Need Engineering Input

sailnski

New Member
Greetings. I have a 2011 Laser--well maintained, stored indoors when not in use etc. I was doing some work on it and opened the bung to ensure no H2O in the hull. I have never had a drop in there but I check it anyway. I have a compressor and I pumped a bit of air in there, let it build up a bit and let the air out---I did not seal up the bung with it pressurized. It's not like i'm inflating the bloody thing but I thought it might help get any moisture out. Anyway, I heard something in there pop--no idea what but i'm now concerned that i may have overpressurized the whole thing and dislodged the mast step or something else. Is this even possible?

I have checked the entire hull to deck joint and it's fine. I know some of you have actually taken these things apart so you would likely know how much brute force it would take to pop this loose. I've gone so far as to research the tensile strength of fiberglass, calculate what i think the surface area would be, and even guess at a couple psi differentials. Have all the fun we want with how foolish I may have been but i really don't know whether I've done some real damage here. I can't see any and i'm reluctant to put an inspection port in there if i don't need it.

Help
 
Other than a visual inspection or pressing by hand on different areas of the hull, I don’t know how you could determine what popped. Hopefully it was something relatively minor and not the mast step. The back corners of the cockpit Are attached to the inside bottom of the hull with that thickened bog ( like they use around the mast step). At least some of the vanguard hulls I’ve seen are like that. Maybe it was one of those that gave way? I use a hand pump for soap tests. Like the kind for blowing up an air mattress. No compressors.
 
Other than a visual inspection or pressing by hand on different areas of the hull, I don’t know how you could determine what popped. Hopefully it was something relatively minor and not the mast step. The back corners of the cockpit Are attached to the inside bottom of the hull with that thickened bog ( like they use around the mast step). At least some of the vanguard hulls I’ve seen are like that. Maybe it was one of those that gave way? I use a hand pump for soap tests. Like the kind for blowing up an air mattress. No compressors.
Jason...

Thanx. i have pressed and prodded everywhere and everything seems normal. I put a sail up and loaded the vang, mainsheet etc and all seemed ok no deck or hull deformation. i'm rebedding all the deck fittings as we speak.....chatted with another expert this morning and he's pretty sure it was the deck flexing. Consensus at this point --yup that was dumb, I MIGHT have gotten away with one here,, don't do it again
 
Could have been deck flexing or maybe one of the internal reserve buoyancy containers moving around. Lots of fairly loose bits inside a laser hull, does yours not have the air breather hole at the front of the cockpit the stop the hull pressurising on sunny days?
Steve
 
Could have been deck flexing or maybe one of the internal reserve buoyancy containers moving around. Lots of fairly loose bits inside a laser hull, does yours not have the air breather hole at the front of the cockpit the stop the hull pressurising on sunny days?
Steve


Yes..it does have the breather hole and it is unobstructed. I talked to a Laser guru who is very knowledgeable on the construction of these boats. Consensus is everything is probably fine; he mentioned the same things you did. we think I got lucky. He did suggest i stay close to shore for the first hour of sailing tho.

Taz
 

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