I installed a seawater pump for a new AC unit to an existing 3/4 inch thru hull valve that goes to the head.I noticed a slight amount of water seeping around the wood backing plate and was wondering if there is a way to temporarily seal this(until next outhall).Is there a compound that could be placed around thru hull that could be used underwater. If anyone has tried this I like to here how it worked.
Seeping thru hull valve
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Well here in Florida the next hauloutcould be 5 years from now. There is a two part putty used in swimming pools to stop leaks. It can be applied underwater and in wet areas. You can probably find it in any pool accesories retailer in your area. The first thing I would do is to tie an appropiately sized wood plug next to the the thru-hull in case of emergency. My second step would be to inspect the mushroom head and the hull area around it. That will require a diving mask and perhaps a wet suit. If the thru the hull is solid and the hull around it looks good than it is just likely that the caulking failed when the thru hull was disturbed and if the leak is minor and perhaps could be reduced then I would see no hurry to repair immediately but should you find a mushroom head cracked or perhaps ready to detach that may signal for a quick haulout.
There are two questions I would be asking myself if this was my rig.
1. Is there any possibility that the thru-hull fitting has been over tightened and could have a crack in the threaded area? This could cause leaking or total failure.
2. Can this leak get into the fiberglass where the thru-hull passes through the hull and cause delamination?
If either of these was a "yes" or "possibly" then I would pull the boat very soon.
Good luck because this could be a scarry issue.
Ray
1. Is there any possibility that the thru-hull fitting has been over tightened and could have a crack in the threaded area? This could cause leaking or total failure.
2. Can this leak get into the fiberglass where the thru-hull passes through the hull and cause delamination?
If either of these was a "yes" or "possibly" then I would pull the boat very soon.
Good luck because this could be a scarry issue.
Ray
For peace of mind and so the boat does not sink move the haul out date date ahead and replace the thru hull now. Leaks don't mysteriously disappear and it is going to get worse not better. The constant water flow for the a/c will add to the leak. Sealers or caulk need to be applied to the surfaces to work correctly and anything you do will be very very temporary. Bite the bullet and get it hauled out and replace the thru hull now. Most of the time this can be done with the boat still in the slings and most yards are pretty reasonable about short haul cost. If for no other reason so you can sleep at night instead of tossing and turning thinking about if the boat will be floating in the morning !
This is the big problem with trying to replace a valve on a thru-hull, which is not an ideal situation anyway. When tightening the new valve, with mismatched threads, you must be 100% certain you do not allow the thru-hull fitting to move. If it does, you break the seal. The other issues with older Oday boats is that they very often used unsealed plywood as a backing plate. This eventually gets wet and can no longer support the thru-hull the way it needs to to keep water out. I have an Oday 30 with your same situation right now and over the winter she is getting all new "proper" flanged base seacocks with solid glass backing plates.
Your situation is not unique and at the age of your boat can be somewhat expected.
You can try and band-aid it with a mess of polyurethane sealant, if you can get it dry enough for it to stick, or haul out and fix it..
Thanks for the ideas I am going to try a temporary repair until I get it hauled.MS is there any particular polyurethane sealant type that is best, and when you say "proper" flanged based seacocks, what are you referring to?
Are you sure it is the thru-hull? I've located a little bit of moisture near my thru hull but it is from the hose at the clamp. This is much less concern (because the thru hull valve is normally closed) than if it was the thru hull and a much easier fix, too. It alarmed me until I realized that there was never any moisture when the valve was closed.
Yes it leaks weather the valve is open or closed.I believe it probably started leaking after I installed the new fittings needed for the AC installation job and the extra pressure when installing the fittings probably loosened every thing. It looks original and this is a 1984 built boat.
Flanged seacock and flanged adaptors that allow changing of the valve without a haulout.
Because they are bolted through the hull they cannot turn.
If you use the flanged adaptor with separate ball valve the threads will match. They do not match if putting a valve on the through hull mushroom directly.
Because they are bolted through the hull they cannot turn.
If you use the flanged adaptor with separate ball valve the threads will match. They do not match if putting a valve on the through hull mushroom directly.
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best thing sence sliced bread
regards
woody
this arangement to me is the best thing in the world for putting holes in a boat...and i dont think its that much more expensive than the other way...matter of fact it is cheaper in the long run ..the first time you have to work on a valve or mushroom fitting ...you dont need to haul out ...this is graet and kudos to main sail for shareing this with every one.
regards
woody
Splash Zone
Splash Zone is fantastic stuff, but expensive for such a small project:
http://shop.SailboatOwners.com/prod.php?12945
Splash Zone is fantastic stuff, but expensive for such a small project:
http://shop.SailboatOwners.com/prod.php?12945
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