captainJack987
New Member
I got a new laser that hadn't been in the water for abour four and a half years. I there anything I should wory about with it being out of the water for so long? Do any of the seals need to be checked.
out of the water
- Thread starter captainJack987
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David Vaughan
New Member
Greetings Captain Jack;
I too pondered similar questions a couple of years ago when I purchased my rather aged Laser. By placing the boat in the water, and it not sinking, I answered the most basic of question. Will it float? Then after sailing for an hour, beaching, de-rigging, and propping the bow on a 3' post, I pulled the drain plug, placing a measuring cup under the 'bung hole'.
The result of this test proved I (more accuratly, the boat) was not water tight. I turned the boat over onto a set of saw horses, modified a bicycle pump hose, and inserted it into the 'bung hole'. Over pressurizing the hull using this low pressere method (as compared to high pressure obtained from a reversed vacume cleaner or compressor) allowed me find escaping air after putting a solution of soapy water all over the hull and hull to deck joint.
I found my leaks to be at hairline cracks around the board trunk which I repaired using West Systems two part epoxy and filler, which I sanded smooth, primed & painted.
Others have found the hull to deck joint wanting, which I've read can be repaired using 3m's 5200 being applied and tooled into this joint. Some boats have inspection ports which also can introduce liquid into the hull, be it a spilt beer or water. These problem areas can be found using the same low pressure overpressurization method discribed above. If any ports found to be the culprit, remove the port, then repair/replace applying liberal amounts of silicone as a bedding, prior to re-installing the port.
I hope this helps;
Aloha;
Dave Vaughan, NW Florida
I too pondered similar questions a couple of years ago when I purchased my rather aged Laser. By placing the boat in the water, and it not sinking, I answered the most basic of question. Will it float? Then after sailing for an hour, beaching, de-rigging, and propping the bow on a 3' post, I pulled the drain plug, placing a measuring cup under the 'bung hole'.
The result of this test proved I (more accuratly, the boat) was not water tight. I turned the boat over onto a set of saw horses, modified a bicycle pump hose, and inserted it into the 'bung hole'. Over pressurizing the hull using this low pressere method (as compared to high pressure obtained from a reversed vacume cleaner or compressor) allowed me find escaping air after putting a solution of soapy water all over the hull and hull to deck joint.
I found my leaks to be at hairline cracks around the board trunk which I repaired using West Systems two part epoxy and filler, which I sanded smooth, primed & painted.
Others have found the hull to deck joint wanting, which I've read can be repaired using 3m's 5200 being applied and tooled into this joint. Some boats have inspection ports which also can introduce liquid into the hull, be it a spilt beer or water. These problem areas can be found using the same low pressure overpressurization method discribed above. If any ports found to be the culprit, remove the port, then repair/replace applying liberal amounts of silicone as a bedding, prior to re-installing the port.
I hope this helps;
Aloha;
Dave Vaughan, NW Florida
lasersailor184544
Member
When I bought my 1997 boat last year, I pulled every fitting off and 5200 all of them back in just to make sure that I had a good seal on everything
captainJack987
New Member
I just wanted to tell you guys that I went sailing to day and the boat floated and when I was done sailing it didn't have a drop of water in it. For some reason I found the sail hard to depower any tricks I don't have this problem on my other laser.