EMERGENCY! Help, found a leak!

[BandB]

Temporary get-home patch, but haul and examine and find out what is really going on.

 

[Simi 60]

Having used both, it is much denser.

So, I am not at all down on the toilet ring wax approach. But, in warmer water, I would likely have wanted the denser stuff, if given the choice.

Thanks for the real life comment, good to know.

Interesting thread here where toilet bowl wax is mentioned

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f115/emergency-leak-repair-putty-227239.html

One comment stood out for me being a boatbuilder

works great, if it works, if it doesn't, there's no going back.

Meaning once it's in there you are not getting anything else to stick easily if going to plan B.

I think I will "stick" with the underwater cure epoxy putty option.
At least that has options down the track.

 

[richardschmidt2759]

leak in floor

we had a 34 ft MT on our dock, had the same prob. if you have a tube that the shaft runs through & a packing nut on the inboard end of the tube, the tube will be full of water, if that tube cracks or breaks down, water will get into the hollow keel, and seep up thru the thin layer of fg covering the hollow keel. if this is the case then you must replace the tube. iHOPE ITS NOT ! major pita.

 

[ghost]

There is a difference between curing underwater and adhering when wet.

I’d start by trying to stop the leak. A “small” bit of wax maybe, but as noted, try not to contaminate other areas as much as possible.

If you stop the leak, try to dry everything, sand it rough around the perimeter and try to paint everything with some 5 minute epoxy. I’d go right over the wax and encapsulate. Then I’d try to encapsulate the leak, with cloth if I had it, if not, then some more epoxy maybe thickened just enough to fair with, keep in mind unthickened is stronger but doesn’t stay put. Even just epoxy, if bonded, will likely be enough. You can get all the supplies you need at Kings Market.

It sounds complicated, really isn’t. Just need to stop that leak. Then enjoy the rest of your trip, and keep a watch for any other weak points the keel decides to exploit.

Then fix the stern tube off season.

Trivia: I always keep individual packets of double bubble 5 minute epoxy on board. For thickening, not everything will work. One item most people have onboard is bread flour, which happens to be epoxy compatible and actually sands nicer than many fillers. The combo makes for convenient repairs on lots of things.

 

[Frosty]

I just thought of one more possibility, although given where your seep is I think the stern tube area as culprit seems more likely.

But anyway, I know of one Marine Trader that had a persistent bilge leak and it turned out to be the seam where they joined the two halves of the hull together when they built the boat. (Seam down the centerline, forward/aft.)

They had to haul the boat and re-glass the seam.

 

[kapnd]

Toilet bowl wax is a great emergency patch, but can be hard to clean up, potentially contaminating a future permanent patch. Wax is a serious bond breaker, and sanding it often just grinds it into the scratches. Acetone or lacquer thinner brushed vigorously
There are numerous epoxy putty patch products in every hardware store that will hold you over until you can effect a permanent solution.

 

[FF]

Jamestown sells Total Boat underwater repair epoxy and rubber gloves.

https://www.totalboat.com/product/u...MIi_btyrW68gIVoxx9Ch3mNQ3QEAYYASABEgLfwvD_BwE

At about $50.00 it probably should be on board every boat as part of an emergency kit,
tho like most epoxies it might have a shelf life.

 

[diver dave]

I tried Pettite underwater patching epoxy one time on a leaky hull. I could not get it to stick to anything except my hands and tools. Once it started migrating to my hair, i called it off. What worked at anchor was a thin strip of PE garbage bag. Not underway though !

 

[STB]

Thanks for the real life comment, good to know.

Interesting thread here where toilet bowl wax is mentioned

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f115/emergency-leak-repair-putty-227239.html

One comment stood out for me being a boatbuilder

Meaning once it's in there you are not getting anything else to stick easily if going to plan B.

I think I will "stick" with the underwater cure epoxy putty option.
At least that has options down the track.

Right. Note that I used it from the outside of thru-hulls (and the stay a float on the inside, and then pushed it out with a dowel), not anywhere I'd glue later. And, I used it as part of a repair, not while waiting for one. I think there are many applications, but those were mine.

But, it isnt silicone. I've caulked and painted over cleaned residue in bathrooms and the bilge. Never had a problem cleaning it, used acetone -- in dry circumstances. Removing it underwater or undryable would be a different challenge.

I've always used WaterWeld when needed to do this type of thing in boat and Splash Zone on the outside. I like the thickness and body of WaterWeld better than the iminess Splash Zone, so I can't really say why I use it on the outside, just always have and it has worked.

 

[diver dave]

Anyone read “out island freighter”? Or maybe a similar name. They used bags of cement to counter steel hull breaches. Usually thin, rusted areas, hard to get to.