Engine hoses - emergency repairs

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JimC

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Like most yacht engines mine is very hose-dependent. Hoses in a variety of sizes connect fresh & raw water pumps, block, manifold, calorifier, injection elbow, water trap, skin fittings etc., and that's just the water hoses - then there are those carrying fuel and oil. Having just had a radiator hose fail on the car has concentrated my mind on the vulnerability of the boat with its more complicated systems to a hose failure whilst at sea. Are there any repair tapes one could carry that are up to the job of making a temporary repair? Otherwise I guess you'd have to carry a length of every size used together with plenty of joiners and jubilee clips
 
CaptainBob said:
Amalgamating tape?
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+1 - I have some of that on board, plus plenty of gaffer tape that could perhaps provide a reinforcing outer layer.

However, I do also have various bits of hose (radiator, fuel, and general-purpose PVC) coiled around the outer edge of my "bits of scrap for improvised repairs" locker.

Pete
 
CaptainBob said:
Amalgamating tape?
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I've not tried it but I don't think self-amalgamating tape would work with a hose that was carrying a fluid because the leaking fluid would get between successive layers of tape and prevent them amalgamating. (Delighted to be contradicted by anyone with experience)
 
Normal tape would indeed suffer as you say but amalgamating tape amalgamates surprisingly effectively. Of course it needs to be applied sans fluid and fluid pressure. And an over layer of duct tape might well be a very good idea but it is actually excellent bodge fodder.
 
JimC said:
I've not tried it but I don't think self-amalgamating tape would work with a hose that was carrying a fluid because the leaking fluid would get between successive layers of tape and prevent them amalgamating. (Delighted to be contradicted by anyone with experience)
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I bought my roll of self-amalgamating tape at SIBS where the demo was a pipe with a split that was spraying a considerable amount of water. The guy bound the tape around half a dozen turns and the leak stopped completely.

I was impressed enough to buy a roll.

Richard
 
I was motoring recently on a windless day north of Ardnamurchan when I discovered rather a lot of water in the engine bay. My fears about the boat sinking were allayed by discovering it was hot water, and I soon identified a squirt of water from a split hose. I have raw water cooling, so no concerns about running out of coolant, and I pumped out about 5 buckets of water which had accumulated in the 4 hours the engine had been running. I thought this was a manageable rate of ingress (given I could stop it altogether by turning the engine off) so I continued to my planned overnight anchorage at Eigg. Once there I decided not to do any significant dismantling in case I made matters worse (Eigg is a long way from chandlers, ironmongers or motor factors) and merely wrapped the offending pipe in self-amalgamating tape. I was reasonably happy to discover the next day that the squirt had been reduced to a drip and I needed only to pump out a bucket every two-and-a-half hours, so I continued my cruise to Skye (Loch Scavaig) and then back south again the following day.

I have, of course, now replaced the damaged pipe and bought sufficient length of pipe and extra pipe-clips to allow me to effect a similar repair in the future if necessary (but, naturally, it will be something different the next time). Having thought about it, I could probably have have effected a more substantial repair with what I had on board if it had been forced upon me. One rarely-mentioned advantage of having pipes to seacocks double-clipped is that you have a supply of clips to draw on in an emergency.
 
RichardS said:
I bought my roll of self-amalgamating tape at SIBS where the demo was a pipe with a split that was spraying a considerable amount of water. The guy bound the tape around half a dozen turns and the leak stopped completely.

I was impressed enough to buy a roll.



Richard
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I think I bought the same stuff. It works!:encouragement:
 
alan_d said:
One rarely-mentioned advantage of having pipes to seacocks double-clipped is that you have a supply of clips to draw on in an emergency.
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Heh - never thought of that. I prefer to rely on the jangling heap of various hose clips threaded onto a loop of cord in the aforementioned bits box - but if I'm ever on an under-equipped charter boat / mate's new purchase / etc I will remember your suggestion :)

Pete
 
I got some self amalgamating tape from SaltyJohn for my aerial connection and have found it useful in a lot of applications. I have used it to bodge connections in hoses where the bodge has been so good it has stayed. It seems to form into a homogenous substance once wrapped over itself.
 
+1 for self amalgamating tape repairs for water leaks. The old fashioned type (not the SIBS variety) seems to become a sticky gooey material around diesel.
 
Remember if the leak is in the primary circuit, the fresh water side, run with radiator pressure cap slackened so as the system is not under pressure. This will give any bodge repair a better chance.

It will make little difference to the engines operation except it may need topping up every couple of hours. There are exceptions to this so check every few minutes to begin with.
 
+1 For Rescue Tape. I bought a roll in a Plymouth chandlers, and have used it for two repairs. Stern shower head which had split due to freezing, and Fw system filter, which had also split. both items still ok after 4 years.
I also used it to wrap around the cap shrouds to stop the hammock rope sliding down

Michael
 
What you need is non-adhesive, self-fusing silicone compression tape. You stretch it (typically two to three times its length) as you wrap and it fuses to itself. The resultant joint is capable of withstanding 260C and insulating to 7000 volts per wrap. It's held in place by compression created as you wrap. It's not effected by most fluids within pipes on a boat or car, but you should wipe the pipe before applying.

We sell it as Bandit Tape, but it's available under other names.
 
Salty John said:
What you need is non-adhesive, self-fusing silicone compression tape. You stretch it (typically two to three times its length) as you wrap and it fuses to itself. The resultant joint is capable of withstanding 260C and insulating to 7000 volts per wrap. It's held in place by compression created as you wrap. It's not effected by most fluids within pipes on a boat or car, but you should wipe the pipe before applying.

We sell it as Bandit Tape, but it's available under other names.
Click to expand...

Also available from B&Q under their own brand.

Useful stuff to keep aboard for emergencies
 
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