removing fuel filler hose on cd-22

S

shellndanm

New member
Any advice or tips on how to get the fuel filler hose off the gas tank. I need to remove the tanks to replace the deck.

I figured I would remove the tanks, over drill and epoxy the holes to prevent deck rot on my 2005 CD22 as recommended in numerous threads. I bought the boat three months ago. Unfortunately there was a remarkable amount of rot in the deck. I will have to replace a large portion of the aft deck. I'm going to use nida core as described by thataway. It is really sad that the builder screwed right into the balsa. It is puzzling the boat is built so well in some ways, but poorly in this regard.

I would urge anyone purchasing a used c-dory to pull a screw securing the rear hatches and gas tanks prior to purchase. FYI, I still love my boat and will simply do the repair, but I should have checked these issues closer prior purchase and would urge other starry eyed boat purchasers to do the same.


My boat was kept in dry stack with an aft mooring cover

Thanks,

Dan McPartlin
 
shellndanm":1eegqr76 said:
Any advice or tips on how to get the fuel filler hose off the gas tank. I need to remove the tanks to replace the deck.
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Hi shellndanm,

I did most of this last year. I didn't have to replace any wet deck (thankfully), but I did overdrill/fill/redrill everything. I (also) replaced the fuel tanks and all hoses. I re-configured the fuel tank hold down system to not utilize holes into the core while I was at it (plus new laz hatches).

At any rate, how I got the hoses off the tanks was to remove the fuel fills first (i.e. pull them up out of the hoses). That's also the way I reinstalled (i.e. the tanks and hoses went in first, then the fuel fills slid down into the hose last).

It is sad how the core was basically completely unprotected, although (also sadly) it's the rule for production boats, not the exception. I had the "advantage" of knowing about this going in due to having to re-core several other boats in the past (ugh). That's why now I'm removing everything as I go along and filling/re-drilling or even completely closing out the core in some places.

Just let me know if there's anything I could have explained better.

Sunbeam
 
When I replaced ours I had to cut off the old ones. I figured I could heat them to get them off but heat and gas are a little touchy together. My fuel fills were well attached to the boat so I was determined to at least try to leave them in place. Plus the other hoses were cracking so I figured they could all use a refresh.

After getting the tanks back in position and applying some grease to the tank and fill plus the pass through in the fiberglass, I put the new hoses in a small space with a space heater for about 15 minutes until they were well over 100 degrees. I then applied a little grease to the hoses as well, and got them on with help from a normal flat screwdriver. Pushed it down on the tank first them levered it onto the fill pipe and twisted the whole thing back up an inch or so. It was not fun but it worked. If there is ever a next time, I will pull those fuel fills off the boat just to save the strain on my wrists.

Greg
 
Hi Dan,
I removed my tanks when the boat was still new to install trim tabs. I didn't go quite as far as Sunbeam. I found that by unclamping the top end of the hose at the filler neck as well as the bottom allowed me to twist the hose off. It took a bit of force but worked. If memory serves me right, I believe any screws that were in the deck had sealant on them. I know the ones holding the base of the bilge pump certainly do. Just a thought; I wonder if anyone doing this finds little or no rot could do some prevention by injecting Git Rot into the holes?
G.W.
 
I should mention that I don't know that removing the fills was the only option (obviously not given that Greg didn't), but for me it was the easiest since I was removing the fills anyway to take care of the exposed deck core.

One thing I would do differently if I were doing the job again, and this may not be a "thing" depending on which tanks you have (and how "deep" they are fore-and-aft). Because I went to the newer tanks that tuck under the splashwell slightly more, I had a hard time getting the standard fill hose to bend into the required dog-leg. The original tanks also had a dog-leg in the hose, but I think it was slightly less. Also, I am pretty "shy" about torque/force on the fuel fill necks on the poly tanks - I worry about them. So between those two things I decided to get the more flexible "Michelin Tire Man" style filler hose. I even heated that a bit to make the bending easier, but it was a lot easier than the standard hose (I got Trident brand at Fisheries). So, that worked well, but... on to what I was going to say:

The dog-leg is more pronounced on the port side due to the side of the lazarette locker "forcing" it to be there. I have found (and other 22 owners have as well) that the port tank has to be filled more slowly due to that dog-leg. It's doable, but just a little bit of a pain. So between that and the special hose, if I were doing it again I would consider eliminating that dog leg by simply fiberglassing a "tunnel" into the side of the lazarette (wall). i.e. cutting out an oval and then fiberglassing in a "taco" shape. That way the port side fuel fill hose would not have the dog leg and would fill as quickly as the starboard side. It would not need to be gelcoated or "fancy finished" due to the location.

Sunbeam
 
Appreciate the comments. Sounds like pulling the fuel fill would be a good idea to check the core there anyway. Anyone know the thickness of balsa in the deck? I should have measured, but it was at least and inch thick. I cut an inspection hole where there was water coming up through a screw hole, the wood was a slurry and had no integrity at all.
 
shellndanm":3b7f8ly5 said:
Anyone know the thickness of balsa in the deck? I should have measured, but it was at least and inch thick.
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I have a 2002, so not sure it would be the same (shoot, two 2005's might not be), but in my mind an inch sounds a bit thick for the deck core. Off the top of my head I would have thought 3/4" or less. Let me look to see if I have any photos that would shed some light on it (at least for my boat).

Okay, I just looked at my photos. There isn't anything with a handy ruler next to it (natch), but just visually I would guess something more like 3/4" Sorry I couldn't be more exact right now.
 
Sunbeam,
When I took my tanks out to do maintenance after buying my 2002 C-Dory 22, I removed the fill fittings in order to remove the fill hoses. I installed them the same way.
Best regards,
Steve Baum
 
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