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

[DianeFlr at aol.com]

think I figured it out....  water dripping from stuffing box....   crack is 
just superficial; but on the "route" to the bildge.
 
have marine handyman coming tomorrow at 11 am.  should just need a  quick 
turn or two to fix stuffing box??
 
thanks for all who replied, as usual!  I value your opinions!
 
PS.  My org. 2003 lightly used Catalina mainsail is still for  sale!  Full 
battens, 1 reefing point, Dutchman system.   Just  $700 + shipping.   
Anybody need this?    BRAND NEW  =   $1950 !
 
Windy City, # 948  (main sail removed from boat 2013. Just got a fresh  new 
one with loose foot for racing)
 
Captain Diane Fowler,
CRS, GRI, e-PRO
Sellstate  Priority Realty network

Cell: 239-850-4935

www.CapeCoralhomes.com  

 
In a message dated 11/28/2015 2:39:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
Catalina at thehares.com writes:

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