Laser II Self Bailer Leak/Repair

S

sean882

New Member
Hi All,

I purchased a used Laser II off craigslist earlier this year. Each time I go sailing, I take on quite a bit of water in the hull - this past weekend, 8+ gallons over 2 hours. I finally had a little time and air tested the hull - it appears, after removing the self bailer, that the deck & hull have separated around the self bailer.

What is the correct repair procedure for this? I do have a fair bit of previous experience with composites/fiberglass - but, is this area supposed to be bonded/sealed without the bailer in place, or is the bailer supposed to clamp the two pieces and create the seal?

Are there any other problems that could result from what I presume is a long history of water in the hull with the laser II?

Laser_II_2.jpg
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Laser_II_1.jpg
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Laser_II_2.jpg


Laser_II_1.jpg


I did use the search function and found a very relevant post from 2005 - but there was no resolution. (http://sailingforums.com/threads/self-bailer-repairs.2085/)

Thanks for any advice!

-Sean
 
Looks bad. (It's worse than my Lightning bailer and that's bad!)
sean882 said:
is this area supposed to be bonded/sealed without the bailer in place
Click to expand...
Yes, definitely.

You should show it to a fibreglass professional. That's what I am doing tomorrow - if he says something that's applicable to your case, too, I'll post it here.
 
I would clean up the area between the deck and hull past the bolt holes. Then using screw drivers open up the space and apply PC-11 epoxy into the space (found at local hardware store). Then after you have epoxied all around, use mini clamps to squeeze hull and deck together. Let cure. Redrill bailer holes. PC-11 can be applied to a wet laminate and still works. I used it to repair a hull deck joint at the transom on a Zuma and never leaked again.
 
Thanks Sailcraftri,

I ended up using a different epoxy that I already had lying around, mainly because it had a much lower viscosity & I was able to get the laminate very dry before doing the repair. I was able to inject it deep into the areas in question with a syringe. For a clamp, I machined a couple steel blocks to fit & overlap the area - tapped one half, and ran some bolts through the center to get nice even clamping. After letting it set up since Wednesday afternoon, I just had a look and the repair looks strong. I don't expect any more problems from this area!

Of course, I went to install the bailer back in tonight with 3M 5200, and I noticed just how oversized the cutout is that the (presumably) previous owner cut (very rough, jagged edges). Not much overlap on the flange, and almost 3/8" per side of extra space. Also, the screw holes are quite oversized & don't seem at all centered on the bailer. I'll take another look in the morning... might have to rebuild the area up with some more glass and cut a proper hole. We'll see... nothing's ever easy. :)
 
I would use 4200 instead of 5200 as 5200 might make it difficult to remove the bailer if you ever have to replace it.
 
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