Trojan Boat Forum

I'm trying to find out where the forward fuel tanks are located on a 1978 f 32? I'm considering a purchase and the surveyer I spoke to said the galvanized tanks are beyond their life expectancy and would have to be replaced in order to get insurance. Also how difficult a job would this be? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

They are on the outside of the engines . Unless the survey report said they need to be replace I don't think it would be a insurance issue .

Welcome to the forum

Thanks for the info. Haven't gotten survey done yet but the surveyor I spoke to said the tanks were beyond their life expectancy and would "fail", so to speak, the c&v survey for insurance purposes due to the possibility of leaking. Any idea of how hard they would be to replace if needed?

My F32 was built in 1979. I am in fresh water so things might be different if you are in a salt environment, but my galvanized tanks are not a problem (yet). I don't have forward tanks (wish I did!), but they would be where Paul says.

I have had the boat for about 12 years now, and never had anyone threaten to drop or refuse insurance because of the galvanized. Once the boat reaches a certain age, insurance companies are likely to demand a survey every few years. But as long as it doesn't have any major issues, they are likely to still provide coverage.

Chk with two or three potential insurance companies that you might go with re insurability with galvanized tanks - might tell you how much to trust your surveyor. Some are really good... some aren't.

Its a pretty big job some say to pull the engines , I believe otherwise .

Yes you should be concerned about the age ,But the survey should go buy cond also and note the age to condemn them before looking at the boat is wrong. they may have been replaced at sometime .

It also is possible it won't have these tanks as i believe they where a option and the rear tanks were standard on the F32. ?

Thanks for input guys will definately look into further. This boat seems to be in great condition and would hate to pass it up unnecessarily over a problem that doesn't exist.

Surveyors are supposed to report the facts and not bring personal opinions into their reports. If it were me I would be worried about a surveyor that is telling me whats wrong with a boat before he even see it.

As far as the tanks, that boat might not even have them as they were a option. If it does, it will be a big job, the engines will need to come out. There is a chance that they can be removed with the engines in but you will be taking the cabin lockers, floor, and framing apart. The starboard side will be the worst with the air con and all the wiring in that area. Either way I think it would take about the same amount of time.

I have the saddle tanks. Easiest way to tell if you have them or not is count the deck plates that say fuel. If they are alone on each side you have only one tank on each side. If they are in pairs you have two tanks per side. You don't even need to unlock the door or open a hatch to perform this inspection.

this boat definitely has all four tanks. I have seen the plates. Have you had any problems with them or do you know of anyone who has? This surveyor stated that this is an inherent problem with the Trojan boat. His explaination was that the tanks are galvenized on the outside not the inside and that they rust from the inside out? Does this make sense to you? Let me know thanks

Welcome aboard.

daylategeorge wrote:this boat definitely has all four tanks. I have seen the plates. Have you had any problems with them or do you know of anyone who has? This surveyor stated that this is an inherent problem with the Trojan boat. His explaination was that the tanks are galvenized on the outside not the inside and that they rust from the inside out? Does this make sense to you? Let me know thanks

this surveyor is, in my opinion, interjecting his own opinions and not one to state facts. i would strongly recommend a new one. i had a 1976 f-32 with all 4 tanks and there was never an issue. i did have one fuel fill hose leak due to the corn fuel, but, other than that, the wing tanks were fine. tanks usually loose their structural integrity when there is no air circulation and trojan NEVER butted a tank onto the bottom or the sides. there was always room for air to circulate. i've never heard of a trojan tank failing as 'an inherent problem', but, then again, i'm learning every day. my dad had a 1972 f-36 tri cabin with fuel tanks (galvanized) on either side of the center bilge (the engines were in the aft bunk area w/ v-drives). in the 40 years that dad had that boat, there was not one problem with those tanks. none. and the last 10 years he owned her, she was out in san diego, and you cannot get much more salty than the pacific ocean.
soft decks yes. stringer issues, sure. but, again, i've never heard of a trojan tank decomposing to failure.

butch, if you're out there, do you have anything to add?

aaron in baltimore

It maybe a inherent problem with any fuel tank it is not a Trojan issue . Have I seen these tanks go bad ? Yes along with other makes . The stern tanks are easy to replace you can always replace them and run the fronts dry and forget them if you are really worried .

I have a 1977 F-32 with the foward and aft tanks, when I had my boat surveyed prior to purchase, the surveyor was able to inspect the usual fail spots , that being seams, bottom and corners, he used a flashlight a mirror and a digital camera. plus you can see half of the tanks just sitting in a chair with the engine hatch up.

I changed my fuel level sending units, and you can look into the tanks pretty good too,

I would look for another surveyor


you can see the starboard fwd tank in this photo


you can see the port fwd fuel tank in this photo

Geezzz Scott, any excuse to show off those sweet engines. LOL

summer storm wrote:Geezzz Scott, any excuse to show off those sweet engines. LOL

Thats what I was thinking