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I've been cleaning and re-cleaning Dulcamara's cabin sole water tank for the two plus years we've owned her. Just flushing and using one of the additives to get rid of any taint etc.

What I find now is that the paint on the underside of the top of the tank, effectively the cabin sole, is peeling off and floating around inside the tank, leaving bare timber for the water to slosh up against. This has in turn caused more sediment and a little slime to form on the "roof" of the tank.

So, what are your opinions, cut the floor out, repaint/gelcoat and replace with a second floor, or cut it out and put a bladder in, with a new floor on top that screws down for ease of access when required?

Money isn't the object, but effective clean drinking water is.

Anyone have any comments either way?

Michael

Hi Mick

Last time we slipped Dads Swanson 38 we discovered a couple of blisters We got talking about this and couldn't understand why because she had been epoxied below the waterline . We opened the water tanks and found after 20 years the paint hand started to flake inside. We believe the water was coming from the water tanks and causing the bubbles in the hull . SOLUTION : We are going to install plastic/nylon tanks

Cheers Bear

Had similar troubles on Tales so I fitted a bag but it gets condensation on it too so not perferct solution.

Also cut down on volume.

Have thought of cutting out cabin sole and having a hard plastic tank made up thick enough to walk on the top.

Tom

Hi Michael,
My preference is to have no integrated water tank under the cabin sole.
I never fully trusted it as pure drinking water, & im enjoying the extra headroom. On Blue Moon there is no integral tank.
I have a low square 15lt water container with a tap on it strapped in near/under the mast area, & will organise a wine bladder, hanging from above the galley sink for daily water usage.
Additionally I have been collecting 2lt soft drink plastic bottles for the last 6 months, these will get filled Then when empty they provide positive bouyancy when i strap them down in a forward locker under the v-berth.
It is a bit of mucking around, & not having water "on tap", but it assure's my water will not get contaminated & I could more accurately ration the supply.

cheers
shaun