Custom Boat Tanks When Your Original Tank Is Discontinued

Factory tank discontinued? Learn what to measure so custom boat tanks can be built to fit your compartment, hoses and fittings with Canfred Engineering.

When the maker stops supplying the tank your boat was built around, you are left with an empty compartment and no matching part to buy. Custom boat tanks solve that by being built around the space you already have, so you don’t have to rework the boat to suit the tank.

Can You Have Custom Boat Tanks Made When the Factory Tank Is Discontinued?

Yes, in many cases you can. Boat builders often shape a tank for one particular compartment, so an off-the-shelf tank may not line up with your hatch, mounts or hose connections. We build custom boat tanks to your specification, in aluminium, and we can also make stainless steel fuel and water tanks if that suits your boat better.

From our base in Bayswater, Melbourne, we make fuel, water and sewage tanks for boats. You can see the range on our marine fabrication page. Which material and layout make sense depends on your vessel and on what the tank will hold, so we talk it through with you first.

What We Need to Match Your Old Tank

A replacement is only as accurate as the information behind it. Before you call, gather what you can:

• Overall dimensions: Measure the length, width and height of the compartment, not only the old tank. Note any sloped sides or cut-outs that follow the hull.
• Fitting positions: Mark where the filler, vent, pickup, return line, and sender sit, since they have to meet your existing hoses and wiring.
• Capacity and contents: Tell us whether the tank holds petrol, diesel, fresh water or waste, and roughly how many litres the old one carried.
• Photos and the old tank: Photos from several angles help, and so does keeping the old tank until the new one is made.
• Access route: Check how the old tank got in. A hatch smaller than the new tank limits what will go back through.

You don’t need every item to get started. A few measurements and clear photos give us something to work from when we discuss custom boat tanks for your layout.

Checking the Fuel System While the Old Tank Is Out

A tank swap is one of the few times you can see parts of the fuel system that are normally hidden. Safe Transport Victoria’s boat preparation advice tells boaters to inspect fuel lines, priming bulbs and connections for cracks and leaks, and to look over the tank itself for cracks or corrosion. It also notes that the Marine Safety Regulations say a boat should not have fuel leaking from it.

So while the compartment is open, look over your hoses, clamps and sender wiring. If you find tired hose or fittings, replacing them in the same job saves you opening the boat up twice. Fuel installations depend on your engine and your boat’s layout, so run the plan past your marine mechanic or a surveyor before the new tank goes in. If you want to see how the design side works, our post on designing a custom fuel tank for a yacht covers the questions we ask.

Get the Right Fit Before Fabrication with Canfred Engineering

Tell us what the tank was, where it sits and what you measured, and we will let you know what we can build to replace it. Get in touch with us with those details. If you are not sure what to measure, ask us. We would rather talk it through before you pull anything out.