.......I have an O'day Widgeon that leaks into the inside of the seating/inner deck shell. Each time I sail there is water that drains from inside (not the cockpit drain) of the boat. Does the cboard usually leak along the seam at the lower edge of the cboard shell that extends into the lower part of the seating area. Or does the seal around the cboard pivot pin need to be replaced, and if so, where does one find the seals???????????? Help............ Thanks very much. Robert Moser Hyco Lake Leasburg, NC 27291 336-598-5601
- Status
Leaking CB Trunk
Do you have a trailer for this boat? If so, try to get it off the trailer at least part of the way so that you can visually look at the centerboard slot for cracks. If you lighten the boat up, a few people could get it off the trailer far enough to look under it. Just put something under the stern to support it. I used to rope off the stern of my powerboat to something solid, and pull the trailer out from under the boat and set it down on some old tires, years ago. I had a roller trailer back then and that made it easier to do. When I loaded it back on, I'd connect the winch to the bow eye and winch the trailer under the boat without the towing vehicle. Where this boat is so light though, I think that a few people could man handle it into position and even be able to tip it upside down if you discover that it needs some fiberglass repair work. It's quite possible that it could be a seal and the only guy that would know is Rudy Nickerson of D & R Marine in Assonet Ma. Rudy has the molds and is still building the Widgeons. So, you may want to give him a call first. You can reach him at (508) 644-3001. He has all the parts for the O'Day sailboats and he's very knowledgeable about these boats having worked for O'Day years back. Good Luck! Joe
Do you have a trailer for this boat? If so, try to get it off the trailer at least part of the way so that you can visually look at the centerboard slot for cracks. If you lighten the boat up, a few people could get it off the trailer far enough to look under it. Just put something under the stern to support it. I used to rope off the stern of my powerboat to something solid, and pull the trailer out from under the boat and set it down on some old tires, years ago. I had a roller trailer back then and that made it easier to do. When I loaded it back on, I'd connect the winch to the bow eye and winch the trailer under the boat without the towing vehicle. Where this boat is so light though, I think that a few people could man handle it into position and even be able to tip it upside down if you discover that it needs some fiberglass repair work. It's quite possible that it could be a seal and the only guy that would know is Rudy Nickerson of D & R Marine in Assonet Ma. Rudy has the molds and is still building the Widgeons. So, you may want to give him a call first. You can reach him at (508) 644-3001. He has all the parts for the O'Day sailboats and he's very knowledgeable about these boats having worked for O'Day years back. Good Luck! Joe
Lealing Widgeon
I just bought an old Widgeon and was disappointed to find it leaking when I first put it in the water. (Purchased "as is") I agree that you should look under the boat, and with special attention to the aft portion of the centerboard slot. Mine had developed quite a hole that had been patched with a small piece of fiberglass (which was flaking off), and then beneath that I found some sort of caulk that slipped right out. The hole that allowed water into the boat itself (seating area) was quite small, and at the port side of the centerboard trunk, almost all the way aft. It had been patched with various materials, which I scraped away, and it looked to me like the centerboard trunk was actually a separate piece of fiberglass which was attached to the rest of the hull in the production process, although I'm not sure about this. I ended up plugging both with a marine sealant called "5200" (made by 3M) and it looks like it's going to hold. We'll see -- relaunching tomorrow
I figure if the 5200 fails, I'll have to take it into the garage, turn it over and really do a proper fiberglass job, but this was a lot quicker for now. One final thought -- I wonder if the hole at the centerboard slot developed as a result of too many beachings/haul-outs without a trailer. Break a leg, Will.
I just bought an old Widgeon and was disappointed to find it leaking when I first put it in the water. (Purchased "as is") I agree that you should look under the boat, and with special attention to the aft portion of the centerboard slot. Mine had developed quite a hole that had been patched with a small piece of fiberglass (which was flaking off), and then beneath that I found some sort of caulk that slipped right out. The hole that allowed water into the boat itself (seating area) was quite small, and at the port side of the centerboard trunk, almost all the way aft. It had been patched with various materials, which I scraped away, and it looked to me like the centerboard trunk was actually a separate piece of fiberglass which was attached to the rest of the hull in the production process, although I'm not sure about this. I ended up plugging both with a marine sealant called "5200" (made by 3M) and it looks like it's going to hold. We'll see -- relaunching tomorrow
I figure if the 5200 fails, I'll have to take it into the garage, turn it over and really do a proper fiberglass job, but this was a lot quicker for now. One final thought -- I wonder if the hole at the centerboard slot developed as a result of too many beachings/haul-outs without a trailer. Break a leg, Will.
Leaky centerboard trunk
The 5200 will get you by for now guys, but you ought to look into doing a fiberglass repair on your boats later. If you can get them turned over to where you can get at the damaged area, you could probably do the repair yourself. Just go down to your local public library and draw out Don Casey's book entitled, "Sailboat Hull & Deck Repair" and learn the proper procedure to get your boat back in shape. Another popular book of his is "This Old Boat." Use a good epoxy resin when you do the repair. Some polyester resins will not stick to boats made from epoxy, but epoxy will stick to anything including Polyester resin hulls. When in doubt, use epoxy. The good thing about patching a hole on the bottom of the hull is that you don't have to use a Gel-coat on it later that requires matching colors. A bottom paint or a marine enamel paint will protect patch from UV rays. Joe
The 5200 will get you by for now guys, but you ought to look into doing a fiberglass repair on your boats later. If you can get them turned over to where you can get at the damaged area, you could probably do the repair yourself. Just go down to your local public library and draw out Don Casey's book entitled, "Sailboat Hull & Deck Repair" and learn the proper procedure to get your boat back in shape. Another popular book of his is "This Old Boat." Use a good epoxy resin when you do the repair. Some polyester resins will not stick to boats made from epoxy, but epoxy will stick to anything including Polyester resin hulls. When in doubt, use epoxy. The good thing about patching a hole on the bottom of the hull is that you don't have to use a Gel-coat on it later that requires matching colors. A bottom paint or a marine enamel paint will protect patch from UV rays. Joe
- Status