[C320-list] FW: New problem......

[Jeff Hare]

Diane, your hull doesn't have a liner and you didn't say specifically where
the crack is.

Whatever you do, I'd suggest you don't use silicone ...ever... on fiberglass
or gelcoat.  It permeates the pores of this material and will prevent you
from using epoxy or other proper bonding agent in the future without
grinding out the material where the silicone touched, plus a little to get
to uncontaminated material.

The proper solution here is probably to use epoxy to stop the leak. If
you're sure it's not a structural problem, this is likely what I'd be doing
on my boat.  

I'd take a dremel with a sanding/grinding disk and grind away the white
bilge flowcoat along the length of this crack to get to the fiberglass. Then
vacuum and wash this area.  Wipe it with a little acetone.  Take lots of
close-up pictures and be sure they're sharp and focused for reference.  

Then I'd use a little J-B WaterWeld epoxy putty and put a very thin ribbon
of this over the crack and press it into crack, lay a 1-1/2" wide strip of
fiberglass roving over the top, press that onto the J-B weld and let it
cure.  This should put a halt to the leaking.  Then I'd mix up a little
batch of epoxy resin and pour it over the fiberglass mat you covered the J-B
Weld with.  Make sure the fiberglass mat is well saturated with epoxy.  Let
that cure for a full 24hrs.  If you're a purest, you might give the surface
a quick sanding to smooth off the new fiberglass.   Buy a quart of White
BilgeCoat and give the bilge a quick paint.  That's really easy and makes
everything look brand new.

Then when the boat is hauled, I'd strip the bottom paint in the area where
the leak is and look for the exterior part of the crack and assess how much
of a repair that may need.   Obviously if it's leaking inside, there's a
crack outside.  My guess is that the seam where the hull and keel meet has
opened a little bit.  Perhaps because of improperly torqued keel boats,
improper blocking on stands or maybe too little keel support during trucking
(if the boat had been trucked long distance).

I'm guessing there however.

-Jeff Hare
#809
Woodbine II
Newburyport, MA 

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf
Of DianeFlr at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2015 7:29 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] FW: New problem......

checked out those possibilities already.
 
nearest thru hull is the mascerator & it is dry around that.
 
I can SEE the water trickle down from crack
 
we own hull #948, year is 2003. We owned her since 2011 & it just began
leaking since her haul out in June 2015 to get a new bottom job.
 
I went to the yard daily to check on things & never saw any  trouble.  She
has NEVER had a hard grounding or accident of any kind.
 
strange mystery.......  will have my diver examine when he arrives  next
Thursday.
 
thanks for writing.  I appreciate your time and thought.
 
Captain Diane Fowler,
CRS, GRI, e-PRO
Sellstate  Priority Realty network

Cell: 239-850-4935

www.CapeCoralhomes.com  

 
In a message dated 11/27/2015 11:07:49 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
rsulewski at bex.net writes:



Diane, 

It strikes me that it would take a large  amount of water to push up through
the bilge liner for a small crack to  begin weeping inside my vintage 320
because there is a hull liner above the  actual hull. Therefore, more
Information would be helpful; like your hull  year & number, the precise
location in the bilge area relative to  section of the boat: under engine,
pump area, keel, or forward of the mast,  etc.. The reason I inquire is
because when a hull settles after it  on  the hard, it can develop hairline
stress cracks in the engine bilge pan  area and hairline cracks may also be
visible when inspecting a hull while  it is resting on its pads. Given the
thickness of the hull, water seepage  is not likely thru minor stress cracks
in the hull unless there was major  damage from a severe blow to the hull
from an underwater strike or a hull  dropped on its cradle, etc. More likely
there is a breach in the sealant  around a thru-hull or even an instrument
installed under the waterline.  Also, depending how the hull was placed in
the slings when it was hauled  out and then blocked, or placed in its
cradle, minor hairline cracks or  fissures can develop in the gel coat over
time as the hull flexes, but  water seepage needs to be run down if there is
a breach in the hull because  overtime water can damage the hull laminate if
was allowed to work on the  hull laminates & hull resins over time. 



On my hull with  multiple shallow bilge sections, I would first determine if
the seepage is  traveling from another bilge compartment or  is the  seepage
actually  originating from under the bilge/pan liner. Water  could be
traveling from under the pan/liner from a variety of source points including
leaking fixed port lights on the hull or even from a fresh water  hose or
sea cooling system hose, the hot water tank hoses or that tank, or  from the
fresh water tanks, etc. that may not be observed without checking  to learn
how much water is under the bilge liner and then track down its  source. A
simple solution is to seal the crack in the bilge after tracking  down the
source of the seepage and could involve a generous amount of  sealant like
caulk or better yet, an epoxy or resin paste that could still  crack again
when the hull is stressed/flexed during the normal course of a  haul-out and
storage. 

Rick

My-Ria, 95' 320, Hull  #277



From: C320-list  [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf
Of  Diane
Sent: Friday, November 27, 2015 9:15 AM
To:  C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] New  problem......



I just discovered a tiny crack.    In  my bilge.    Just seeping thru & my
boat maintenance man has  no idea what to do.  Thru hull for master at pump
is dry- no seepage  from holding tank...  Can we just silicone caulk this?
Diver comes  monthly & has not noticed crack.... She was hauled last June
and bottom  was perfect!!



Any ideas out there?????



Captain  Diane Fowler, Sellstate Realty,  cell. 239-850-4935.    Sent  from 
 my
iPhone