Small hole in Catalina 30 hull

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sailingdude

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Dec 15, 2004
34
Catalina 30 Benicia, California
Being the crackerjack maintenance person that I am, I managed to drill a 1/8" hole in the hull of my 1980 Cat. 30. It's located near the aft end of the V-Berth on the starboard side about 18" below the water line. I have plugged the hole with a 1/8" wooden dowel and used some Capt. Tolley's Creaping Crack Cure around the dowel. The dowel fits pretty tightly, I had to tap it in with a hammer. It seems to have stopped the leak for now. Two questions - 1) I was planning to haul the boat in November to work on the gelcoat. It is likely the dowel repair will hold until then? 2) If there is still some small leakage around the dowel, am I doing any permanent damage to the hull? Any comments or suggenstions will be greatly appreciated. Bob Boller Benicia, California
 
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Allan R

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May 31, 2004
197
Catalina 36 MK II Havre de Grace, MD
I thought I was the only one.

I did the same thing a few years back. Was able to sail the entire season with plug in it. When I hauled out for the season, I re-drilled the hole and filled with West System Epoxy. The biggest hurt was to my pride more so than the boat. Good luck.
 
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Tom Soko

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Jun 3, 2004
71
Catalina 400 MkII Noank, CT
No Damage

Bob, There shouldn't be any damage to the hull because Catalina hulls are solid glass. There is no core in the hull to absorb moisture. The decks, on the other hand, are a different story! A few drops of epoxy in Nov and nobody will ever know.
 
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Ed

Temporary Fix

You can get an two part epoxy putty from marine stores that can be applied underwater to plug a leak. I keep some on board for emergencies myself. It seems this would solve your problem until November. Why put up with any chance of a leak or long term damage for a $10 item? Ed
 
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