Catalina 350 International Association

My Raycor filter clogged last season when my fuel level ran lower than it had in the two seasons I've owned the boat. It's suggested that I clean the tank. How have folks dealt with this? The guy in the yard doesn't think I should cut access holes in the tank- asking for trouble- but I know someone who successfully did that with another boat. Is fuel polishing enough? Add another Raycor? Cut the tank?

I hired a dock side fuel polishing company to polish my contaminated fuel 8 years ago. Be clean ever since. Worth the money.

If you don't have too much fuel in the tank, you could unscrew the tank level sender at the top, and have a look inside.

If you want to do the complete job, you can remove the fuel tank for a complete cleaning and inspection.
It takes about 2 hours working alone. You might need help lifting the tank out into the cockpit.
I drained the tank first from the fuel level port. You can reach to the forward low spot to remove most of the contents. For the final "mop-up" I used absorbent pads mounted on a flexible parts grabber. This gave me access to the compartment for a complete cleaning.
Have fun. Let us know how you make out.

Leigh- what do you mean by the "fuel level port"? Do you mean where the sender is on the top of the tank? And is there an opening in the tank big enough to reach around inside it? Are there any baffles in the tank?

Yes, The fuel sending unit mounting hole was large enough to allow some cleaning of the dirt in the lower (sump) corner of the tank. We have baffles in the tank so I removed the tank from the boat and cleaned it. Was easy to clean and drain outside the boat. This also allowed me to clean the fuel tank compartment and check all the hoses and fittings.
Have fun!!