What is my gas tank made of?

[applemorgan]

Hi All,
I'm new, and am in the process of restoration of a 1985 Astroglass 175 with a Yamaha ProV....my concern is Ethanol blend gas...(can't find any gas without Ethanol local)...and a possible fiberglass gas tank (or tank that is not suitable for EA10)?....the boat has been in storage for quite some time, never exposed to EA10. I've test fired the engine with a new portable plastic top side tank, but need to identify the main tank below (and would it be safe for Ethanol use) before going ahead and cleaning and re-hose....All help is greatly appreciated. SEE PHOTOS

Picasa Web Albums - applemorgan

[robert graham]

From your photos, I'm 99% sure that's a polyethylene tank and should be fine for the ethanol blended fuels. I had to finally replace my old fiberglass tank on my rail buggy because the ethanol was slowly just eating it up and causing leaks. Good Luck!

[hanksvilleman]

Just a suggestion.

I have restored a few older boats and have come across the fiberglass fuel tanks. The tanks are not usually that smooth of a finish so I would bet that you have a poly tank.
Now, what I have done is replaced the old tanks (because you never know what was in them before) with new. My first restore I put in a plastic tank. It worked fine but every time I took it out on the lake I kept thinking about how thin the plastic was and if it was secure enough.
Every boat after that I have bought aluminum tanks and installed them. The are more money, but you know they will last no matter what gets in them. I feel they are worth the extra $$$.
Of course you can clean your tank and might never have a problem with it. I've done that before too. Being an 80's boat, you would probably be safe with leaving the tank. The last boat I seen with the fiberglass was a '64 glasstron.
Good luck with the restore,
Dave