Aluminum boat tank leaking, best way to repair temporarily

[sbklf]

11 year old boat, salt water use so I suspect oxidation from the outside. I want to repair it (I will cut a hole in the top of the tank for an inside repair) to last about a year. I see several products on line that claim to work but want your opinions on them, they are: POR 15, Hirsch, KBS and Caswell. I also read on here that Marine Tex works well. Anyone opinions, thoughts? Thanks, Kevin

 

[Bondo]

Re: Aluminum boat tank leaking, best way to repair temporarily

Ayuh,.... There's just No Safe way to do what you wanta do....
Pull the tank,+ Replace it...

 

[jonesg]

Re: Aluminum boat tank leaking, best way to repair temporarily

11 year old boat, salt water use so I suspect oxidation from the outside. I want to repair it (I will cut a hole in the top of the tank for an inside repair) to last about a year. I see several products on line that claim to work but want your opinions on them, they are: POR 15, Hirsch, KBS and Caswell. I also read on here that Marine Tex works well. Anyone opinions, thoughts? Thanks, Kevin

Drain it, pull it and crush it.

Then snag a used one off craigslist.

 

[DukesFin]

Re: Aluminum boat tank leaking, best way to repair temporarily

Of all the things on my boat (also used in salt water), that I'm willing to do a temporary fix on, here is a list of everything I will NEVER temporarily fix:

ANYTHING TO DO WITH GASOLINE!!!

Really, if you had to spend as much as $800 on a new tank, isn't yours and anyone else's life worth that?

Small gasoline leak into the bilge, bilge pump kicks on, BOOM! Nope... Just ain't worth it.

It's a lot easier (physically) to pull your tank and drop a new one in than to fix one from the inside also.

I don't think anyone is trying to be rude to you here (notice how many of us will go way above and beyond to restore something), but if your gas tank is leaking, it's simply time to replace it.

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Aluminum boat tank leaking, best way to repair temporarily

The big problem with repairing a tank is for every leak you find/fix, there will be at least 6 more. Salt has a way of putting a LOT of pinholes in the tank, and something that might not be leaking today will tomorrow.

There are many companies that will build a new tank for a reasonable price. Check online. If your tank is not an off the shelf, they can use your dimensions to build a proper one.​