Fuel Cleaning & Maintenance

Testimonials

Inclusive Adventures story using AJX

AJX Fuel Tank Cleaning System is used on all Inclusive Adventures vessels. The first vessel we attempted to acquire for our America's Great Loop Wheelchair Accessibility Project had been sitting in the water without moving for 5 years with 200 gallons of diesel in a 300 gallon tank. The fuel was dark black on visual inspection. We were able to start the 1995 Caterpillar engines which belched very black smoke and blue a dead muskrat out of one of the exhausts. More than one local suggested it would be easier to cut a hole in the hull, remove the old tank and put in a new tank. We obviously looked for a better solution and found AJX. We figured there was little to lose, reached out to AJX, and upon hearing our story AJX even sent us a free bottle of of each: Diesel Tank Cleaning and Diesel Tank Maintenance.

We treated the tank with a full bottle of AJX Tank Cleaning, essentially a "double dose" since 1 quart will treat up to a 500 gallon tank. We gave it three or four days to do its work. Though the fuel still was darker in color, it started to take on a reddish hue. A huge improvement from dark black. Though AJX feels diesel polishing is frequently not needed, this was an extreme situation. We hooked up a small 12V 10 gal/min $60 fuel transfer pump through 1st a 50 micron metal screen, 2nd a 30 micron filter that should also remove water, and finally a 10 micron filter. The fuel was cycled through each filter element and back into the tank at least two or three times just letting it run slowly over the course of 1-2 days.

The engine started, ran noticeably much much better, the black smoke was significantly reduced if not nearly eliminated, and the boat was launched and operated on a 1 mile circuit on the 5-year-old previously pitch black fuel. On a second trip a pitstop was made at a Marina a few miles away and 100 gallons of fresh diesel was added to the tank, and the boat continued 60 miles down the Tennessee River to be hauled out.

While this was a story of success solving the fuel issue, the story is also one of disappointment. Unfortunately on haul out, it was discovered the Skipperliner's Steel Hull had suffered severe galvanic corrosion sitting in a Marina full of fiberglass boats without the anodes having been replaced for years. It can be repaired by welding on a new hull (in case a DIY'er is interested). We obtained a very reasonable to replace the hull from a skilled and experienced steel boat designer who was short on work for $35,000 which would likely balloon to $50,000 after paint. While still a reasonable deal with a great interior, electronic throttles, modern AC/DC electrical system, and Caterpillar twin 350 hp diesels with only 1000 hours on them, and a nearly new generator, we felt it was too risky for our program putting wheelchair users on board.

A great learning experience, we've moved on to a bigger even more appropriate vessel that we can even get wheelchair users into the engine room and have full control at the helm completely hands-free and wireless with only head control, controlling the vessel in the same way they control their power wheelchair. We've even built a custom "inclusive" navigation station and autopilot with AIS that can be controlled with only a mouth joystick or puff of air or wink of an eye based on OpenPlotter, Open CPN, and pyPilot!

AJX is a Inclusive Adventures Sponsor.