CONTINUOUSWAVE

I just bought a 1985 Outrage in great condition with newer Mercury 150 offshore and a Mercury 15 kicker. After researching and looking into the history of the Outrage I see that many people have replaced the fuel tanks due to corrosion or leaks.

Is there anyway to check [the boat's fuel] tank to make sure [the fuel tank has] no corrosion or leaks?

Should I drain [the gasoline] already in the tank and put in fresh fuel?

Wish I had known about this before buying the boat.

If I have to replace the [fuel] tank, the cost looks like it's around [$4,000]. Just had [the boat] serviced and the engines are all up to compression and run great!

I would appreciate anything on the gas tank concern. Thanks.

First test is do you have a heavy smell of gas when you open inspection port and lean over?

A low pressure leak down test will tell you if you have a leak. There is a good chance tank is okay.

Check the fuel fill, vent and fuel lines for the "alcohol resistant" rating that is printed on the hose. If not present, change the hoses before using tank.

Run on a portable tank till the under deck hoses are replaced and the tank checked and fuel replaced.

Hi there Native Texan, I have a 1987 Guardian 18, essentially same looking boat as what you have, and I believe has the same gas tank size, but not sure. That said, I bought this boat with like a half-full tank of fuel, and, from a cursory inspection, all looked okay aside from the boat being a police boat and heavy saltwater use in its history. It was on-duty and in use the very day I bought it and brought it home. I got it home with the intent of a full restoration, which I have completed. In the process, I discovered the gas tank needed to be replaced. Cost was about $1,000 and I did it myself.

So, how did I know to replace it? Your question. I agree with Phil in that removal of the round access ports is a good start and a smell test can be a good indicator if gas is leaking anywhere. In my case, I did not smell any leakage.

My restoration was full in that I intended from the start to pull up the floor anyway for an inspection, cleaning, and to replace hoses and ground wires at the least. After the floor was up (very ugly and dirty), I scrubbed. With everything reasonably clean, the tank appeared ok except for some tell tale pock marks where saltwater corrosion had made like small craters in the top of the tank. The tank was thick aluminum and it looked and felt strong in those areas, but those corrosion pocks made me a little curious--enough that I decided to drain the tank, and pull it out for complete checking.

I removed the round access port on the rear top of the tank and looked inside to see fairly shiny but some dirt and some water.

Now here's the revelation: once I got it out, I found white, chalky corrosion stuff from the tank edge against the foam, and plenty of holes--clear through. It appeared Whaler's foam was the only thing keeping the gas from getting loose in the tank hold area. Wow, what a mess. And was I lucky and fortunate to find this. Horrible. I scrapped the tank (for $50 at recycle place), and bought a new one custom-made to original specs by Carr Industries. Outstanding workmanship. Expensive, but worth every penny to me. Shipped by truck.

Be sure to check your hoses. If it were me I'd replace ALL of them with the right USCG-approved type, and also look at the ground wires, and replace new with the right stuff. You should be able to gain access to all of these things by using the round access hole ports.

I have tons of photos I can share if you wish. I'll post a few here. If you want more, simply email me and I'll fill up your inbox.

In my opinion gasoline is nothing to play with. Check out the tank and hoses carefully, and be sure everything is as safe and proper as you can make it. If your boat hasn't seen heavy saltwater like mine, the tank could be ok, but you want to be sure.--Mav

[NOTA BENE: Mav--I reworked all the images you uploaded --jimh]

More pics to see [and more captions to write].

Last group of pics [that need captions]

Phil, Thanks so much for the information and opinions. Will be pulling the cover and checking the hoses and smell for gas tomorrow.. Will post my findings.

Hey Maverick! Wow, Thanks for the detailed inspection and what you found. I bought my boat from an older gentleman and the when I had the Mercurys serviced I was told by the technician that in his opinion they had very low hours on them based on what he saw and inspected. The Hull had the bottom paint sanded off so I took it in and had a trailerable bottom paint put on.. Looks good, also I had the rollers removed and replaced with bunks on the trailer. After looking into the Outrage history more, I saw that alot of them had the gas tanks replaced and it got me a little concerned. Really appreciate all the info you provided and I will definitely be taking a hard look at the gas tank tomorrow. Also replacing the hoses which I assume I can get at someplace like Napa. My has a 63 gallon according to specs and I will get the gas out and replace if the tank is ok. Would love to see pictures of your boat too. My email is tbreckon@sbcglobal.net

I emailed you additional photos. I would only use fuel lines made for marine use...mine are stamped USCG approved and are the type that can be used with fuel containing alcohol or ethanol or whatever they put in this new fuel made from corn, is it? You may have to get it online or from marine dealer. On wiring, I chose the type for Marine use. The copper strands are actually coated with solder, or tin. I bought a bunch of it online (eBay).

Take your time and ensure everything is right before you button it back up. Probably nothing more important for safety than a good fuel tank system.

You'll love the 18 Outrage. I also had a 1985 one in the late 1990s, re-powered it with a new 1996 150, admirable boat, easy to trailer, launch, ski, fish, quite versatile and a bigger boat feel while still sorta like a sportscar. Funny thing--the fuel fill hose on it (under port side of floor access) was badly weathered, and I was glad I pulled up that access "rectangle" cover and checked.

Post some pics of yours too!