Fuel tank replacement 1987 22 cruiser.

D

Devilfish55

New member
Hello,
I've done a bit of research about replacing my original rectangular 18 gal fuel tanks on my 1987 22ft cruiser with larger 23gallons. I was able to find Moeller part numbers and diagrams for 23 gal. Part numbers FT2339(stbrd) and FT2340(port). Fishery supply has notified me that Moeller no longer manufactures these tanks... I'm waiting to hear from Cdory manufacturer but does anyone else have ideas?
 
Yes, I've heard that Moeller mistakenly threw away the drawings, plans, molds when cleaning up the plant. Too bad.
Are your tanks servicable? I'd imagine new ones are pretty expensive now.
 
That's good to know!

I heard back from cdory nw marine ind in Bellingham and they will sell me the 23 gal tanks! They cannot guarantee fit... and will not return them if they don't fit. They mention the far back corners of the 1987, under the splash well being more rounded and the tanks might not fit in all the way. Can anyone confirm this?
 
I have a 1987 Cruiser and the tanks were replaced with the Moeller tanks you wanted, but couldn't get, before I purchased.

One thing you want to make sure of is when you remove the current brackets screwed into the deck is to seal those with epoxy. You might want to test out the holes to see if any water got into the core over the past 35 years.

When/if you replace tanks and install new ones, overdrill and fill mounting holes for screws with epoxy, as prescribed by many. This is so you don't have water going into the core.

Some people have tabbed/bedded in pvc lumber with epoxy into the deck and then mounted hold-downs into that for your new tanks. It might be a good idea to see if anyone can show you a fairly new boat so you can see how NMI mounts new fuel tanks.

Good luck!
 
Yes, great advice. I will also need to clean 35 years of mold... I have some king starboard that I cold epoxy in as tabs to keep the tanks from sliding. Are your tanks also strapped down?
 
I have read that starboard does not work as epoxy will not adhere to it, thus thus the suggestion of using pvc lumber available at home depot or lowes.

I overdrilled, filled with epoxy and inverted ss machine screws into deck and reinstalled the bulkhead piece that previous owner installed. The bulkhead piece is similar to what C-Dory put in their 2000 and newer models.

Here is a link to a picture of how the factory solved the problem of screws in the deck in mid 2000s. In front would be the panel attached to aluminum angle at the bottom.

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
 
Salmon Fisher":22pdqtx4 said:
I have read that starboard does not work as epoxy will not adhere to it, thus thus the suggestion of using pvc lumber available at home depot or lowes. ...
Click to expand...

PVC lumber available from HD and Lowes is pretty soft. Occasionally you can find a batch that is harder than usual (don't know why). IME, the PVC lumber can often be marked with a fingernail.

Screws strip out of it easily. I would not use it for anything structural.

It is possible to glue starboard with certain glues. It can be epoxied if there is enough "tooth" or the area where the glue goes is sufficiently undercut (dovetail).
 
I have successfully glued Starboard (High Density Polyethylene) with G Flex. I use a Dremel Dove tail bit to make several cuts on the back. You can also use a Fein type of saw to make 45* angle cuts into the StarBoard. It should be lightly flame hardened before applying the epoxy.
 
After a few measurements on my 1987. The new 23 gal tanks look like they will not fit. The height on the rear(stern) of the new tanks isn't specified on the diagram...I'm not sure but maybe the angle of the splash well is different on my older 1987 because I only have about 13in clearance. Can anyone confirm the height from the photos on the newer tanks?

Screen_Shot_2022_04_21_at_10_22_22_AM.png

Screen_Shot_2022_04_16_at_8_47_19_PM.sized.png
 
On my2006 the back of the tank is about 12 inches, the front is 15.5 which is slightly different then the spect on the drawing so it could be a different tank. All other Measurement look to be close but still not quite exact. I guess that’s not helping you too much
 
C-Wolfe":3qhrhvgk said:
On my2006 the back of the tank is about 12 inches, the front is 15.5 which is slightly different then the spect on the drawing so it could be a different tank. All other Measurement look to be close but still not quite exact. I guess that’s not helping you too much
Click to expand...

I think that is helpful! Thanks. I"m still waiting to hear from the manufacturer, but if it is close to 12in then it should fit!
 
Salmon Fisher":3p162bc8 said:
I have read that starboard does not work as epoxy will not adhere to it, thus thus the suggestion of using pvc lumber available at home depot or lowes.

I overdrilled, filled with epoxy and inverted ss machine screws into deck and reinstalled the bulkhead piece that previous owner installed. The bulkhead piece is similar to what C-Dory put in their 2000 and newer models.

Here is a link to a picture of how the factory solved the problem of screws in the deck in mid 2000s. In front would be the panel attached to aluminum angle at the bottom.

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
Click to expand...


Any chance you have the height of the rear (aft) tanks from the diagram in your 87?
 
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