Tape on a bulkhead - needs repair

[Lbeale]

I am doing some repairs on my boat in preparation of a kayak camping trip this week to Mt. Desert. I think I have a leak in my cockpit somewhere in the bulkhead at the back of my seat.

I need to dry this area out first before I start with the fiberglass repair. However, I noticed that there is a clear tape (about 1 inch width) that outlines the edge of the circumference of the bulkhead and attaches to the boat (deck, hull and sides).

I can't remember ever seeing or using this tape in doing repairs or building my wooden kayak. I removed the loose ends of it and got rid of the sand that got stuck underneath the adhesive, but I am not sure what to do next.

Does anyone know what this tape is and its purpose? Should I replace the tape (if I can determine what it is) instead of doing the fiberglass repair? Should I make sure that the tape is completely removed before I do the fiberglass repair or can I leave some on and just fiberglass over it ?

Any suggestion is greatly appreciated - I am leaving on Thursday so I don't have much time --

I can send a photo if you are not sure what I am referring to --

Les

[Phil Allen]

Les- picture please. Is this on your Force? I had issues with the bulkhead glass edge or flange breaking loose from the hull in my Impex. Cleaned it, dried it out as much as possible and then put more fiberglass tape and epoxy on it to recoonnect the bulkhead to the the inside of the hull.

best

Phil

[leong]

Les,

I used Lexel sealant on my bulkhead and it stopped the leaking. It’s a fast and easy fix, but probably not as good as fiberglass.

http://www.sashco.com/hi/lexel-faqs.html

-Leon

[Lbeale]

Thanks Phil and Leong,

Attached are the photos --

Leong can I use the sealant on the underside of the cockpit coaming?

[leong]

Leong can I use the sealant on the underside of the cockpit coaming?

Yes, I don't see why not. But the sealant is real messy, so be careful.

[EEL]

Les:

I may be in error, but I suspect what you described as tape is a bead or layer of silicone sealant. As I recall, Impex uses it on the side of the bulkhead which is not glassed in. Often hard to get stuff to stick once a silicone sealant has been applied to a surface, but if you clean it well with alcohol I think Lexel, great stuff, will stick and fix the issue.

Might be a good idea to check where the leak is located first so you can pay attention to that area. I have needed two tries more often than not to fix a bulkhead leak.

Ed Lawson

[Paul Sylvester]

Try filling your dayhatch with water and see where it leaks into the cockpit. Don't know how your boat is put together...Could it be a fiberglass tape set in resin? That is how most bulkheads are done on glass boats. If the bond is not good they won't stand up to the stress and leak over time.

It does look like silicone. Silicone imo would be to keep the joint clean and free of anything that might get wedged in. The glass tape on the other side is key.

[Brian Nystrom]

I agree that this looks like a nicely applied bead of sealant, but boat manufacturers typically do not use silicone; they use Lexel or something similar. If it IS silicone, you won't get anything to stick to what's there and once you peel it off of the fiberglass, you'll need to clean it with a pretty aggressive solvent. Either Dow or 3M sells a cleaner specifically for this, but lacquer thinner will do the trick and it's readily available (not "paint thinner" which is mineral spirits).

That said, peeling the sealant off before you know the source of the leak is a bad idea, since you may be creating problems where none existed. Find the source first, then focus on the repair.

[Lbeale]

Thank you all for your most helpful replies -- the sealant was pealing away and was letting in sand grit -- so I think I need to repair that regardless if it is the cause of the leak -- but I do hear what you all are saying -- I need to find the source of the leak first --

Probably not going to get to that before I leave on Thursday, alas -- so it will just have to wait until I get back.

Whatever is causing the leak is not bad -- I just noticed that my cockpit is wetter after a trip than usual -- it is not the sprayskirt so it has to be something else --

Your informative and timely responses demonstrate to me the merits of this message board - over the years, I have come to appreciate what a treasure of a resource it really is --

Thanks again for your kindness and consideration,

Les

[EEL]

Les:

My $.02

If you are getting water into the cockpit, but not in the hatches; then the leak isn't at one of the bulkheads and that dirty, soft bead of sealant is not the problem.

Things to check:

Are you sure the spraydeck is OK and sealing well?

When you put it on, is it well over the lip of the rim and not "hung up" on the bolt heads which attach the seat? This can cause quite a bit of water to get in, and I know of at least one F3 that had the rim low and close to bolt heads making it hard to seat spraydeck properly.

Are the bolts attaching the seat tight?

Are the bolts attaching the footpegs tight?

(You would be surprised at how much water can get in from these bolts being loose. I found out on a 3 mile crossing once.)

I have no idea how to quickly, easily check cockpit rim for leaks, but someone must.

Ed Lawson

[Phil Allen]

Les,

if you've got access to a vacuum cleaner where you can hook the hose to the outflow (a shop vac makes this easy) put the other end into the spray skirt tunnel and tape it up tight. Spray some soapy water all over the cockpit area, turn the vac on and look for bubbles. Where you see bubbles you've got leaks. Found a leak at the seat hanger bolt that way. Good luck.

Best

Phil