My Boston Whaler's steel oil tank bracket

[porthole]

Yesterday I removed an almost totally rusted away oil tank bracket. I find it hard to believe that Boston Whaler or a dealer would put a steel bracket in an area that is sure to see salt water.






Stainless steel replacement

[jimh]

What boat had this rusted mess? Tell us the model and year; unless fairly new, it was probably not a factory rigging job.

On older boats, the installation of an outboard engine was left to the dealer selling the boat or maybe to the owner buying the boat. I don't think you can put blame on Boston Whaler for that rusted steel bracket.

[jimh]

Also in the first image: I see some butt splices. I really hate to see butt splices in electrical conductors on small boats. The longest conductor in any wiring is probably not even 20-feet long, so having to splice two conductors together ought to be avoidable.

Also, if I follow the image to its web-host souce I see it is identified there as being from a 1999 Boston Whaler 21 Outrage.

I see in a 1999 catalogue that Boston Whaler offered the option of pre-rigging. Maybe that bracket was part of the pre-rigging, but I am not sure how one could be certain. Even with pre-rigging the fuel system might be a dealer-installed part of the rigging, and I'd include oil as part of the fuel system. I think "pre-rigging" was probably just having the proper remote controls mounted and a electrical harness run back to the transom area.

[porthole]

Boat is as listed in the signature, 1999 21 Outrage.

I don't know when BW started offering boats factory rigged only. And I don't know if this Yamaha was hung by the dealer or the factory. But I did see the original invoice, and the boat was ordered new with a Yamaha 200 HP OX-66. So maybe the steel bracket is a Yamaha part. I have found on the spec sheets that the oil tank and bracket were factory items on at least a Mercury 'pre-rigged' boat.

[porthole]

Also in the first image: I see some butt splices. I really hate to see butt splices in electrical conductors on small boats. The longest conductor in any wiring is probably not even 20-feet long, so having to splice two conductors together ought to be avoidable.

I agree with the butt spices, but done correctly they are suitable for the bilge pump (splices in question), an item that usually gets replaced every three years or so.

And those butt splices in question are not properly routed due to removing the tank.
When finished they are up high.

[jimh]

Re the boat having been delivered with a Yamaha engine:

--there was no "Yamaha pre-rig" option listed in the 1999 catalogue
--Boston Whaler never sold a boat with a Yamaha engine already installed and rigged, except maybe on a special order through Commercial and Government Products

That makes me think the dealer added the steel oil tank mounting bracket. But it is good that you got it out of there before it started to really stain the gel coat.

Re wiring to sump pump: the pumps usually can be ordered with long leads, so the connection to the pump can be made quite high above the water line. A good butt-splice connector with proper water-proofing is acceptable practice for joining the pump leads to the boat circuit that will power the pump.

[porthole]

So I removed all the old tank bracket. Getting all the rust stains out is impossible.I tried liberal doses of Davis' FSR - Fiberglass stain remover and half a bottle of CLR - Calcium Lime Rust remover. I got about half of the rust stain off. What is left is going to stay.

[vze2gbs4]

Yamaha set up.

I have seen [the Yamaha oil reservoir tank mounting ] turn into rust buckets in any boat---not just a [Boston Whaler boat]--due to constant moisture and lack of ventilation. [The cause of the excessive rust in the bracket is] not necessarily [Boston Whaler at] fault here. [The fault was caused by a] poor choice of metal grade by Yamaha for their oil tank bracket