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MA fuel tank longevity


Bud_man

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So, a collegue is spending a PILE of money on getting the fuel tank replaced on his mid 90's Contender. Aparently it's a pretty common issue.

Now in my mad search for a MA it has me thinking... how do the tanks hold up? Is a major deck tear up and tank replacement part of owning an older MA? Or, are the tanks holding up well?

Cheers,

Bud

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I have a 2000 MA and replaced the fuel tank in 2012. It was aluminun and in good shape. You have remove the console and cut the floor to pull it out. I was gutting my boat at the Maverick factory refurbish shop and decided to do it when we were cutting up the deck for other things and before new skid tech went on. Otherwise I wouldn't have replaced it.

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So, a collegue is spending a PILE of money on getting the fuel tank replaced on his mid 90's Contender. Aparently it's a pretty common issue.

Now in my mad search for a MA it has me thinking... how do the tanks hold up? Is a major deck tear up and tank replacement part of owning an older MA? Or, are the tanks holding up well?

Cheers,

Bud

I've done a few fuel systems in contenders - MAJOR job,when the boat's equipped with aux tanks.those boats are known for tank failures - tanks are foamed in place...

aluminum tanks - if the tank is foamed into place - 10yrs,is the expected life span.tanks with an installation allowing air to circulate around/underneath the tank,these will get longer life.

tanks,aluminum tanks,that are protected with a good epoxy coating - that coating put on correctly,scuff sanded,chemically etch primed,and coated to the needed thickness - these tanks will go the long haul !

basically,it's dependent upon the installation...

I've had boats,in my shop,requiring a few systems replacement,that were as new as 7yrs old - tank was foamed in place and corroded through in a few spots.

had one 4 yrs old too - manufacture left screws in the tanks cell area - you can guess the rest...

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fuel systems are,in my experience,the most overlooked maintenance item on a boat.

most owners believe the hosing - fill/vent/feed hosing,will last indefinatley.manufactures also believe this - some manufactures build a boat that it's impossible to replace ANY hosing on the fuel system,without cutting decking...

very few people take a proactive approach when it comes to this."wait till it's a problem" seems like the normal thing...

the numbers I gave - as far as life expectancy,they're applicable to a saltwater environment...

poly tanks are not immune to problems - I've seen these crack and fail

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