First let me say that your metal fabrication techniques and demonstrated abilities are fantastic, and possibly without peer on this forum.
I still don't get how you managed to make such a great looking stainless steel louvered piece.
I would drive 50 miles just to have the opportunity to find out!
Getting practical experience as an informal apprentice would be over the top.
Too bad there is both the width of a continent an ocean between us.
My brief check on the internet revealed that you are onto something with the vinyl ester base fiberglass tank suggestion, as they do seem to hold up well to the ethanol in today's fuels, whereas polyester resins definitely will not.
My Badsey Bullet prototype's bodywork is constructed exclusively from vinyl ester resins, and I once gave hands on apprentice assistance in constructing a safety cell manufacturer for drag boats, where I was shown to apply the resin with my hands without even using gloves.
I still shudder at the thought that I went along with this some 25 years ago, as it still violates common sense, but it does illustrate the fact that it is relatively friendly stuff, with an easily achievable high level of finish available at relatively low cost.
I can tell you, however, that some 35 years down the road, the Badsey has exhibited considerable creep from the driver's weight reacting on the Badsey Bullet's seat supporting body panels.
So will work better on things like hulls that have weight distributed evenly over a larger area, and are not as visually impacted by the creepage, as it would probably be below the waterline anyway.
For a small tank it should be ideal.
Just don't forget to Post cure.
P.S. for the Badsey, I epoxy/ glass bonded in a moderately large sized and custom contoured plate of wood to a well hidden interior side of the vinyl ester glass panel body work.
I then drilled a pilot hole for a lag bolt that I screwed in length wise into one of the wood panel's edges. The head of the bolt is attached to a hidden flange on the roll bar at just the right angle to counteract the long panel's direction of sag.
Every few months I remember to tighten it up just a cinch, thus slowly reforming the long term imposed deformation over time at a pace that it is willing to accept. It made a good difference from the get go. Certainly impedes further deformation in the unwanted direction, and if I remember to be diligent, and live long enough, should allow for an eventually fairly competent cure😂.
