Fitting it in
Since I live by the motto "Never do today that which you can put off until tomorrow,", my tank sat in the basement for several years. Other people obviously let their tanks age a bit, too, because the mentions of difficulty in installing the new tanks trickled in over the years. I couldn't understand what the problem could be, as the new tank was the same dimension as the old ones.
Sure enough, though, when I finally put the new tank in place, it was
too tall. What's the difference? Well, the dimensions of the two tanks
may be slightly different, and the cavity in the boat may even be slightly
different, but the biggest difference seems to be that the
old tank had flush fittings, as well as low-profile elbows.
What to do? I pondered. It has often occurred to me how new boat owners (speaking from my own experience) tend toward boxy shapes that are more appropriate to a land house than to a sailing vessel. On a boat, the shapes are always irregular, and something soft and pliable is better yet.
I don't want a soft and pliable holding tank. I've heard of chafe problems, but worse that that, a bladder tank doesn't facilitate the airflow needed to promote aerobic bacteria instead of anaerobic. The latter stinks!
There's no reason, though, that the tank has to be perfectly vertical. In fact, unless the boat is at rest, it won't be, most of the time, anyway.
Because of the shape of the tank, deep only on the six inboard inches, then the pickup tube is still at the bottom of the tank. And having the aft end lower than the forward end might even be an advantage.
As you can see, the clearance is tight, but just enough. Because the elbows angle down slightly, there is even space for the hose.
-- George Dinwiddie, Calypso, #543
Special thanks to Mike Lehman of Gilleleje, #505, and Jim Mennucci of Quest, #433, who blazed the trail with the Kracor tank.
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Offshore Sailing
by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr
We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy
the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but
I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part
of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your
floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.
The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to
make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one
that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to
stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.
Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking,
boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.
Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many
Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are
born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his
stuff.
(Note: commissions earned from this link help defray the costs of this website)
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