Boat leaking

[ferdly1]

Bought some stuff at family dollar called awesome. Worked really good. Doesn't have any acid or harsh chemical only cost a buck. Most of the products available contain acid. I was afraid to use them.. I tried dish soap wouldn't touch ithis stuff. This is Florida swamp water my pressure washer wont even remove it. Awesome did.

 

[Weep'n Willy]

I have read this thread a half dozen times or so and am finding it quite discouraging. So from what I have read is the op has a leak somewhere in his hull but cannot pin point the location. From the sounds of it the leak is not serious enough to keep off the water nor does it sound like the boat is in imminent danger of sinking but does annoy him. He has stated he is financially strapped and looking for a short term remedy until such time that he has the funds to replace the floor and thoroughly inspect the hull at that time.

Arguments over whether a tin or glass boat is better has no bearing on assisting the op. Derogatory remarks are certainly not necessary in an attempt to sway him from opting one method or another in his solutions but rather may convince others not to post their problems. Certainly this is contrary to helping out a fellow boater.

To the op. Hopefully you will find a solution that fits your financial state and when times are better you have some good advice and direction to do a thorough investigation and repair.

 

[GA_Boater]

I have agree with Willy. Keep the trashed boat comments and glass vs. tin out of the thread. ferdly is aware that he has a leak or two that need to be addressed and is also aware that leaks aren't good. Let's try to offer advice that fits the problem and stay on track. It doesn't sound like the boat is filling up.

Ferdly - I know you don't want to hear this, but 4200 applied to the keel piece probably won't stop or slow down the leak. The keel is not sealed and the drip is probably coming from a rivet(s) holding the keel on or a rivet(s) securing the two halves of the hull down the center of the boat. And possibly you have some corrosion. The only way to fix it is to open her up.

One other thing - You said the boat has taken a pounding in the 13 years with a stumpy lake. Have you gone over the hull looking for cracks?

Given your finances right now, what can be done to keep you on the water safely? Go ahead and try the 4200 along the keel. Like several of us have said, it might not work. When you come off the water and pull the plug. how much water comes out? Is the bilge pump working? Could you swing a second pump with an automatic switch?

How about some prevention? I guess you keep her in the water. Can you start pulling her out and on the trailer? When the boat is parked on the trailer, raise the bow as high as possible with the plug out and the boat covered. That won't stop a leak, but a day on the water will start with less water inside. Also, don't fill the boat anymore to find the leak. That's adding to wetting the foam and I'm sure you have some wet foam, which never dries out.

If we lived in a perfect world, you would be pulling the floor up and finding the leaks. But we don't, so you have to do what you can until you get on your feet. Hopefully things will turn around for you. Good luck and wear a PFD just in case..

 

[jigngrub]

I have read this thread a half dozen times or so and am finding it quite discouraging. So from what I have read is the op has a leak somewhere in his hull but cannot pin point the location. From the sounds of it the leak is not serious enough to keep off the water nor does it sound like the boat is in imminent danger of sinking but does annoy him. He has stated he is financially strapped and looking for a short term remedy until such time that he has the funds to replace the floor and thoroughly inspect the hull at that time.

It amazes me how people are always financially strapped when it comes time to work on and spend money to fix a boat to make it safe and seaworthy... but then when it comes time to fill the boat up with gas and oil to run it around on the water to have fun, money is no object. You can't afford to fix your boat, but you can afford to put a Band-Aid on it so you can keep filling it up with gas and use it for pleasure.

 

[GA_Boater]

It amazes me how people are always financially strapped when it comes time to work on and spend money to fix a boat to make it safe and seaworthy... but then when it comes time to fill the boat up with gas and oil to run it around on the water to have fun, money is no object. You can't afford to fix your boat, but you can afford to put a Band-Aid on it so you can keep filling it up with gas and use it for pleasure.

Because that's life! And you are making some big assumptions about the PO's situation. If you don't agree, don't comment.

 

[ondarvr]

OK, you still have options.

I'm 59, my wife just spent a month in the ICU, nearly died a couple of times, 4 surgeries, and many other procedures, just came home from a care center and still has IV's and a feeding tube that I need to help with, she will need more surgeries in about 3 months to put things back to the way they were before. Cost is well past $500,000.00 and will be significantly more before it's all over. So I understand your situation.

Now on to the repair.

There will be no cost in removing the floor and looking at what's in there, if the foam is waterlogged it will be no different whether you know it is or not, still no money involved. Now you may (will) be able to actually see the leaks and touch the rivets and apply a sealer. You won't need much Coat-It, and it's cheaper than Gluvit, I think the small container is $35.00, this would be a permanent fix. Now put the floor back in, it will be no different than not having taken it out and leaving as it was. When your funds are in better shape put in a new floor, or not, the fish don't care.

The best cleaner is waterless hand soap and an abrasive scrubbing pad and or brush, the aluminum cleaner isn't needed and won't do much. You will have removed the stained surface with the abrasive pad.

Now you know the exact condition of all the components, hull, floor and foam, if any of them need more work you can plan for it to be done in the future, but you will be back on the water with a repair that won't need to be done again, and at a lower cost than what you had planned to do.

The last option is to not worry about the slow leak and just go fishing. Zero dollars.

 

[Woodonglass]

The last option is to not worry about the slow leak and just go fishing. Zero dollars.

First Off, I'm sorry for my Part in the "Glass/Tinner" distraction!!!
Second This quote makes more sense to me than anything I've read so far. I KNOW I used to worry WAY to much about the SMALL STUFF!!! As I get older I'm gettin better!!!

 

[GA_Boater]

Ferdly - I'm sorry things got off track. And all the best to you and ondarvr.

Ondarvr has given some good options for you look at. Good luck.

 

[ferdly1]

Well I took yalls advice, I removed the floor. Half the floor is rotten so it will be discarded along with the carpet. I did find one main rivet leaking and a few others weeping water. All along the keel. The one rivet thats leaking I plan to replace. Trying to find some closed head blind rivets. I think fastenal carries them going there tommorrow. I then plan on using gluvit on the inside under the floor. I used a pressure washer to clean the inside still seems to be some crud left . Do i paint the gluvit just around the rivets or the whole inside of boat.

 

[ferdly1]

sorry about posting twice- either my computer messing up or this site moving slow

 

[64osby]

Use Gluvit on the rivets and seams only. Paint it if it will be exposed to sunlight, it is not UV resistant. Clean it first and wipe with acetone before you apply the Gluvit.

 

[ferdly1]

Thanks

 

[ferdly1]

I purchased some marine plywood from home depot. Had to special order it. Getting ready to put floor back in. Home depot has 2 inch 4x8 sheets of styroform like used to make coolers. Will that be ok to use. The foam that was in there was ok. Just filthy as hell and broken up.

 

[ferdly1]

Wow no replies. Hope I haven't done anything to upset anyone in here. I belong to quite a few forums and I really appreciate the help you guys provide. It helps me keep the costs down on repairs. Not to mention new ideas I would never have thought of to make repairs. I was considering putting in the cooler styroform in, already bought the stuff. However I read here somewhere that I would be seeing those styroform beads for the rest of eternity. I think I will go with the old foam if I can get it cleaned up. I thought I had to put in full sheets of foam but thanks to a video here I see they cut it and packed it in. Poured foam not an option right now . May redo it next year. Already stained and sealed the floor forget to drill hole for drain. Its hell getting old. Any thought or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks for all your help so far!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Uhmm. That Foam is really not Ideal for floatation foam but...It's your boat and you can use what you want. I'd recommend the Pink Or Blue stuff from Lowes of HD. Most of us have other jobs and it sometimes takes a while for us to get through all the threads and respond.

 

[ferdly1]

I have the floor in. Looks good. I just stained the marine ply and sealed with spar varnish to cut costs. I reused old foam. Next year I will be better off financially I plan to redo carpet or maybe use that nautelex. There is one problem that I encountered. To hold floor down. I used 12x 1-1/2 flat Philips sheet metal screws in satinless steel. They don't seem to have the gripping power I like. Did I use the wrong screws or were there some other scews that would have worked better. One other question I have later when I put carpet or nautelex will that glue stick to spar varnish. Also should I have opened a new thread?

 

[jigngrub]

Self tapping stainless screws are the best way to go for decking in a tinny.

You will find that spar to be slick on the deck, especially when it gets wet. The spar also isn't very long lasting and you'll probably want to sand it off and put down some new or something else before applying carpet or vinyl.

 

[Watermann]

Screws aren't the best choice for securing decking because they don't have much AL to bite into, large flange rivets hold the best and most AL boats the decking is a very important part of the boats structural integrity. I've used screws in some applications and find that the Sharx SS screws perform about the best and are even rated for use in CA treated wood.

 

[ferdly1]

I put the boat in the other day and so far high and dry. Pulling the floor was the best way ro find leak. I also replaced floor, it was pretty rotten. Once I cleaned all the dirt and mud out then refilled boat I easily found leaking rivet. I also have a new respect for the riveted boat. The bottom of my boat looks like i have used it for bumper cars. I was expecting to find leaks around all the dents. Only leak I found was on the keel. I wish I had tried the self tapping screws. I bought the scews at Lowes so not a great selection. I also realized when I used spar varnish that it would not be permanent. I was hoping I could glue carpet or nautelex over it without sanding but that small section wont be a problem.I just had spar varnish laying around from other project. I also sealed rivets with 5200 instead of gloveit to cut costs. I hope I wont regret that. Thanks for all the help guys, I consider this project complete. The boat has been in the lake for a week now. So far not a drop. Probably just jinxed myself. Keep up the good work. You guys are the greatest.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Wow no replies. Hope I haven't done anything to upset anyone in here. I belong to quite a few forums and I really appreciate the help you guys provide. It helps me keep the costs down on repairs. Not to mention new ideas I would never have thought of to make repairs. I was considering putting in the cooler styroform in, already bought the stuff. However I read here somewhere that I would be seeing those styroform beads for the rest of eternity. I think I will go with the old foam if I can get it cleaned up. I thought I had to put in full sheets of foam but thanks to a video here I see they cut it and packed it in. Poured foam not an option right now . May redo it next year. Already stained and sealed the floor forget to drill hole for drain. Its hell getting old. Any thought or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks for all your help so far!!!

Actually, I was worried that "we" offended you. It is obvious that some of us don't know the difference between offering a helpful and friendly advice for whatever it is worth and coaching and lecturing people on how they "should" live their lives. Maybe they take the online naval rank too seriously. Best of luck to you on your project