buoyancy and bung problem

mxjosh

New Member
the first problem is got is the I see no buoyancy of any sort- is there supposed to be? and how does one replace it? should one replace it? im from the uk

second problem is the bung the screws and the bung i can basically pull out with my finger i try replaced the screws to bigger ones but i can push the screws in ? any help please ?
 
There are buoyancy cubtainers in the bow. If you have an inspection port next to the mainsheet, you should be able to stick your arm in there and feel one towards the bow.

To fix the screw hole. Ream out the hole with a 6mm(1/4") drill bit. Mask off the area locally with masking tape so you don't make a mess. Fill the holes with epoxy filler(not polyester). It could be Marine Tex or West System with a thickening agent, or something else epoxy based and thick.

After its hard(2-3 days) drill a new pilot hole for the original self taping screw that came with the drain plug.

This area must be dry when doing the repair.
 
Alright Josh,
About your problem...it's an easy enough fix but you will need a few things to do it properly so it won't let you down.
A full kit of epoxy includes a few chemicals and ancillary equipment which adds up. You don't really need loads of gear, better for now just to get as small a repair kit as possible - recommend a west system junior pack.
I see your young, you'll need an older person to get you some acetone, you'll be needing a little bit of 80 grit sandpaper, a household cleaning sponge, Sellotape, lolly sticks, pot noodle or muller rice pot - the rice pot is smaller & would suit you better for this job. Eat the muller rice n wash the pot out thoroughly. It's for making your mix in !

Can you get the boat inside ? You 'could' work under a tarp but the ambient moisture won't help, better inside.

First thing is to dry the hull....need to make sure it's totally empty (prop it up and slightly tilted so drips fall out the bung hole) then prop a hair dryer up so the airblast aids drying - half hour mebbe ? I'd then leave it all a day to settle, giving it another hair dryer sesh just prior to doing the job.

The job - you need to clean first, then rough the edges up very carefully with a 'cone' of 80 grit, also tear a long strip finger width so you can scratch the INSIDE around the screw holes. Vacuum the dust away. Then a clean cloth and drop of acetone on it and finger clean where you've scratched. Don't touch it anymore with bare fingers, blow dust on it etc.

make a small mix of epoxy 5-1 ratio, five drops of resin to one drop of hardener, lolly stick mix it slowly and steady for TWO minutes. Relax it won't go hard immediately like polyester resin. Put a strip of Sellotape over the screw holes and open bunghole, poke holes in them leaving the tape stuck to the hull.Get your sponge - cut a couple of one inch blocks of sponge and (with glove on) dip the sponge bits into the resin, absolutely soak them in it, squish em up, squash em in it. Poke the sponges through the screw holes, the resin will fill any tears and voids as you force the sponge through - leave a few mil of the sponge this side of the hole so it's all squashed tight then fans out behind( inside the hull). Leave it alone and stop messing with it and return in 24 hours.
Trim the sponge from outside carefully with a sharp chisel is best, be careful though. Once it's flush you can remove the Sellotape. Once your happy you can refit the bung and don't forget to mastic it.
What bit of uk are ya ? I'm in Kent.
Any concerns just gimme a shout.
 
okay thank you i will try it how do i set up my self bailer casue i not sure how it works ....
 
Hi Josh and welcome to another fellow UK Laser-ite.

Voodoo's advice is pretty much spot on but some may say to use a thickner in the resin (micro balloons) rather than bit of sponge to fill the holes but both methods will work really well and sort it out for you. You must remember to mastic/seal the bung fitting when you put it back on the boat though otherwise it will still leak.

For you bailer there are plenty of pictures online. If you have it off the boat I would recommend you fit one of the stainless steel spring assemblies in it as this will permanently cure the problem of the bailer getting stuck open when the rubber o-rings snap.

Once you have it sorted remember to put a big dollop of mastic over the crew hole when you put it back on or it will leak a lot. Also don;t sail until you know the mastic has gone off. In this sort of weather that can be up to a week.
 
The reason for not using thickener - the transom is only a few mm thick, therefore the filler would be thin and still fairly susceptible to screw tearing. The resin sponge has depth for the screw to live in, cheaper for the young un to fix also.
 
okay will do this is the boat what im doing up and learning to sail someone painted the hull so i had to take the paint off and colour sand the gel coat to restore it :)
 

Attachments

  • 030 (2).jpg
    030 (2).jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 61
I ment thicken the epoxy with the appropriate filler. Not microballoons. You can use cabosil(collodial silica)(West System 406) or a high density filler(powdered glass fiber)(West System 404). The thickness is not relevant. When used by themselves in an epoxy matrix of peanut butter, they can handle drilling and tapping. You are trying to replace the material that is removed when reaming out the hole, not adding more. The key is to wait 2 days for it to get rock hard. Alternatively you can heat each spot with a hair dryer for a few minutes to post cure the epoxy and then screw into it a few hours later. It all depends on which hardener is used.

Marine Tex and other pre thickened epoxies are great for filling small screw holes. Keep in mind if it cures in 5 minutes, it should still sit for a day before trying to tap it.
 
What a cool toy for a 16 yr old.
It's a very old sail number, do you know if that's the boat's number ?
Have you found any nasty surprises ( dodgy repairs ) under the paint as you've removed it ?
Is anyone helping you with all this ?
 
i find some little holes on the side off the boat and im wondering if this could off making the water come in ....
 

Attachments

  • SAM_0203.JPG
    SAM_0203.JPG
    2.3 MB · Views: 56
That's the boat turtled on the trolley and we're looking at the ''under gun'al" right ?
That's an easy enough repair Josh, it looks like that's trolley rash from years of launching/ recovery.
Normal rules apply regarding drying, cleaning, prepping the area, applying chemicals and wet sanding...
Tip for you - where the trolley rubs on the gunnel (through recovery after sailing), apply a thicker layer of gelcoat to take the rubbing action.
 
erm i find this crack wondering if it possibe i could fix it im okay with gel repairs ?
 

Attachments

  • SAM_0204.JPG
    SAM_0204.JPG
    2.3 MB · Views: 46
That's the bonding paste between the deck & hull, there used to be a glue filler there, that's what needs to go back in there.
If you can get it, I'd recommend an epoxy system with the appropriate filler - West or SP ? Easy enough to get.
The filler is added once the two part mix is fully mixed, mixed again gently to a uniform paste and forced into the gap.
Quite simple so long as you follow the rules with prepping the job.

Don't just chuck gelcoat filler in there it won't last and you'll end up doing it again but only after you've cleared up the mess.
 

Back
Top