Calling Boba

Grant said:
I think now that he is back in better health he has had the time to finish off and also send out parts that were finished and awaiting despatch.
The quality of his work is never in question.
Here's wishing him a long run of good health!

I don?t think there has ever been a question of quality.  It?s insanely good.
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Wishing him also all the best! My full set of 1000 SFC parts has meanwhile dropped in some months ago, haven't found the time to mount them yet. Quality is really great, very light! Will make a comparison once I have everything ready.

The only part that is now missing is my tank I gave to him roughly 5 years or so ago. He wanted to use it for making a drilling-tool for the filler necks. Hope now he is better he finds some time to get this tool done and send it back to me, as I want to prepare 3 sets, one being the dark green one she currently has on, one an original red one (like she came from the factory) and the carbon one. Still a bit undecided if I should use golden letters or silver ones (silver was used on the 1000 SFC classics that were painted black; and maybe that was for good reason, as golden letters could be just a bit over the top...?).

So - again, all the best to Boba's health!! hope you fully recover and are not facing serious health issues anymore, mate!! You had more than enough for one life...  ::)
 
I love his work, he is a master craftsman. The attention to detail is to be rewarded. Bloody nice bloke too. Thankfully he is on our side, imagine if the Ducati guys got hold of him.  :o
 
Had a message from Boba couple weeks back saying he is going into isolation due to is recent health condition & attendant risk from coronavirus which is understandable & is likely to adversely affect completion & shipping of back orders. Shame just as he was getting back on his feet again.
Stay safe Boba
 
Update on my carbon tank from Boba. After the long wait for my tank & being initially impressed, it developed pin hole leaks so I contacted him & carried out several epoxy repairs as he advised. Then it started leaking in other places so not happy riding a ticking time bomb ! I returned it for repair. After another long wait & various explanations for the delay I eventually got it back.
But it developed more leaks in other places like it had been lacquered before leak testing originally & the petrol was breaking it down where pinholes had formed during manufacture. Boba then promised to send me a new tank which he said a while back has been made & will be posted in a few days time...... I am still waiting for a serviceable tank 3 yrs after initially receiving it ( after a long wait in the first place). Boba has not replied for sometime so I am wondering if his health has deteriorated again or if he has retired. I am reluctant to try using an internal tank sealer as I can't control the coverage & thickness, also excess sealant would not drain out of the filler aperture due to the neck extending down into the tank, which only leaves the fuel tap holes to drain excess sealant. I could perhaps try stripping the lacquer off the tank then coating the outside with epoxy & refinishing but i'm not confident in achieving a good result. Has anyone else encountered & solved this problem ? Sensible suggestions welcome.
 
Sorry to hear this tale of woe. No idea what the state of play with Boba is at the present time. However, despite the inevitable howl of dissent from some here, it is possible to successfully coat the tank internally. I used Tank Cure on my replica spaceframe GRP tank so that it could run with current ethanol pump fuel. Tank Cure is now more readily available in the UK than previously, but do make sure you buy fresh stock - it is date stamped (or mine was!) and has a 12 month shelf life.

It is vital to properly clean the tank before coating. I used a quick rinse of acetone to key the surface of my new tank which otherwise was too smooth for the epoxy to stick to. Older / used tanks may not have that problem. Tank Cure do provide a cleaner which I didn't use because my tank was new and unused but you should. I didn't use the rust remover for obvious reasons - it's etching property being done by the acetone.

The epoxy is quite thick when mixed (do this thoroughly - this is very important when using 2 part epoxy) and again application temperature is critical to getting a good result - min 20C, so an ideal summer job! Any colder and you'll struggle to get an even coating applied by rotating the tank in every direction for 30 mins. The excess will drain out through the petrol tap holes as I found out before using acetone to key the surface. But in principle you use sufficient product to fully coat the tank so shouldn't need to drain any excess...just keep rotating the tank.

The final piece of the jigsaw is to try and keep the tank at or above 20C for 7 days to fully cure. Being anal, and not wanting to repeat the exercise if the coating failed, I rigged up an old PC fan to provide airflow through the tank to assist with the curing process.

Good luck
 
Rob said:
Sorry to hear this tale of woe. No idea what the state of play with Boba is at the present time. However, despite the inevitable howl of dissent from some here, it is possible to successfully coat the tank internally. I used Tank Cure on my replica spaceframe GRP tank so that it could run with current ethanol pump fuel. Tank Cure is now more readily available in the UK than previously, but do make sure you buy fresh stock - it is date stamped (or mine was!) and has a 12 month shelf life.

It is vital to properly clean the tank before coating. I used a quick rinse of acetone to key the surface of my new tank which otherwise was too smooth for the epoxy to stick to. Older / used tanks may not have that problem. Tank Cure do provide a cleaner which I didn't use because my tank was new and unused but you should. I didn't use the rust remover for obvious reasons - it's etching property being done by the acetone.

The epoxy is quite thick when mixed (do this thoroughly - this is very important when using 2 part epoxy) and again application temperature is critical to getting a good result - min 20C, so an ideal summer job! Any colder and you'll struggle to get an even coating applied by rotating the tank in every direction for 30 mins. The excess will drain out through the petrol tap holes as I found out before using acetone to key the surface. But in principle you use sufficient product to fully coat the tank so shouldn't need to drain any excess...just keep rotating the tank.

The final piece of the jigsaw is to try and keep the tank at or above 20C for 7 days to fully cure. Being anal, and not wanting to repeat the exercise if the coating failed, I rigged up an old PC fan to provide airflow through the tank to assist with the curing process.

Good luck
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Thanks for the advice & info Rob, much appreciated. I think I will probably have to go this route if I want a useable tank.

Cheers Pete
 
I'm surprised to hear that as Boba's work is usually top notch. If using a liner I'd recommend an epoxy based product as Rob suggested, Tank Cure or Casswells. Follow the instructions.
 
motoddrob said:
Don't know what slosh is but if it ain't epoxy based I wouldnt go anywhere near it.
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Sad tale.

Perhaps the old cement mixer trick and a couple of litres of firbreglass resin chucked in, before hitting the go button, would do the job?

Mind you, I am talking out my arse, because I don’t know if it would work, but motoddrob would know more than me, he has played with carbon before.
 
Just to clarify ... Slosh is marketed by a company called Rustbuster , and is not epoxy based ....... It is claimed to be resistant up to E85 ( corn based ) ....
...... Ethanol resistant mind you , not necessarily Ethanol proof .......You would have to decide for yourself if it was suitable for any particular application ..... For example , possible flaking of the sealant after a period of time , which could cause blockage or damage to carburetor or injector components ......

Is there also the possibility that most forms of epoxy , and carbon fibre come to that , may perhaps succumb to the effects of Ethanol over a period of time ? ....... I stand to be corrected if this is not the case ........ just pondering possibilities ........

I would also guess any epoxy sealant would rely on the hardening element of the mix being effective to prevent the possibility of flaking , or breakdown due to Ethanol content in the fuel ..... I have heard that the hardening process depends on a certain amount of heat needing to be applied to ensure the mix has properly cured ........ but then I could be wrong on that as well ..... again , just wondering ..........

The ideal solution of course , would be to have a tank which doesn`t leak in the first place ......
 
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I have an early 1200 carbon tank from Boba. It started to leak along a seam at about two years of age. Talked to Boba at the time, he recommended the Caswell sealer kit https://www.caswellcanada.ca/epoxy-gas-tank-sealer.html

the 1/2 pint kit is not enough, the full pint kit is way too much. I bought the pint kit. To prepare the tank I drained it, threw in a couple of hand fulls of drywall screws, added acetone, and vigorously agitated and rotated the tank. Drained it, fished all the screws out, and let it dry. Then used about
maybe 2/3's of the pint kit, mixed it, and kept rotating the tank to fully coat everything. I was surprised by how hot the tank got. Before leaving the tank to dry for a few days to set, I put wooden dowels in the fuel tap outlets to keep them open, and then parked the tank in front of the garage furnace fan.

that was several years ago, tank has been fine since.
 
As the tanks are epoxy, West System is the epoxy Boba uses and the same I used on all the carbon tanks and panels that I've made it's a no brainer to use an epoxy base liner. Epoxy is also ethanol proof, have had fuel in my tank for nearly 10 years without effects, but then again my fuel doesnt have ethanol. Boba did an experiment leaving epoxy carbon in a jar of ethanol for a year or so without detrimental results.
No liner is the best option.
If I had a leak on a seam I'd just use west system epoxy internally running it along the seam positioning the tank so it stays where you need it.
Is how I fixed the tank base into the shell. If it's leaking through the carbon then Caswells is what I'd recommend.
 
Reading all this does make me wonder if carbon fibre is worth all the hassle when applied to fuel tanks ......... panels , guards , and huggers and so on are all well and good , and may save some weight ( although I feel any weight advantage gained could easily be negated by eating too many chips and chocolate bars one evening ... ) ..... and they are nice things to have ......... but ......

As I understand it ( and again I could have this wrong ) , some form of epoxy is a constituent part in the manufacture of carbon fibre ....... would that epoxy be Ethanol proofed when applied to the manufacture of the carbon fibre ? ........ If it is possible for fuel to leak through the carbon itself , rather than through a poorly bonded seam , would that be due to the epoxy used in it`s manufacture not being Ethanol proof in the first place ? .....

I`m going on about Ethanol a lot here , but modern fuel is a cocktail of all sorts of chemicals and additives , not just Ethanol ..... could any of those also have a detrimental effect on carbon fibre , or the bonded seams of carbon fibre tanks ... ? .....

When I used the Slosh sealant ( procedure , by the way ......... Clean out tank using the Tank Kleen supplied , wearing protective everything , so they advise ..... didn`t worry too much about that as the incontinent Chinese tank was virtually brand new anyway ........ let it dry over a couple of days out in the sun ....... Pour in some Slosh ....... Shake tank / run on the spot with tank in your hands for ten minutes at a time ....... stop ...... then repeat ...... again ....... Leave to cure out in the sun for another 7 - 8 days ......... ) ........

........... You may get the impression I wasn`t too worried about the outcome ( Cheap Chinese rubbish , if it works , which it did .... great ....... If it doesn`t work .... who cares ? ...) ..... However , if it`s an expensive custom made tank you`re talking about , then I appreciate that`s a different thing altogether .......

If it were me , rather than try to put right something that should have been right in the first place , I would either press for a refund , or failing that , hide the thing in the back of the shed and try to forget all about it .......
 
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rocketonarail said:
If it were me , rather than try to put right something that should have been right in the first place , I would either press for a refund , or failing that , hide the thing in the back of the shed and try to forget all about it .......
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your living in a fantasy world if you believe you will get a refund from that rip off arsehole Boba
he is into me for $1,000's and refuses to answer emails and I know of at least 1/2 dozen other owners that have paid up front for goods and never received a single piece
and eventually their email replies dried up as well
 
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