Quicky fix

sailaway78

sailaway78

.
May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
It's been raining off an don here for days and days. Went out to check stuff on the boat yesterday, while there was a break in the rain. OOOPS Water drips coming from a port. Forecast was for more rain late in the day, and more for the next couple of days. Needed a down and dirty, quick temporary fix, until I had some time and decent weather. Went to the only place close, which is Lowes. Walk in and there on an end cap of an isle is some of that Flex Seal stuff that you see advertised on TV, that you can't even buy in a store. Clear in color. 13 bucks for a spray can of this stuff. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Short ending. Sprayed this stuff around the port. It isn't really clear, but close. Last night it rained a lot, and hard. Just had a look. Not a drop getting into the boat. May keep a can of that stuff handy from now on.
 
centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
I had a cabin port/window start dripping a little while we were in a storm once, and used duct tape over it until the weather broke enough to get it sealed properly.

I used the spray stuff on a powerboat windshield once, and it worked good for awhile, but it seems to harden over a few weeks and then the differences in expansion/contraction of the glass, aluminum frame and the fiberglass, caused it to crack/separate at the joints, and so it would still leak just as much as before... for an emergency repair, the stuff may be ok, but it really cannot be used as advertised for any length of time.
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
I agree totally. Don't expect it to last long. But for a temporary quick fix it works. Duct tape was my back up plan. Soon as Christmas is over, and the weather gives me a couple of dry days, I will remove the port and fix the damn thing right.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,930
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I keep a pot of plumber's putty in my on-board tool kit.
 
RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,732
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
but if you leave duct tape on there for over a month it will leave glue residue that's very hard to remove. it's a great short term fix, but can also be a long term nightmare.
 
Charlie98117

Charlie98117

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Jul 1, 2014
262
Hunter 34 Seattle
RussC said:
but if you leave duct tape on there for over a month it will leave glue residue that's very hard to remove. it's a great short term fix, but can also be a long term nightmare.
Click to expand
I used duct tape to seal with visqueen when I rebuilt my portlites and got nasty residue after only a couple days.

I've come to really like butyl tape. I think you could work it into a string or rope to shove into whatever joint you suspect might be leaking, kinda like the plumbers putty suggestion.
 
rgranger

rgranger

.
Jan 19, 2010
12,930
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Charlie98117 said:
...I've come to really like butyl tape...
Click to expand
I have heard a lot of good things about Butyl tape. I have only used it once with good results. The first time I went with plumber's putty was when I was redoing my ports on an old MacGregor 22 I was fixing up... and when I took off the old ports... they appeared to be sealed with plumber's putty. I figured if that lasted 40 years... I might as well try that again... it worked very well so I started using plumber's putty to fix all sorts of minor leaks. It makes a quick (3 a.m.) fix when you just want to get back to sleep... mash a ball over the drip and go back to sleep... fix it right in the morning.
 
Mikem

Mikem

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Dec 20, 2009
823
Hunter 466 Bremerton
Capt Tolleys Creeping Crack Cure. Two leaking ports on our 1981 Cat-25. Several applications and it remains bone dry in the rainy PNW.
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
I think I will give the butyl tape a try when I do a real fix on this port.
 
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

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Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
If you use tape, use presentation tape. Its not cheap but it leaves little to no residue
 
nightowle

nightowle

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Aug 28, 2006
579
Bavaria 35E seattle
another option that works well if you don't want to fuss with butyl tape right away is toilet mounting wax. Just cut up a piece of the wax ring and roll between your palms into a 'snake' and pop it into the leaking area. Works well and it's easy to remove when required.
 
RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,732
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
I used a ton of 3M butyl tape when I was still building street rods. it stays soft, sticks very well, and allows tremendous movement of parts without leaking.
http://3mcollision.com/products/sound-deadening/3m-strip-calk-08578-black.html
You can get it many places online for 12-14 dollars + freight. or most of your local auto parts houses will have it in stock for about $28.00, but if you know someone with a commercial account at O-Reilly auto parts you get it for 12-14 and avoid freight costs.

.02
 
Charlie98117

Charlie98117

.
Jul 1, 2014
262
Hunter 34 Seattle
RussC said:
I used a ton of 3M butyl tape when I was still building street rods. it stays soft, sticks very well, and allows tremendous movement of parts without leaking.
http://3mcollision.com/products/sound-deadening/3m-strip-calk-08578-black.html
You can get it many places online for 12-14 dollars + freight. or most of your local auto parts houses will have it in stock for about $28.00, but if you know someone with a commercial account at O-Reilly auto parts you get it for 12-14 and avoid freight costs.

.02
Click to expand
The MaineSail link in #14 above has it at about that same price and you know it's the right stuff. Then wander around his site and watch a video to learn how to do it right.
 
weinie

weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
I keep a can of flex seal and a spare screen door handy in case my keel falls off.
 
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