Fuel tank replacement, Guardian 18

[Maverick]

In the process of restoring my 1987 Guardian 18, which had been in service by law enforcement just prior to my purchase in early 2014, I removed the console, leaning post, floor, and fuel tank.

In this short post, I'll focus on my fuel tank, which some here may find of interest. The top exterior of the tank, once I cleaned off years of black gunk, did not look particularly bad, but after careful looking, I saw some heavy pitting in the aluminum surface. Based on this pitting, I decided to begin the arduous task of tank removal for further inspection. I hand sawed--carefully--through the foam surrounding the tank, and pried the tank out--quite a job for an old fart like me.

Upon removing the tank, I found heavy corrosion, heavy white powdery stuff, and many holes in the exterior sides--quite ugly. It appeared that the only thing keeping gasoline from leaking into the boat's tank hold was the actual foam that helped hold the tank in place. In short, I am REALLY glad to have discovered this problem on the front end.

In conclusion, I cleaned out the hold, purchased a new tank, re-installed, re-foamed it in place, installed all new hoses, wires, gauge, and it should be good to go for many years. I have attached some photos that help show my A-to-Z. I have many more photos if anyone wants to see more of the tank or the boat's restoration. The tank cost around $900, Thanks, and Best Regards. Chuck

[Maverick]

More pics, please see attached

[Jeff]

Maverick--I have recommended to others to get the fuel tank LineX'd and Rhino-lined before installing it. It will protect it from failure for a lifetime.