Fuel Tank

I have an older Ski Nautique (1980) That has been on the trailer for a couple of years now. In '03 I had the Stringers replaced, The summer was looking up, however I ran into 2 problems;

The first, an electric drain which was addressed in an earlier thread on this site (thank you to all that gave me their input)

The Second, The inside of the fuel tank was full of rust, I flushed out the tank (several times) and put in an in-line fuel filter.

This has temporarily solved the issues of clogging up the carb, however I would like to replace the tank, I have had trouble finding a tank that would work. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

A LUND? YEA! HELL , HOWBOUT A BAYLINER.
HAVE YOUR TANK LINED WITH EPOXY-FUEL TANK LINER. CALL ENGELS 513-829-7255.AND NEVER WORRY ABOUT YOUR FUEL TANK AGAIN.
AND DON'T BUY YOUR PARTS FROM AUTOZONE !

there is nothing more sporty than running the local slalom course behind an aluminum Lund "walleye Boat"

I had one of the great Lund XXX Superski Unlimited Course Kings (abbreviated s.u.c.k.) and boy what a boat! I loved it until I cranked up that GT-40 one morning and all the rivets just popped right out and she sank. But it didn't rust! So I reluctantly went back to CC and fiberglass. (That's the boat and not a cocktail)

Howie, I forgot to add that if you're set on a new tank, you can find the Tempo plastic tanks in an 18 gallon size that has the fittings placed to where they should line up with your existing, for about $130. Your existing is probably a 20 gallon however. They sell these thru West Marine and other companies. And just like the great Lund, they will never rust.       

Fair enough. You do have to admitt some defeat when you enjoy fishing on the water as much as if not more than skiing, however I would put up the durability of a Lund against any Nautique on the market, past or present. I also believe that CC tried to make a entry into the fishing arena with the "Fish Nautique", but they failed miserably.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the low rumble of the Nautiques more than anybody, and had a lot of fun knee boarding, air-chairing and skiing. But when the time is spent more fixing and repairing these vessels, the fun is kind of drained. It is like owning a Ford, looks good parked in the driveway, but don't count on it to be a truck.

I think that CC really missing the market with their out of line pricing. Even though they have a "entry level" boat, that boat still comes in over $30k. To me, it is insane to spend that much on a boat. Especially if you live in the midwest and can only use it pretty much from May to September.

Why am I on this forum site you may ask... I have a brother who has to keep his '80 running, so I am looking for ideas, as well as giving them.

I have a lot of respect for you guys who have the patience to keep supporting and working on your 'crafts', even though they are not "Correct".

PNO

i think i'll go down to the bog and warm my feet.....

to funny.

I had the same problem with a fuel tank that was heavily rusted both inside and out. I brought the tank to a commercial "Stripping and Derusting" shop and for $60 bucks they dipped it in a solution ... it came out looking brand new! I added a few coats of red Rustoleum to freshen it up further.

I should have stopped there, but the guy at the derusting shop recommended I put in a tank liner ... sold as a do-it-at-home three step kit from the local Harley Davidson shop. The product is called KREEM. Big mistake! I thought I followed the directions closely, but the lining (when dry) flaked and pulled away from the inside of the tank. to get the flakey KREEM out, I have to swirl around 5 pounds of roofing nails to loosen it up further, and then fill the tank with a few gallons of M.E.K (Methyl Ethyl Keytone) to dissolve the rest. The M.E.K worked great and could be bought at LOWES for about $11/gallon.

The moral of the story ... get the tank commercially dipped in de-rusting solution, keep the tank full of gas, and deal with the rust as it comes.   Anyone out there need a few gallons of slightly used M.E.K???

steve ,thats true,but today new products have been developed.the new epoxy fuel tank liner has saved many of auto,truck and marine tanks.
and its guaranteed.
its been my experance,if you look inside your tank with a flashlite,it looks clean.now take a mirror on a stick,and look closely at the top of the tank inside.where the moisture accumulates[ from marina gas-just my opinion ] thats where the rust flakes off and makes its way to your filter and possibly to your carburetor.

79Nautique, who said anything about ranger? I looked on the Lund sight and the best I could find was that fact that they started using aluminum in 1945. What they used prior to that or if they even existed under the name Lund, I do not know. But since you asked, I will look into it. As far as durability, try taking you nautque out on water with anything bigger than a 1-2 foot chop, then let me know how your baby holds up. Better yet, let me know how you back holds up when you hit those waves.

Bottom line I guess is that you can't even compare the two. Different boats, different applications. I would try to fish in rough water with a CC and by that same token, I would prefer to ski behind a Nautique.

Little howie, your boat is 24 years old, and I assume it has the original tank, if fact I would garuntee it. Sediment build up after time and that could be what you are seeing in the filters. If you go to the trouble of taking the tank out to clean it up, I like the idea of finding a plastic tank to replace it.

FYI, Lund makes it pretty easy to replace a tank by installing it down the middle of the hull, with it's own compartment to get at it.

79 i think the older boats like mine,68. were steel.but don't hold me to that.
as far as i can tell,mine is original.steel,and in like new condition.
still has the print intact.
for anyone who might be interested this one is made by the tempo co.
L-O-N-G CRUISE 18 gal
cleveland ohio

my next door neighbor down at the lake has a 79 nautique with a 350 chevrolet.man i love it it has a lot more power than my old rebuilt chrysler.

Kenny, quit bitchin about that Mopar! It's smaller and giving up quite a few horses, but still one heck of an engine. (No one under 40 can comment on that) If the lack of power ever gets the best of you, let me know and I'll help hook you up to easily make that Chrysler a Chevy eater. I'll be posting photos soon of my new/old 413 c.i. Mopar we're installing in our '68 Nautique within the week. Tom, the exhaust elbow thing just won't leave me alone. Learning is fun, but getting expensive.

I think I may need to install a SECOND gas tank.

I used Kreem on my steel "Long Cruise" and it worked great. Not sure what happened to the other post who mentioned it flaked, but it's a popular product around old car shows.

I did have to fiberglass patch the bottom. The old '64 had imprints from the pad under the tank from years of sitting/bouncing. Rust was not only on the inside, but on the bottom as well. When I removed and water blasted...the hole was visible...lucky since I had not yet experienced the leak.

Not sure what would make the liner "flake" though....maybe your insides were galvanized??

Different subject, but if you buy an aftermarket Harley Tank, they won't Warranty unless you Kreem it!