would you do it?

[Gusshr]

Hi Fellow Boaters,

So I have just replaced the shaft seal for a starboard side leak, and it is bone dry. On the way back from the marina to my dock, a new slow leak started in the port engine room. It turned out after couple months of investigation that the sea water is coming from the port side rudder shaft caulk, right in the center between the center post and the backing plate that has the bolts. The bolts are not leaking.

I am 100% sure that the leak is due to outer plate caulk failure between the fiberglass bottom and the outer flange plate rim that has the carriage bolts from the outside. I am assuming that maybe due to the pressure wash during the bottom paint a tiny break must have been created at that rim.

We are talking probably about a hair line of missing/failing caulk between the plate under the boat and the fiberglass.

Obviously, the best thing to do is haul the boat out. However I really feel that I want a diver to go down and scrape the edges and try 5200 on the out rim of the plate to fill the gap. Additionally maybe to wait until it dries from the inside and apply additional 5200 inside to create a new dam on top of the existing old seal.

Anyone think that this is a doable solution, until the next haul out?

Thanks

[rsmith]

If it’s original it’s bedding compound and not caulk. It dries out and gets hard after all these years. I’ve never seen anything stop flowing water. I’d pull it to find what’s going on. “A small leak can sink a great ship”

[Freestyle]

Risk/reward is a personal choice and there will be opinions throughout the spectrum.

I had a swim platform bolt pull through the hull while on a mooring in the Keys on my 43 DCMY 18 years ago. I took the conical cap of a 5200 tube, filled it with 5200 and a wood trimming, and then pounded it in the hole while underwater. After it hardened and cured, I screwed a wood screw into the hole to hold the swim platform bracket. The emergency repair lasted 4 years until I hauled for a bottom job and fixed it properly.

So, if we share the same risk/reward profile, I can tell you that your theory has been put into practice and worked on at least one instance. If you go that route, I hope you have a similar experience and can enjoy your time underway with a McGyver type of repair. I found vodka helped.

Bruce
Freestyle 1985 62 DCMY (54 with 8 foot cockpit extension)
Tampa

[racclarkson@gmail.com]

Risk/reward is a personal choice and there will be opinions throughout the spectrum.I had a swim platform bolt pull through the hull while on a mooring in the Keys on my 43 DCMY 18 years ago. I took the conical cap of a 5200 tube, filled it with 5200 and a wood trimming, and then pounded it in the hole while underwater. After it hardened and cured, I screwed a wood screw into the hole to hold the swim platform bracket. The emergency repair lasted 4 years until I hauled for a bottom job and fixed it properly.So, if we share the same risk/reward profile, I can tell you that your theory has been put into practice and worked on at least one instance. If you go that route, I hope you have a similar experience and can enjoy your time underway with a McGyver type of repair. I found vodka helped.BruceFreestyle 1985 62 DCMY (54 with 8 foot cockpit extension)Tampa

Had a similar deal with platform bolts, and it was dry until I hauled last month to make fix permanent. Gusshr, you’ve answered your own question, haven’t you? You don’t want to haul, and you’ve got a work around in mind. What have you got to lose? If it were me, I’d slather up the bottom with 5200 and forgo the scraping out what’s there. I’d also not do anything inside. I’d think you’d want to know if the leak stays fixed.

[Gusshr]

Thanks for the opinion guys. You know we always hear that 5200 and other sealants can be applied under the water but yet it seems that every time you suggest it people try to steer you away from doing that. I thought this was a fairly clean and simple hairline leak fix so that I can eventually use the underwater abilities of the 5200. I will give it a shot and see how it would do.When I got my boat three years ago there was a minute leak between the backing plate and the bottom hull at the generator seacock pick up. Back then I scraped off the old caulk from the edges and squeezed in 5200 on the edges. No leaks since then. When I pulled the boat out of the water a few months ago I looked at the outside fitting for that thru hull. And it looked pretty good. I tapped the fiberglass around it and it’s sounding completely dry so I applied some sealant on the outer rim for additional security.

[Gusshr]

Had a similar deal with platform bolts, and it was dry until I hauled last month to make fix permanent. Gusshr, you’ve answered your own question, haven’t you? You don’t want to haul, and you’ve got a work around in mind. What have you got to lose? If it were me, I’d slather up the bottom with 5200 and forgo the scraping out what’s there. I’d also not do anything inside. I’d think you’d want to know if the leak stays fixed.

10 4 . Thanks

[Scarlett]

One other option is Splash Zone epoxy designed to set up under water and is a 2 part epoxy. I have used it on a friends boat and it worked great. John

[Gusshr]

One other option is Splash Zone epoxy designed to set up under water and is a 2 part epoxy. I have used it on a friends boat and it worked great. John

My mechanic suggested that but I know that epoxy gets very hard and brittle so it may crack if ever shocked, vs non-cracking 5200 which would remain rubbery but strong.

So now I am torn between my mechanic's advise and your advise vs what I think would be a better solution.

Let's vote!!

[northshoreone]

When I first bought my Hatteras I had a water leak that took me forever to locate. It ended up being one of the lines going through the hull for the trim tabs that was hard to see. I cleaned up around it under water and applied some of the two part epoxy putty to it. That stopped it completely until my next haul out when it could be properly repaired. When hauled it wasn't hard to remove it and make the repair. That stuff is amazing....not a long term answer but can save you in a pinch! I carry a tube on the boat at all times now....just in case!