When we were having the survey done, our surveyor found that the fuel fill neck had previously been broken loose and at some time in the past had been epoxied back into place. The epoxy bond was poorly executed, and had deteriorated to the point that when our surveyor was inspecting it, the fuel fill neck came loose in his hand. Oops!

Initial Plans Fall Through

After we purchased the boat, and before trucking it from Rockport, Maine to Gorham we pumped all of the fuel out of the tank. I planned to try to have the tank welded over the winter, so I was going to need to remove the fuel anyway, and I really didn't want to risk having diesel spilled all through the bilge.

This fall I spent 3 days trying to take the galley out of the boat. It is rumored that the galley on most Tritons slides out as a unit relatively easily, exposing an opening in a bulkhead through which the fuel tank *just* fits. HA! After 3 days, I was unable to get the stinkin' thing to budge. I found all of the screws, but at the point where the galley unit is supposed to "slide inboard toward the engine before it slides forward" I was stuck. On my boat the galley MUST slide forward about 3/4 inch BEFORE it is possible to slide it inboard, as it extends into a plywood and laminate facia on the bulkhead. Short of destroying the galley, I don't believe it will come out.

At this point I called around a spoke to a few welders. I found a couple who intimated that they would be willing to weld the tank in place on the boat. I explained repeatedly that there was still perhaps a half gallon of diesel in the bottom of the tank, but they all said "eh, diesel. no big." Ok.... Unfortunately, I was unable to get either of the welders to actually commit to a time, and come out to do the work. After spending about a month and a half calling every week, I gave up and figured that there must be a better way.

In theory, I think I came up with a better way, but I was unable to find just the right parts to make it work. My plan was to essentially use a thru-hull fitting from the inside of the tank, sealed in place with gaskets. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an appropriate piece of hardware. After looking around for a month or so, I gave up hope...

J.B. Weld Saves the Day

On the advice of a mechanic acquaintance of mine, I decided to *try* J.B. Weld. I was very wary of going this route, as J.B. Weld doesn't seem to be all that much different than epoxy. However, my friend claimed that it really does work and I figured it was at least worth a shot, so I cleaned up the metal around the fill neck as best I could with acetone, sanded it with 40 grit paper and applied the J.B. Weld, which is a two part epoxy-like product. I applied a thick bead and worked it into the gaps of the joint. Then I applied a second bead and smoothed it out to extend up the fill neck for a ways, as well as onto the tank itself.

Amazingly, once it cured, the joint seemed very strong. I grabbed the neck and gave it a good shaking and the top of the tank flexed and I was actually able to shift the tank slightly (indicating that the tabbing probably needs to be beefed up....) with the fill neck. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it holds up under actual use.

Update: After a season of use, the fuel fill is as strong as the day I made the repair. It seems that the J.B. Weld really works!