We’ve had a leak since we got the boat that we were finally able to fix with some helpful insight from another HC33 owner. Thanks Steve! The leak was coming from the hole in the deck where our diesel heater’s stove pipe passes through the deck.
To fix it, the first thing I did was remove the charlie noble (boat chimney) to get at the hole.
Next was to remove the fairing block – it was cracked in half so I used epoxy to glue it back together. For this project I used West System G/Flex due to its greater elasticity.
We could see right where the water was coming in.
With the fairing block removed I used a Dremel with a sanding cylinder bit to clean out the old sealant and prepare the surface for some epoxy and fiberglass tape.
Then I applied the epoxy and fiberglass tape.
I let that cure overnight and then cut off the excess with the Dremel and a cutoff wheel. ALL HAIL THE DREMEL! I also sealed up the holes in the deck where the fairing is screwed down.
Then I taped off the area in preparation for applying the sealant.
I reattached the newly fixed-up fairing pad and tightened the screws just enough to that the sealant was squishing out. Then wiped away the excess. (With sealants you want to wait until it’s cured before you screw down the item tightly.)
I pulled the tape while the sealant was still wet.
I let that cure overnight, then tightened up the screws.
Next was to repeat the tape and sealant process with the charlie noble.
So after we got everything put back together all we had to do was wait for it to rain. We didn’t have to wait long. Fortunately the work paid off and the leak is fixed.
You look so much more credible with a beard.
ReplyDeleteExcellent tutorial! Finding the source of deck leaks is so hard...
ReplyDeleteMay I put this up on Small Boat Projects?
bob
Thanks Bob, sure, go ahead!
ReplyDeleteAaron, the leak looks like it came from water between the inner laminate and the teak. Sealing it with a single layer of glass with epoxy may cure it short term but I think long term with the heat of the heater stack my bet is not. In any case the water will still be between the teak and the fiberglass and may leak out in another place. I will keep my fingers crossed for you,
ReplyDeleteThanks Al, yes the water was coming from beneath the teak deck. (We're pretty lucky that the deck is solid fiberglass, so there's fortunately no problem with core rot.) The teak deck sits in a "tray" molded into the deck. Unless you have perfectly sealed deck seams the water gets under the teak and is trapped there. On our boat, the teak decks are screwed down from beneath, and then the screw heads were epoxied over. I have direct access to the underside of the only other items bolted through that particular tray, and fortunately there is no sign of leaking from those. When we recaulk the decks in a year or two we'll hopefully prevent water from getting under the deck in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAs to the longevity of the single layer of fiberglass, I've got my fingers crossed it'll hold up. Another HC33 owner who lives aboard and uses his heater frequently hasn't had any problems since making the same repair. Prior to doing the fiberglass part, I had an email exchange with a chemist at West System for their recommendation on what type of expoxy to use. That's where the G/flex came in. The tensile adhesion on the G/flex epoxy to teak is 1413 PSI, and 3459 PSI to the laminate. Accordign to West System, "G/flex is toughened to make structural bonds that absorb the stresses of expansion, contraction, shock and vibration." It's also tested to repeated cooling and heating to 200F. (We may exceed that at the deck, I'll have to try my IR thermometer next time we run the heater.) So hopefully the fix sticks. If it doesn't, we'll know pretty quick :)