Cutting out underfloor fuel tank

[pundy14]

Yea mate..even after pulling my floor up, changing the hoses and double clamping them all and with the vent being on the outside of the hull there is still a detectable fuel smell down low in the cabin coming from a small drainage opening that runs under the adjacent fuel compartment....I think its one of those mysteries of life that wherever you have an expanding and contracting fuel compartment in a confined space you will have some degree of detectable vapours...

Sounds like its almost time for you to get out on the water and go fishing mate..

This is the same advice both the boat builder and mechanic said. I guess I just wanted to know the boat was safe before I used it too much and put others at risk. I couldn't begin to tell you the money and effort I've put into this thing and I reckon I've fished out of it 5 times.

Getting some stainless quotes now and then looking forward to having a crack at some Ting and Squid in Western Port or even some flatties/bream in gipsland lakes

[tunaticer]

So the only way to work on it is with breathing apparatus, you certainly wouldn't put your head down there without it.

Exactly the same as if you were to use bottled CO2 or argon or any of the welding shielding gases....they all displace the oxygen leaving it flame proof.
The only difference is you have used cheap household chemicals to create the gas....end result is the same.once you have done the co2 generation then displaced nearly all of the co2 with water you can blow the cockpit area with a fan so you can cut the floor, knowing full well there is zero oxygen under floor to combust.

Nothing at all can combust without oxygen...even gun powder needs some to start the reaction, then it creates it's own oxygen as it burns.