Taking on water

[gyork]

OT, sorta, but I've developed a visible (from the inside only) 1/8 inch diameter leak in the cuddy cabin of my daysailer, that communicates with the centerboard housing. I'm thinking of forcing a glob of marine epoxy or ?3M52_ into the hole via syringe. Who has a better solution?

Gary (not a glassman)

[subaruguru]

OT, sorta, but I've developed a visible (from the inside only) 1/8 inch diameter leak in the cuddy cabin of my daysailer, that communicates with the centerboard housing. I'm thinking of forcing a glob of marine epoxy or ?3M52_ into the hole via syringe. Who has a better solution?

Gary (not a glassman)

A dab of flexible sticky silicone glue might be quicker, and never crack. GOOP will work if it sticks.

[PeterB]

Getting the work area dry is vey important. Since its a hole (enclosed space) , thats a tall order, so any type of fan or vacuum will help. Applying acetone over the area will acelerate H20 evaporation, and clean the work surface too.

I would go with marine epoxy over goop or silicone caulk. Once you have used silicone, no other material will work if applied over that area, and totally removing silicone is difficult. Epoxy can be sanded, painted over, more epoxy added later etc.

[Brian Nystrom]

Getting the work area dry is vey important. Since its a hole (enclosed space) , thats a tall order, so any type of fan or vacuum will help. Applying acetone over the area will acelerate H20 evaporation, and clean the work surface too.

It's also important to remove any salt that may be in the hole. That will require rinsing it very well, then drying it thoroughly. Rinsing with water will remove the salt, then rinsing with alcohol will remove the water and speed drying.

I would go with marine epoxy over goop or silicone caulk. Once you have used silicone, no other material will work if applied over that area, and totally removing silicone is difficult. Epoxy can be sanded, painted over, more epoxy added later etc.

I agree that a sealant is not the best product for this type of repair. Use epoxy.

Although it may sound counterintuitive, using a drill to actually enlarge the hole slightly may be a good idea. It will remove any damaged material that could compromise the epoxy bond and it will reduce any tendency for cracks to form at the point of the hole. It may be easier to get patch material (epoxy) into the larger hole, as well.

[gyork]

Thanks for the advice from all. I'll enlarge the hole, clean, apply some acetone, wait, use an electric hairdryer, and marine epoxy the defect in the dry-docked, freshwater-only boat.

[casousa81]

I would think about adding a thickening agent (wood flour, silica, etc) to your epoxy, as straight epoxy will have too much flow to it to seal properly. A couple layers of 6oz glass wetted over it might also be advised, especially if the crack is from structural stress in the centerboard housing.

[NPSheehan]

You may want to try this stuff. It's available at Home Depot and I'm sure marine stores as well

http://jbweld.net/products/water.php

WATERWELD will plug or seal practically anything that leaks. It will patch holes and cracks, and mend almost anything that is broken. It is excellent for rebuilding or fabricating parts, and as an all-purpose adhesive for metals, wood, fiberglass, masonry, ceramics, PVC and ABS. Permanently repair holes, gouges, cuts ... even seals rot in fiberglass and wood. Cures under water.

[gyork]

I would think about adding.....wood flour...

Chris, is this different from sawdust?

[casousa81]

Chris, is this different from sawdust?

Its pretty much a very fine sawdust. When I built my kayak I bought it in bulk amounts because I simply didn't have that much sawdust kicking around the shop. Mix up your epoxy, then add in enough to make a peanut-butter consistency (which is what it will look like too). Creates a very hard bond, but is also very difficult to sand down, so careful with how much you use.

[PeterB]

Its pretty much a very fine sawdust. When I built my kayak I bought it in bulk amounts because I simply didn't have that much sawdust kicking around the shop. Mix up your epoxy, then add in enough to make a peanut-butter consistency (which is what it will look like too). Creates a very hard bond, but is also very difficult to sand down, so careful with how much you use.

a standard resin thickener is fumed silica (you can get a small can of it at West mMarine) : Cabosil, or Aerosil (brand names). Its very important to use a respirator with a dust mist prefilter while using ths product.