If you haven't done this since purchase, I would lift the floor and clean all the gunk on the top of the tank. Pull the covers to ventilate when the boat is not in use.
1992 Outrage 17
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flymo
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Re: Outrage Fuel Tank - 1992

Postby flymo » Thu Feb 16, 2017 7:52 am

Certainly replace all the hoses, if that has not been done already. Then you may wish to have a pressure test done to see if there are any leaks.

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jimh
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Re: Outrage Fuel Tank - 1992

Postby jimh » Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:03 am

The rubber hose for gasoline fuel delivery on boats changed in c.1987 to be alcohol resistant. The fuel hose should be clearly marked with the date of manufacture and the alcohol-resistant label. On a c.1992 boat there is no doubt that the hoses will be alcohol-resistant.

A rubber fuel hose in service since 1992 is now 25-years-old. I don't know how much useful service life remains in the hoses on your boat. The hose is subject to deterioration on two sides: external and internal. The external surface condition can be appreciated by close visual inspection. A hose that looks like it is cracking, becoming stiff, or becoming brittle is a candidate for replacement. The internal surface condition can be appreciated by how much debris is trapped in the fuel filter; here I assume you have a spin-on canister fuel filter in the system. If the fuel filter is trapping small bits of rubber debris, the hose is a candidate for replacement. I am sure the particular environment the hose has been exposed to will affect its service life. If the hose has been submerged in saltwater or exposed to sunlight 365-days a year, its external condition will be more degraded. If the hose has been carrying gasoline with excessive amounts of alcohol (ethanol), its internal condition might be more degraded.

The service life of the aluminum fuel tank could easily be longer than 25-years. Again, it depends on the environment. If the tank has been kept dry and free from accumulated dirt, it should be in good condition. Aluminum lasts a long time. The Air Force is flying planes made of aluminum that were built 1962--55-years ago. The aluminum in those planes has been subjected to a lot more stress than the aluminum in your fuel tank. If the boat fuel tank is clean and dry, it should be good for another 25-years of service.

In my experience, the fuel hose that will be most likely to deteriorate on older Boston Whaler boats is the large-diameter fuel filler hose. The filler hose typically has a horizontal section that spans from the boat gunwale to the hull centerline, where the fuel enters the tank. The hose usually has some reinforcement in the form of a spiral wound steel wire. It has been seen that in the horizontal span the hose may sag and develop a low spot. When fuel is added to the tank, it is possible for some fuel to remain in the low spot. The hose may soften and become permeable at that point. The steel reinforcement wire may become exposed to fuel (from the inside) or water (from the outside). Note that the filler hose material is not rated as highly as the smaller rubber hose that will be constantly exposed to fuel.

In recognition of the potential problem for fuel to remain in a low spot in the filler hose path, I recommend the following:

--do not add fuel to the tank so that fuel begins to back up and remains in the filler hose; filling the tank above the full level will leave gasoline in the filler hose, and that just invites fuel to remain trapped in the low spot;

--after each fueling when the boat is in the water, alter the lateral trim on the boat to encourage the fuel to drain out of the filler hose and into the tank; for example, if the fuel fill inlet is on Port (the usual location), after fueling sit on the Starboard gunwale to trim the boat down to Starboard; the altered trim will help remove any fuel left in the filler hose and get it to drain into the tank.

A simple assessment of the integrity of the fuel system can be made with your nose. Get as close as possible to the hoses and tank as you can and smell for gasoline. Conduct the test in a closed area, without any breeze to blow away the fuel vapor. A human nose can usually detect the presence of gasoline vapor in rather low concentrations.

A tank could be pressure tested, but that is somewhat problematic. You have to establish a sealed tank environment to pressure test, so you have to remove all the hoses and close their opening ports. If you do pressure test, be certain to heed the warning on the tank label about maximum pressure; usually a very low pressure is cited as the maximum allowed.

Striper15
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby Striper15 » Thu Feb 16, 2017 1:44 pm

Thanks for the detailed responses. Very good information here.

Minimally, I plan to change the hoses and clamps, I already talked to Sue about it and they are available. I always use non ethanol fuel and almost always fill up immediately before operation so fuel shouldn't be holding in the fill line. I've had the boat for almost 10 years and I know have never done any hose or clamp changes, not sure of original owner but they are probably the original hoses.

Jim, thanks for all of your recommendations, you bring up some very valid point that I had not considered.

Phil, I'll probably contact you by email to discuss your recommendation of removing the deck and cleaning around the tank. I made one attempt already to remove the deck but backed off when I saw it was a little more involved than I anticipated.

Thanks again to all!

underbone
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby underbone » Thu Feb 16, 2017 7:44 pm

Would be interesting to see the conditions of the hoses and clamps. Pressure test seems a good thing to check tank integrity.

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Phil T
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby Phil T » Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:17 am

I plan to pull the deck and console of my 1992 for inspection and re-wire in March and April and will let you know.
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saumon
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby saumon » Mon Mar 13, 2017 12:16 am

Could be obvious but, just in case, hoses should be double-clamped...
(http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/Ass ... 002.01.pdf)

RMS
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby RMS » Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:34 pm

A bought a 1993 17 Outrage from the original owner a few years ago. The boat had been docked in salt water and I became concerned that the tank needed replacement due to its age. I removed the tank which is a big job. The tank was in very good condition except for the sending unit hole which I damaged while removing the tank from the boat. Also the ground wire to the tank had corroded at its connecting point. My point is that unless you have reason to suspect a problem, it may be best to replace the hoses, check the ground wire, and call it a day.
Bob

paramedicjoe
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby paramedicjoe » Tue Mar 26, 2019 3:42 pm

Did any [participant in this thread from 2017] buy a new tank?

I had a lot of fuel below the tank after I removed it. The inside of the tank has a lot of corrosion. I would love to go to a plastic tank. Thanks for any help you could provide.

I called the number that is on the original tank.

[This link points to a photograph of a label on a FMT fuel tank.]

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Phil T
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby Phil T » Tue Mar 26, 2019 5:01 pm

Joe--FMT, the OEM manufacturer is now located in Henderson, SC. If you live within 500 miles it makes sense to get a replacement from them. If you are farther away, price out a tank from a local fabricator. Use the existing tank as a template.

When you are ready to re-install, check back since there are new recommendations.

BTW - It would help if you put your general location in your profile so geographically specific advice can be provided.
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NLA01
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Re: 1992 Outrage 17 Fuel Tank

Postby NLA01 » Tue Mar 26, 2019 6:26 pm

About double clamping: the law has changed. Only fill hose has to be double clamped, all others can be single clamped. The reason for the change was on some double clamped hoses the clamp ended up on the barb halfway causing the 2nd clamp to cut the hose when tighten down. I would only double clamp a hose which you know for sure the barb is long enough for the second clamp.
Archie