I found my leak, fixing the mast hole.

shorefun

Well-Known Member
So you all may or may not remember I picked up a 2006 with chunk out of the flang in the rear starboard side.
I fixed it up and have been sailing it all summer long.

BUT

I noticed it was picking up a lot of water. I also noticed the water was not salty. I also knew I did not have any place for water to get in the was visible.

So end of season I have the boat home now. I filled the mast hole with water and it leaked down quick. It was tough at first to see just because of the light, but then it became obvious. There is a tear that is in the mid section of the hole. The tear is solid, in that when I press on it with my fingers it does not move.

So how to repair it.
No, I will not cut a hole in the deck and put a port in as I want my deck to look clean. Well, if I see a need I would go that route.

Right now I am mulling over in my mind how I will get down in the hole with a course sanding drum and clear the gel coat and make a surface to bond some glass. Then make up some tools to place the glass, level the area and make sure I have room for the mast.

Just curious what others might have done.

In the picture you can see the crack at the top of the hole. I had to shine a flash light in to get it lit up.

On a side note, for doing pressure testing I was using an inflatable matress hand pump. It puts out a lot of volume of air but not much pressure. I lightly pressureized the hull and could hear the crack, but I could not hear anything in the dagger board trunk. Later I am going to pressurize each of my 3 Sunfish and spray them with soapy water just to see what I find.

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2897.JPG
    IMG_2897.JPG
    854.7 KB · Views: 53
Humm, I have probably just enough thickened epoxy (Thixo) left in the tube to do the job. I like that even better.

Though I think I might try to add in a layer of cloth just to be safe if I think I can get it in the hole.

I am thinking I can use my flexshaft tools with a tapered grinding wheel to rough up the area.
 
Humm, I have probably just enough thickened epoxy (Thixo) left in the tube to do the job. I like that even better.

Though I think I might try to add in a layer of cloth just to be safe if I think I can get it in the hole.

I am thinking I can use my flexshaft tools with a tapered grinding wheel to rough up the area.
I’d like to see what that tool looks like.
 
The tool is made by Foredom.


A few steps above a Dremel. More torque so it does not load down. Way more control. Got lucky and picked it up at a garage sale way below the going rate.
 
I checked on my Thixo, I have over an inch of plunger distance left. That should be enough to fill the mixing tube and give me what I need. OR I can just put it on my mixing board and do it manually and not have the waste.

In any event, I am going to call it just enough for this job.

I am thinking I am going to make a plastic squeege thing with the curve of the hole and put it on a stick. That way I will keep everything to the original hole size.
 
L&VW will never get over the plunger space!
I’ve got a bunch of mixing tubes- I’ve never used them. It’s very easy to mix by hand. I use a chopstick to clear the tube of epoxy on each side so the cap fits back in securely without waste and mess.
I like your idea of the squeegee.
 
The tool is made by Foredom.


A few steps above a Dremel. More torque so it does not load down. Way more control. Got lucky and picked it up at a garage sale way below the going rate.
Nice! On my wishlist now. (Looks liked you could also do some emergency dental work with that baby!)
 
I needed to mixing tube because I was filling about 3’ for deck hull seam. I could get the epoxy in where I needed it.
Bought 2 tubes not sure how much I would need. Sold the unused tube to another guy with a Daysailer that the seam failed between dev and hull. Lots of hits over the 40 years the family owned it. It finally let loose on a sail. He used the nozzle to inject it deep in.
 
So my repair.

I used that tapered grinding wheel from my pile of stuff. Not sure where it came from, but it was larger in diameter then the tool and narrower then the hole.

I made a squeege tool with some stiffer gasket rubber I had laying around. I believe the hole is 2.5" so I used a compass to draw a half round. Using some all thread I had laying around and a couple of washers I bolted it on and stuck it down the hole.

Mixed up some thixo on a board and used the disposible paint brush on a stick to muck it all around and make sure the epoxy got into the crack. I then used the half round to level and push more in the crack. This took a lot of the epoxy off, so I picked it up with the brush and worked it over the area 2 more times. Then finished with a light pull up the side and pulled the rubber out.

You can see in the pictures the area that was brough down to glass and the whiter line is where the crack is. The right side was slightly depressed behind the left. I ground about 1/2" above and a bit less at the bottom. The bottom was a bit of a reach for the tool and my fingers.

Now I just have to wait.

The Foredom is a garage sale find for something less then $30. They generally sell used for quite a bit more. This tool is an 1/8" collet and I have the drill chuck end too. It is a night and day difference over a Dremel. As the dremel uses low power and lots of RPM. The Foredom has some torque and at the lower RPM lots of control.

I am at an advantage since my family has been doing car/ antique restorations for many decades. So I have gotten around to flea markets and garage sales and bought tools for pennies no the dollar.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2900.JPG
    IMG_2900.JPG
    679.8 KB · Views: 52
  • IMG_2901.JPG
    IMG_2901.JPG
    811 KB · Views: 49
  • IMG_2902.JPG
    IMG_2902.JPG
    985.4 KB · Views: 39
  • IMG_2903.JPG
    IMG_2903.JPG
    1.1 MB · Views: 49
  • IMG_2904.JPG
    IMG_2904.JPG
    944.6 KB · Views: 37
  • IMG_2909.JPG
    IMG_2909.JPG
    849.3 KB · Views: 45

Back
Top