Urgent advice needed, I have a leak!

M

mikecontessa26

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 Jul 2008
Messages
248
Visit site
Don't panic it's just a trickle but i've just been lifted back in and I'm on the yards pontoon. I've just noticed a small trickle from an old depth sounded through the hulk (why didn't I remove it). The yards is lifting me back out at 3pm so I can fix it. I'm wondering what the quickest and best way of sealing it for good would be? My idea is to grind away the through hull from inside then fiberglass over the very small 10mm hole. Leave it over night and drop it back in tomorrow. Or I could sikaflex a bolt and washer in? What would you recommend? Oh the shame of having to come back out again :-(
 
Sorry to hear this Mike!

If you're desperate to go back in tomorrow I would forget about glassing it up, you'll need it fully clean and dry and warm to do that job properly.

You can do a sealant and bolt job as it isn't really any different to the through hull that's in there now.

If you go down the glass route use epoxy resin as it bonds to polyester resin more successfully. I'd thicken it with a structural adhesive, resin on it's own is quite brittle.

Make sure the hole has a rough surface to it so you get a good mechanical bond!

All this info you'll find in the West System tutorials online.

Good luck!

Guy.
 
bolt and sika would probably do the job but it's a bodge.

another alternative is underwater epoxy putty which I can't remember where I've seen...

if you have arranged to come out, you may as well make a propper job of it and glass it up.

grind a wide crater (at least 50mm radius) round the hole, and laminate back up with epoxy and CSM discs, which will need to taper in size to get a flat ish result on the inside. there is some debate as to which way round you stack them (bigest or smallest first) but I don't think it can make that much difference. Put a bit of tape over the hole (outside) before you start laminating.
 
Please avoid the use of CSM (Chopped Strand Mat) with epoxy resins. The binder used in CSM will not dissolve it's designed for poly resins. Also note, because of the large voids in CSM you have at best twice as much epoxy resin as needed, this not only makes the repair more brittle but also more expensive. Use cloth designed for use with epoxy resins and aim for a ratio of one to one resin to cloth by weight.

Hope this helps.

Avagoodweekend......
 
As one who in the past glassed over a leaking 'p' bracket bolt (we did hit a bar rather hard) whilst afloat and made a success of it I'd say nut @ bolt through hole over mastic/washer, then glass over inside. Quick and easy job.

My leak - for those interested - water continually trickling in, slapped glass and polyester resin over the offending bit having dried as much as possible with old rags, naturally water still trickling out under it, and as resin started to gell forced it down by hand with plastic bag over hand until trickle stopped and held pressure a little longer until glass semi hard. Mopped up, re-glassed over the top. Well.......it worked !

You'd be surprised what necessity can achieve if pushed into a corner.
 
Glasses it with a nice 50mm disc, ground out with an angle grinder. The hold passed through 6" of solid fiberglass so I filled from the inside after with thickened epoxy then another sheet of glass on the inside. Job done, I'll sand and antifoul tomorrow morning and try floating her again.

Cheers everyone, not just for this rely but all the help on the way here.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top