Launched at last and she Floats :)

[c_witch]

Well we finally went in this morning. Not without a few exciting moments. One the swing keel got hung up on the rear trailer cross member. Got that sorted and finally floated the boat off the trailer. Couldn't get the motor started so tied on a bow line and pulled it over to the slip. Finally got it started using starting fluid and it seemed to run not to badly. Then after a while I decided to open the bilge access to check on things and low and behold we had way to much water.
Pumped it out and it kept coming back in so now I'm worried that we some how have a leak in the hull like maybe the keel bolts or thru hull.
Off comes the door for the head then the sole comes up and we see no particular issue but says hears water spray under the batteries so up come the batteries and the battery shelf and low and behold two streams of water squirting out of the keel cable tube. Just small mind you but worrisome non the less. 6 turns of duck tape over the holes and then 2 pipe clamps and the issue is solved, hopefully for the season. When she comes out we'll need to install a new cable tube, probably a stainless steel insert inside of the original with a great deal of sealant.

We lost a turnbuckle on the way over for the minor front stay so did not set any sails. We did take it out on the water under power to see how she handled and what speed we might make under various throttle etc.

We had her up to 6.4 knots at about 1/2 throttle on calm water so I am pleased with that. The fishfinder/depthsounder worked nicely, but I forgot the laptop so don't know how OpenCPN running the CM-93 charts with a gps puck antenna would work.

ALL in all a very nice day and tomorrow we will go over again to do some work and I'll be staying on board tomorrow night.

We have a floating rudder problem as well but have already worked out a solution for that using a bungee cord.

I've added a few pictures of our new home and Privateer at her berth as well as a couple of pictures while we motored about Petpeswick Inlet.

Brina

 

[Stu Jackson]

Congratulations.

Suggest you get some rescue tape and some old bicycle tubes, remove the duct tape and use those. Or you could get some underwater epoxy. You'll sleep better...

 

[Merlin Clark]

She looks happier in the water!
Congrats Brina!

 

[sailormanbigd]

I must agree

I would not put much stake in your duct tape leak fix. They make underwater epoxy clay that would work better. Eventually the adhesive on the duct tape will let go and may sink your nice boat.
Motors will forever be your nightmare!

 

[c_witch]

Leak fix.

Hiee all,

The two little leaks in the cable tube were pin hole sized and due to the location below the water line were allowing a fair bit of water in. They were very close together with one nearly above the other. All we had handy was duct tape or electrical tape at the time. So about 6 wraps of duct tape around the pipe location where the the holes are and then two band clamps were applied directly over the holes and tightened. I will take over a piece of aluminum sheet today (think of facia cladding for a house as to thickness) coat the inside with 3M 5200 then wrap it around the duct tape and reapply the band clamps. The tube seemed sound ie via tapping it and sqeezing so we suspect it to be a manufacturing defect ie micro bubbles or something when the tube was made thereby reducing its wall thickness at that point.

I estimated the amount of water coming in to be about 1 gallon per hour at most. Our bilge will hold about 30 gallons before the water starts lapping at the underside of the sole.

c_witch

 

[kenn]

Re: Leak fix.

Congratulations on launching.

Can you explain a bit more about where your boat is leaking? Photos?

I share the concern that simply taping this up and going like that for the season will be sufficient. Tape is ok for an emergency, not as a fix. Nor would I just glop something on with 3M 5200. If the tube is fiberglass, the proper fix is to dry it all out, and build up a couple of layers of glass cloth saturated with polyester or epoxy resin. Just sayin'...

 

[c_witch]

Swing keel cable tube

Hiee Ken,

The tube is steel although NOT stainless. It is well bedded in an epoxy cone where it passes thru the hull. The 2 pin holes are up about an inch above the top of the cone or about 4 inches above the inside of the hull.
As to the 3M 5200. I was going to remove the band clamps cover the duct tape in the 5200 then wrap an thin sheet of aluminum around the pipe,tape,5200 and reapply the band clamps to their original position and tighten them down.
The permanent fix will be to insert a new stainless thick wall tube inside of this one and seal it and the original together to prevent water getting in between the two of them. The holes are about 3 inches or so below the water line so not a great deal of pressure.

c_witch