Repairing Leaks On Fiberglass Boat Below Waterline

[cclyerly]

what is the best product or what is the best way to repair a small leak under the waterline? we are still trying to identify exactly where it is coming from but have isolated it to starboard side forward.

One product I read about was Kollision Kit but has anyone had any experience with that?

Any comments/input are appreciated.

[deltaten]

How small is "small:?

A quart a day or A gallon/hr? Crack or puncture?

Perhaps a temporary measure would be underwater setting epoxy putty? Or careen it some where's at low tide and havva look-see/repair?

At least till uou can have her pulled

[Shrew]

You're better off determining where it is coming from before deciding how you're going to fix it or the materials required. It could be a through hull which needs to be rebedded.

[cclyerly]

maybe hairline as we've been underwater to inspect but can't "feel" anything. Water coming in quart an hour maybe little less.

thats all we know so far..

we are at a dock already (due to engine troubles) so at least not at sea. Almost ready to put the sign up

[barnakiel]

Hairline cracks are superficial, they do not let water in unless your boat is built out of paper thin laminate.

You cannot go like this. Find the leak. Fix the leak. Find it first though.

b.

[cclyerly]

Yes barnickle. But perhaps u misunderstood The post which was for suggestions for products to repair underwater leaks.

We obviously KNOW we have to find the leak but thanks for stating the obvious. We KNOW we cannot continue with a leak in the boat so yes we ARE in the process of finding & fixing it. But AGAIN, the post was to solicit product suggestions. Jeez!!

The REAL suggestions that have been posted are appreciated, though. Isn't that the reason for which this type forum exists?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by cclyerly

Yes barnickle. But perhaps u misunderstood The post which was for suggestions for products to repair underwater leaks.

We obviously KNOW we have to find the leak but thanks for stating the obvious. We KNOW we cannot continue with a leak in the boat so yes we ARE in the process of finding & fixing it. But AGAIN, the post was to solicit product suggestions. Jeez!!

The REAL suggestions that have been posted are appreciated, though. Isn't that the reason for which this type forum exists?

Ay ay - I stand corrected and please accept my apology - I took those courses in quick reading ;-) and they seem NOT to work as promised. I will write to them ask to get a refund!

On materials - the two part epoxy sticks you buy they do set under water. BUT they are pretty dense and not sticky at all. I tried. Difficult to apply.

Here you have a list of what is generally available maybe you will find something you like:

Repair Products - Repairing Leather, Vinyl, Tile, Wood, Fabric & Cars - 66 Swimming Pool Leaks

I know that H20 mentioned here is indeed good stuff. Friends of ours used while in Polynesia, below waterline.

http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/userimages/H2OGlue.jpg

I must admit this is not available where we are. ;-(

Hope this helps somewhat in your challenge.

Cheers,
b.

[Saffa]

Originally Posted by cclyerly

what is the best product or what is the best way to repair a small leak under the waterline? we are still trying to identify exactly where it is coming from but have isolated it to starboard side forward.

One product I read about was Kollision Kit but has anyone had any experience with that?

Any comments/input are appreciated.

Straight answer. Splash Zone. Two part epoxy putty which can be mixed by hand.

[cjsfsm]

H2O Glue looks like a good product. Try this website: http://www.chemical-concepts.com/marketsegment/product/view/131//adhesives/7/ for availability.

[Sailor647]

Are you looking for a way to repair the leak while the leak is still in/under water, or are you looking for a repair product that you will make on the hard (out of the water) that will hold up once the boat is back in the water?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by cclyerly

Yes barnickle. But perhaps u misunderstood The post which was for suggestions for products to repair underwater leaks.

We obviously KNOW we have to find the leak but thanks for stating the obvious. We KNOW we cannot continue with a leak in the boat so yes we ARE in the process of finding & fixing it. But AGAIN, the post was to solicit product suggestions. Jeez!!

The REAL suggestions that have been posted are appreciated, though. Isn't that the reason for which this type forum exists?

The product cant be determined without you finding the cause. If a seacock leaking it may be sealant, if a cracked hull it may be underwater epoxy, if a hose... well hose! Why are you intent on an in the water fix? pull the boat and fix it!

[Badsanta]

If this is a fiberglass boat and it is leaking through the fiberglass and not around a thru hull or a water leak from your fresh water system, its not likely a single crack that you can squirt something into. Any topical coating will surely fail. For a large unknown spot I used roofing tar and covered it with a plastic bag. Held for a day till I had it hauled, sure was a pain to clean off. Turned out to be a thru hull that was just imbeded into the fiberglass that cracked a large patch around that pipe. Looked like it was just letting water soak through the fiberglass. If I had just put a wooden plug in from the outside it would have stopped the leak. Once hauled out, the thru hull pipe just came out in my hand with a foot wide circle of fiberglass around it. I ground the edges back glassed over the hole with multiple layers of glass and then redrillid the hole and put in a propper thru hull pipe with a mushroom head a proper backing board flange adapter and ballcock valve. I can stand on it now. I cant figure out why a boat manufacturer would just stick a bronze nipple into but not through the fiberglass side. If it was leaking through the glass I would suspect a larger impact that crushed the fiberglass and it is seping through the crushed layers insted of an isolated crack. The repair would be to grind out the effected area and relay the glass over a much larger area than just the hole.
If you just want to stop the leak without hauling the boat anything from a golf tee to a 2x4 drove tightly into the leaking spot may slow it down, but anything less than a haul out and a real repair will be just temporary. I have repaired leaks on several boats. Most were either something leaking from inside (water lines) around thru hulls chainplates or vents. Then crush damage from dock other boats or logs. I'm not making light of your problem and sorry for being long winded.

[Squanderbucks]

I agree with cheechako without knowing the source of the leak you can only get a list of all types of products for varying situations. It would be very unusual for a fiberglass hull to just start leaking without some specific cause - running aground onto something hard or at a fast clip.
Usually a fitting or transducer - especially if it could have been bumped even with something soft - just settling down in the sand at low tide etc. would be the most likely culprit. Bad hose likely.
A quart an hour is a large leak.

Some hulls are molded in right and left halves and glassed together along the keel and a hard bump or being supported on the keel with too few of blocks under it can stress crack a keel and would later leak. That could only be fixed out of the water and would require cutting out the crack, feathering it all around by several inches and relayering the area with all new glass and epoxy.

[dmalcol1]

In a emergency rub wax bowl ring over damaged area from outside should stop hairline or thru hull leaks equaling quart pr hr. I keep two on board and have given spare away on occasion.

Good luck and best wishes

[Akapeterc]

I am very interested in the ideas that every one has here, as I have a small leak on my yacht were the deck hull joint goes below the water level at the rear of my yacht. When in a marina or at anchor nothing comes in unless you squeeze the joint by proding it with your finger you get a few drops come thru but when you sail or motor you get half a bucket when sponged out of the bilge after two days of travelling. It looks like mine has been filled with some sort of material in the past.