1986 hull, Center Console w/ Cuddy - Fuel Leak

[Quadrapelagic]

First time boat owner, recently bought a 25ft center console with a cuddy, and always noticed a slight fuel smell in the cabin. There is a small plug in the bottom step inside the cabin, so I figured there was some residue or maybe a small leak in the bilge somewhere. Up until recently, we had never filled it up, never more than 100g or so (Im told it has a 180g tank). On a recent fishing trip, we did put a good amount of fuel in the tank, the most it had ever had. 4 or 5 hours into the trip, the bilge pump kicked on (the first time we had ever even seen it turn on) and started pumping a mixture of water and fuel. We made it in, but the bilge had fuel in the bottom. We brought it to 2 mechanics, one did a pressure test and said the tank was fine. Another found some dry rotted fuel lines that were a future problem and replaced those. We brought the boat home and the leak seemed to be gone. We flushed the bilge and let it sit. The next day, there was a fair amount of fuel in the bottom again. In talking to some seemingly knowledgeable folks, we've heard that there was a problem with some of these Pursuit models and tanks that were foamed in place, in that the foam held saltwater and rotted the aluminum. We are now looking into replacing the tank. We have 2 estimated of $3k and $5k. We live in South Florida, just north of Ft. Lauderdale.

My question is, should we have it pressure tested again? Is that a definitive test? Are there any check valves or anything that could hinder that test? Is there anything else that could be leaking beside the tank? Are there any known problems with this model boat? Are those estimates in the right range? Does anyone recommend any fuel tank specialist in South Florida?

Im really looking forward to learning about my boat through this forum! Cant wait to get her back in the water!!! Thanks in advance for any help you could provide.

-Kris

[MarkT]

Hi Kris, sorry you are having that problem. I have fixed a few of them in the past and it was no fun. Before you do anything I would contact Pursuit Customer Service and see what they have to say.
To test the tank you need to have all access ports plugged up. Fill, vent, lines and you must be sure the sending unit is not leaking. It sounds to me like whatever is leaking is up high on the tank since you say it leaked more when you filled it. If those lines are original, and the hose clamps are also I would change them anyway. Especially with the introduction of ethanol gas not too long ago. If you still have a leak after changing those items you must have a crack in the tank. I am not sure if you can get the tank out without cutting the deck or if you would have a yard do it. There are tank fabricators around to make a new tank but again I would check with Pursuit. Good luck.

[Quadrapelagic]

Thanks for the reply Mark. We did change all the lines from the tank to the seperators, which is all we could really see from the available access. It looks like unfortunately, the only way to gain further access is by removing the CC. I'm not sure if there is any way to remove the access panel to the fuel tank without at least partially lifting the CC. I was talking to a buddy today who mentioned something about ethanol as well. I will definitely contact Pursuit to see if they have any recommendations.

Does anyone else have experience with this boat?

Thanks in advance!
-Kris