Portside Upgrades and Our Epic Diesel Tank Lid

The old stainless steel diesel tanks are out. New plastic ones are going in. Simple, right?

Not on our watch…

We sourced stock tanks that were close to the right size, but nothing fit without modification. The spin-off lid that came with the tank? Useless. Every time you unscrew it, any water sitting on top drops straight into your diesel. That’s not happening.

So we built our own filler assembly using:

Fuel-resistant vinyl ester resin from Easy Composites (specifically formulated for diesel exposure)
3D printed TPU gaskets – experimental, but promising for custom sealing
Custom sender unit adapters because the old tanks were taller and narrower
Relocated filler from the deck to inside a dedicated locker

Moving the filler inside the locker solves three problems: no water ingress during refueling, less UV damage, and better security against theft or sabotage. Yes, technically this might bend some rules, but the locker has a drain straight overboard, and we’re not the type to click the pump and walk away. We watch every drop.

The new clear tanks mean we can see the diesel level at all times. No more illegal PVC sight glass with hose clamps waiting to fail. That old setup wouldn’t be allowed today anyway – bottom penetrations are a no-go. All our connections now come from the top.

A Hatch Positioned to Move Air

The forward cabin was a problem. Leaks from toe rails, stanchion sockets, and the old hatch made it unpleasant. Worse, it had no airflow.

We cut a new side hatch – but positioning it was a battle. Too far forward and it catches waves while sailing. Too far aft and it misses the breeze at anchor. We also had to work around the front box beam for the mast (structural, so no cutting there).

The final position uses the boat’s wedge-shaped hulls to create high pressure at the front of the wing deck when at anchor. That pressure pushes air straight through the hatch. Passive cooling. No fan required.

Saloon Seating: Form vs. Function

The original corner seat was chamfered – looked sleek, felt awkward. You couldn’t actually lean back into it. We ripped it out and rebuilt to a hard 90-degree angle, making the seat wider and longer.

The new seat is carbon laminate with a 600gsm skin (300g double bias + 300g 0/90). It’s crunchy, stiff, and under half the weight of the original plywood – despite being physically larger.

Oliver’s been clear-coating and sanding the carbon ceiling panel in his room. He wants the raw carbon finish visible. Can’t blame him.

Harrison’s Workbench & Recycled Race Boat Parts

Harry’s cabin features lockers from Ericsson 4 (ex-Volvo Ocean Race). He’s building a workbench (sorry, he corrected me – it’s a workbench, not a desk) using recycled carbon panels from the Alinghi 5 America’s Cup boat. The one that got smashed up by a digger with a hydraulic jaw. He still has PTSD about that.

Under the workbench goes an escape hatch. If the boat ever flips, that hatch is how we get out. The workbench top will be removable – we’re not trapping anyone in a capsize situation.

Water Tanks & Safety

Old stainless water tanks are out. Twin plastic tanks are going in. Why two?

Redundancy: If one tank fails or gets contaminated, we have backup water.
No bottom penetrations: All fittings come from the top. No illegal sight glasses.
Gravity-fed separation: The connection between tanks is high up, so a leak in one won’t drain the other.

Of course, nothing sits flat. The wing deck slopes, so we built custom shelves with dog bone tie-downs and webbing straps. Every tank gets secured properly. Every shelf gets tailored hard points.

In the Library

More on the diesel tanks in this article see our post on Hand Lamination vs. Vacuum Infusion where we cover the replacement of the fuel tank shelf and why it was necessary to do this.

Follow the rest of Paikea’s interior transformation on the Paikea’s Refit page, or explore more composite technique breakdowns on the Boat Building & Composites Hub.