Relocating Thalassa's Fuel Tank

Jim B , Thalassa, #577

(I'm) in mid-project on this one. It's not finished, but I'll show you what I've done so far. My tank wasn't difficult to remove because I have the galley completely out. The tank was held in place by 4 fiberglass tabbings. They were hardly holding the tank because I was able to pull them off by hand. Basically, I made wooden cradles to match the curve of the hull and the angle of the tank (same approach as the holding tank). I had to cut the center rib a little to accommodate the tank, so I reinforced it with two sections of ¾" plywood that is epoxied and thru-bolted to it. I also reinforced all of the bridgedeck supports, doubling the thickness and fiberglassing it all together. Even though the tank extends into the galley area, I intend to completely partition it off from the galley. I've also added a sending unit to the tank (It always drove me crazy trying to figure out how much gas I had). OK, enough words. Here are some pictures.

Bridge Deck Support

 

Rib Support

 

Fuel Tank Support

 

Tank Relocated