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Just FYI, With all this talk of Alum tanks want to pass on that it is not the only material out there.
Viking Star has Steel tanks, 45 years old, and they are still in good shape (yes, they have been inspected inside and out). I attribute this to four reasons:
1) There is no 'engine room vent' above them, no way for salt air and spray to just 'float in' and sit on top of the thanks. Common issue with many Asian boats I hear.
2) Their fuel take off is at the BOTTOM of the tank, not a dip tube, but the take off is all the way at the bottom. Not too much chance for water to accumulate on the bottom. (side note: I have seen a design technique that I really like. in the bottom of the tank, put in a 6-8" pipe, have that extend down perhaps 6" and then cap it. Place a drain in the bottom of that, and then use a dip-tube to come down, but make sure it goes INTO this well.... That way, any water that accumulates below the dip-tube is confined to this well and not the whole bottom of the tank).
3) Their design follows the hull. They are not square, but angled at the bottom. The bottom plate is only about 8" wide, while the top plate is about 24". The whole tank is not a 'triangle', but actually are kind of like a 2' x 2' box sitting on top of a 2' down to 8" triangle, if this makes since... results in rather small tank bottom area.
4) They were made of 1/4" steel, and I am sure had been sure in the past.
When I got the boat, I did take off some surface rust and prepped and then painted the tanks. There had been some water on the top (leaky decks), and that was the worst rust. But then, the boat had sat for upwards of 5 years without any maintenance :-)
-al-
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