[reeltimebrad]

After a year of constantly changing fuel filters because of chunks of cured resin laying on top of the filter element I decided to take the access panel off the top of the fiberglass tank. Couldn't believe what I found on the bottom of the tank! Literally handfuls of cured resin drippings and chunks of cork gasket from the access panel. I figured I could manage to remove most of the debris from the center of the tank but there's the same issue in the outside compartments which are only accessible thru a 6 inch hole. I'm planning on removing what I can and then installing screens on the pickup tubes to keep any more of it from plugging up the lines and filters. Has anyone seen this before? The boat is a 2006 and has only had non ethanol marine gas.

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Pics of debris

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More pics of debris

[jclark003]

I've not heard of Tiara fiberglass tanks having issues. If it's recent and not left over from manufacturing I would suspect a bafold is coming loose or some kind of Delamination. Screens may not help much as the pickups will just get clogged from the debris.

I would recommend getting someone to clean out the tanks and then keep a watch to see if any more debris shows up. MEYR up in Holland is pretty good at these kinds of things. He replaced the tanks on a 43 open and I couldn't have been happier. Pretty sure he has tank cleaning equipment too. Either way I would want to find out what's going on for piece of mind. Diesel is one thing but dropping gas into the bilges can really make for a bad day.

[reeltimebrad]

So Tiara is saying that it's drips of excess resin from the partition walls and it's a result of using e-10 gas that it softens the drips until they break loose and to continue cleaning the tank and changing filters until it's all gone. Supposedly it will not cause any structural damage. I have not used ethanol fuel and doubt that either previous owner would have either, so I have a hard time believing that's what's happened here.

[jclark003]

Hard to,say what the PO put in the tanks. Alcohol based additives or a fill of E10 left in the tank during winter layup could account for what you are dealing with. Good info to share for sure.

Still would consider getting the tanks cleaned. Filters have a habit of plugging up at exactly the wrong time. Loosing an engine while coming in your inlet during 5-7's would probably not be much fun.

[reeltimebrad]

So after hearing what Tiara said I can surmise that this is not the first time they've heard of this so I'd like to show what I came up with as a way of keeping the resin drippings from plugging up the intake tubes and hoses. I fabricated these stainless mesh filter boots that simply slip onto the ends of the intakes and have a set screw to keep them up off the tank floor by about a half inch. I also cleaned the tank of everything that was in reach.

[Sans Peur]

Those look great. I would think they will do the job.

[sammidog]

I'm wondering if your fuel supplier is telling you it's ethanol free and it's not. It easy to test. Get a graduated cylinder from a science shop or Amazon. Fill it exactly 3/4 full of gas. Add water to exactly fill the container. After a few hours, if there is truly no alcohol, the gas/water line will stay in the same place. If there is alcohol in it the alcohol will mix with the water and it will appear that there is more water in the cylinder than when you started.

[AyeCandy]

Hey reeltimebrad,   I started having the same problem with my 2007 Tiara with twin 8.1 Crusaders this last year!  I found the same resin debris plugging up my primary filters as well.  I looks exactly what you are showing but it looks like you have more of it than I.  My starboard engine started experiencing hard starting, stalling and missing.  I changed the filters and were back in action.  I talked with a Chris Jander at Tiara and he confirmed that the resins inside the tank are dissolving and loosening because of introduction of E-10 gas.  I was told when I bought the boat new that the tanks and the engines would accept E-10 but they obviously don't.  I have only used E-10 for the past 2 years to my dismay, since I was told it was alcohol free when I started purchasing it from a new marina.  Up until this time I was always using 89 octane, alcohol free, and never had a problem.  Tiara told me there was no structural problem with the tanks and testing showed no leak potential, which is good.  They told me to change the filters more frequently or spend the big bucks to get the tanks cleaned and fuel scrubbed.  I like the looks of the fabricated screens you had made.  Do you have a supplier?  I would be interested in putting some on my fuel pick-ups as well.

[reeltimebrad]

I custom made those myself. If you wanted to you could probably just wrap some stainless screen around the pickup tubes and hose clamp it in place kinda like a lantern mantel. I was also going to make a gasket for the access panel out of viton rubber sheet but ended up making it from cork same as original for now but like tiara told me the fuel was disintegrating it also. Let me know if can't figure anything else out maybe I'll make up a few of them if there's others in need.

[AyeCandy]

Thanks for the information on the screens. I will let you know if I need you to make some screens for me. Just let me know how much you'd need to make me up at pair. I am sure there are others out there who are having or will have the same problem!