Leaking Inspection Port

L

laser11

Member
Hi,

I have an 88' laser. The hull is always completely dry, except for directly beneath the inspection port (starboard to centerboard trunk) it is usually damp after sailing. I was wondering if this is common problem people have, and if applying some silicone around the bottom of the inspection port screw might help.

Also what grain of sandpaper (if any) do people use if they need to wet sand their hull just for the purpose of making it smooth. I know you apply Teflon Wax (or a product like that) afterwards.

Thanks
 
Being damp near the centreboard case - do you mean near the top or when you open the inspection port and look to the bottom the water is welled up there? If so that doesn't mean the water is getting in from the port, it could come from anywhere, that is just the lowest part when the hull is on the dolly and whatever water is getting in just sits there
 
No - You can usually see a pretty clear dark circle right below the inspection port, with it dry everywhere else. It's not enough water to slosh around, but it gets fairly damp right below it. I'm pretty sure it's not coming from the centerboard trunk.
 
I also have an 88 with an inspection port in the same spot, but no leaks. By the dampness pattern you described, it could be a bad seal on the port lid, or a bad seal around the edge.

Try the soap bubble test in that area by pressurizing the hull through the drain plug to determine where exactly the leak(s) is(are).
 
my inspection port had a crack in it and I didn't think it was really a place that would leak a whole lot, after racing my boat would be filled up with water especially in heavy air, big waves and choppy conditions. I decided to put a new inspection port in and when I took the old one out it was clear that the old one was way past due for a change.

I put the new one in and sealed it up pretty well, I noticed that my boat was still leaking in certain conditions and suspected another leak somewhere else on the boat since I just changed the leaky port, I air tested the boat with low pressure, soap and water and guess what, it was the new inspection port! I guess it didn't make a good enough seal when I put it in, all it took to fix it was to dab some marine silicon around the top of the inspection port where the port and deck meet. I wiped it clean, let it dry and now my boat is leak free again, I can't believe it was that easy I thought I had a major leak with the amount of water that was in my boat after racing.
 
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