Leaking

[Tom Buka]

leaf blower sounds like the last lost hope

This is the first time I have heard of the leaf blower idea. I have been re beading my fittings, lost track of my work hours, and still getting moisture inside the boat. I feel so encouraged with this new hope, promise and dry future. It worked using soapy water to find my bicycle tier leaks. Thanks so much sharing good information. Thanks Tom Fjord 33

 

[Phil]

Answer missing

I don't see my answer which is to spend all kinds of time and effort trying to find a leak without any sucess.

 

[Mark Wieber]

How to find the leak

The mast boot, Life rail and pulpit supports, Chain plate covers, hand rails, and basically anything that either is attached to the fiberglass with bolts or screws. These are your primary suspects and will need to be resealed every few years on a well used boat.There are liquid leak tracers available at West Marine that will find their way into small leaks and seal them. Foot powder spray leaves a powdery residue on fiberglass or wood that will show small tracks of water and help trace mystery leaks. Our Catalina 36 had a leak from the anchor locker, into the v-berth, that went along the wiring harness for the bow running light. The chain plates leaked and we were amayzed to find how easy it was to re-seal them (just two philips head screws each, pull the cover plates up, clean and apply silicon sealer). The mast leaked at the cabin top, but the boot seemed perfect. A garden hose revealed the sail track needed a dollop of sealer right at the boot. I never thought of the leaf blower, but that is a great ideaThere are smokers and dye testers commonly use by automoblie mechanics, but sailors usually don't have to go to those extremes. A little detective work, a garden hose and some foot powder will normally get you there. Next one I can't find I am going for the leaf blowerMark Wieber

 

[Tony]

How to request

I too have leaking old Beckson ports on my 93 Hunter 29.5 that'll have to go. How do I get the old ones off?

 

[niels nielsen]

windswept marine services

Try cleaning port gaskets if the leak is from port seal, if leak is from portal frame, remove port and rebed with 3M 101 type caulk

 

[rjay]

such be life on the Water

Water,Water; every way I see;`Tis the reason,I do carry...a BILDGE-PUMP,all the Ways mit ME !!

 

[LES CEVOLA]

MAST LEAKING

HUNTER 37 CUTTER MAST LEAKING WATER THROUGH SAIL TRACK / WIRE CHANNEL. WATER RUNS DOWN THE SIDES OF THE CHANNEL INTO THE CABIN. VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP BECAUSE EVERY CRACK / SPACE MUST BE SEALED.

 

[ex-admin]

Final results

Final results for the Quick Quiz ending April 23, 2006:I deal with leaks on my boat by:45% Removing hardware and rebedding it28% My boat doesn't leak17% Caulking around the area that may be leaking10% Assuming they are part of boating and ignoring them

 

[Joe11688]

I learned about leaks the hard way

I read in one of my many boating books that any kind of cleanser with Oxalic acid will clean fiberglass stains like other boat pastes and gels. Zud Cleanser for instance, is one of these products that can be found in a grocery store. What they don't tell you is, that the Oxalic acid will eat away the caulking under the gunwale moldings and eventually cause leaks. I had this problem on my 1986 O'Day 222, Trinkka. If you need to use this type of cleaner, I wouldn't advise using it on the top deck for this reason. Another problem that can arise on the O'Days, is the hatch leaking. For some reason, the hatch knobs and adjusters get bound up and won't work. If you've experienced this problem, don't throw your hatch away and get a new one. The knobs on these hatches can be slid off the little metal inserts on the bolts, and the adjusters can be taken completely out of the plastic by using a small hammer and drift pin tool. In fact, that whole hatch lid can be taken off with an allen wrench and pin removing tool. WD40 will get them free again. Keep them lubricated and you won't have a problem with stuck knobs.