Mechanical and Boat building

Please post mechanical or boat building challenges here.

[forsailbyowner]

motoring on river a momentary lack of attention and current sweeps you out of channel right into a large underwater rock. It holes the boat and water is coming in faster than bilge pump will pump out. No marine services or haulout nearby, full keel boat in area with big tide change.water is coming from inaccessible place under sole.

[shawnbush12]

ForSailByOwner please do not tell me this boat is now For Sale By Owner.

[cooper]

I hope this is a hypothetical ?

[forsailbyowner]

actually happened 2 yrs ago. jury rig lasted till haulout possible. Had parents 2 nieces and 2 friends with. Always remember to look forward AND back, was still pointed at center of channel but it was a fast current. Put a friend in dingy to deploy kedge and he was swept down stream as he couldnt row to keep up with current. Had to reel him in with anchor line and go out myself. no chance of sale its my home and business all in one.

[Chief Engineer]

Take a large piece of canvas....put lines at 4 corners....slip over bow and work it down till you cover hole....tie line off tight.....water pressure will hold canvas in place.....

that's one idea.

[Zach]

The last time I saw this one... It involved a blue T-shirt, pair of underwear, a diver, and tube of rubber mastic.

Boat ran aground, shaft strut poked up through the hull... flooded, laid over on a sand bar and required some salvaging. Surprisingly, a T-shirt, pair of underwear and some rubber mastic... will withstand full reverse of a big diesel as someone backs it off of another sand bar.

(Found out about the T-shirt, underwear, and tube of mastic after my dad bought it... and had her hauled out. Doh.)

In the future, I'd like to see some stout canvas used as Chief Engineer suggests. It's just wrong to pull wadded up undies out of the bottom of a boat.

[Chief Engineer]

What...aren't sailors sheets on thier bunks canvas?

Or you could use your hammock

Splash Zone and a piece of plywood. Or just Splash Zone depending on the size of the hole.
The canvas thing can be done with a sail, but I tried it once, and did not have much luck. That boat was too badly damaged not to haul anyway, but we could not get the sail to seal over the leak.

[forsailbyowner]

Well after checking the tide it was just clost to high, we beached her near an Island that had trees close to shore. We tied her off well bow and stern lieing parallel to the beach to the trees. then loaded her up on the toward the water side so it would lean away from the beach. I had resin, mat, and grinder on the boat so there I was laying on my back with just my face and arms out of the water grinding. the problem was water wouldnt stop dripping out of the hole ,I figured I had about a two hour window while the tide was down far enough. I gooped 5200 into the hole to somewhat stop the leak. then proceeded to glass over the hole. With the water inches below the patch the resin still hadnt kicked. In desparation I took a piece of topgun canvas and smeared one side thickly with 5200, stuck it over the whole works and squeegied the excess out. That darned canvas patch held so well I had to grind it off when I got it to a yard to haul. I will always carry some 5200 and hopefully will never have to use it this way again but I cant stress the efficacy of this patch method enough The 5200 will cure underwater and adhere to a wet surface. I was told by someone who installs throughhulls in the water that moisture actually helps the stuff cure.

[Zach]

Installs through hulls IN the water? Yikes!

[David M]

Originally Posted by forsailbyowner

Well after checking the tide it was just clost to high, we beached her near an Island that had trees close to shore. We tied her off well bow and stern lieing parallel to the beach to the trees. then loaded her up on the toward the water side so it would lean away from the beach. I had resin, mat, and grinder on the boat so there I was laying on my back with just my face and arms out of the water grinding. the problem was water wouldnt stop dripping out of the hole ,I figured I had about a two hour window while the tide was down far enough. I gooped 5200 into the hole to somewhat stop the leak. then proceeded to glass over the hole. With the water inches below the patch the resin still hadnt kicked. In desparation I took a piece of topgun canvas and smeared one side thickly with 5200, stuck it over the whole works and squeegied the excess out. That darned canvas patch held so well I had to grind it off when I got it to a yard to haul. I will always carry some 5200 and hopefully will never have to use it this way again but I cant stress the efficacy of this patch method enough The 5200 will cure underwater and adhere to a wet surface. I was told by someone who installs throughhulls in the water that moisture actually helps the stuff cure.

Wow....impressive! On the work boat I run we call it a MacGyver when we improvise to get something to work. Some call it a jury rig, but I think a MacGyver has a much more positive connotation.

You clearly pulled an outstanding MacGyver on this one.