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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 12:38 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2003 7:27 am
Posts: 159
Location: New Castle County Delaware, U.S.A
My Hobie 16 (carcia 1984) is takeing on water but, from where?
Even before my first sail I cauked around all four pilons. around which there were small chips and cracks in the gel coat. I also cauked around all hardware at the stern of both hulls. I removed the drain plug hole assembaly and removed all rthe rudder hardware and cauked that too.

To do my sealing I used a clear scilicone. The lable said it would be ok for showers and bath tubs so I figured whats the diff ? the cat hulls are a reverse bath tub, i'm just keeping water out instead of in. I guess its realitave.

Is it possable that water is passing through the hull? Should I use a two part epoxy paint? Should I have the hulls regelcoated?

----come on summer


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 6:40 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
Posts: 5197
Location: Detroit, MI
You've probably got a leak in the hull / deck seam.

Turn the boat upside down. Take a portable vaccuum cleaner and set it to blow. Put the exhaust outlet close to the open drain plug - you want just a little positive pressure in the hull. DO NOT OVER PRESSURIZE THE HULL! BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN! :twisted:

Paint soapy water all over the exposed hull / deck seam. If there's a leak, it'll blow bubbles. Sometimes the leak is too big to blow bubbles - those you can either feel with your hand or look for water droplets being blown up in the air.

Mark the leaky areas with a pencil and throughly rinse off the soapy water. After everything's had a chance to dry, squirt your silicone seal in the gap and smear a coating along the whole hull / deck seam. The pencil marks can be just wiped off.

I have never seen water "leak though the hull." There's always a hole.

Good luck!


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 Post subject: Hull Repair
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 6:03 am 
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Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2003 7:14 pm
Posts: 461
Location: West MI
My crew has a Hobie 16 that came apart at the hull deck seam. This is how we fixed it. Flip the boat so it is upside down. Sand off any silicone off the joint, (Hold cardboard against the hull so the disk dosn't run into the gelcoat). Clean joint with vaccum & MEK. Have several spring clamps available. Mix up epoxy and pour into open seam. If the seam is wide add some thicking agent. (TIP: If the epoxy dosen't settle into the crack put a slight vaccum on the drain plug, it will suck the epoxy into the seam.) Clamp the joint shut (no vaccum) and fill the remaining low areas. Clean up any overruns.

Hope this will help.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 12:53 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 12:29 am
Posts: 16
Location: Norway
Depending on the weather conditions and the difference between air and water temperatures, when I launch I leave my hatches slightly open to allow the pressure of the hulls to equalise. Warm air, on shore, in hulls, will contract when placed on colder water, thus having a tendency of sucking water/air in until the pressure is equalised (ie air in the hull is same temperature as air outside). If it's a small leak and you launch in sheltered waters try that...


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 Post subject: Air in the hull.
PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:08 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:41 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Alberta, Canada
In the GAQ section, they say:

Hulls need to "breathe". Without the vent, the hulls will flex when pressure changes inside as compared to outside the hull. This can cause damage to the structure of the hull. If you hear a puff of air when removing a drain plug, that is not "a good thing".

But they don't say what to do if you do have a puff of air when you check the drain plugs.

What should I do?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:30 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:11 pm
Posts: 5197
Location: Detroit, MI
Simply leave the drain plugs out unless you are sailing.

Boats like the Tiger do not have vents and there is a little warning sticker on the transom advising you not to leave the plugs in unless you are in the water.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:19 pm 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:56 pm
Posts: 9
Location: Grande Prairie
I would try rubbing the hulls down with dish soap and then adding a little pressure. The dish soap will at the leak. Then just caulk and go from there.

P.S. Use marine caulk instead of bathroom caulk because marine caulk is resistent to certain ions that are naturally in water that are filtered when the water goes through the city. That is if your not sailing on a swimming pool.LOL


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:11 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2003 7:27 am
Posts: 159
Location: New Castle County Delaware, U.S.A
Duely noted thankyou.
you mean, the Delaware river isn't just a really really big swimming pool my grandpa built?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jul 29, 2004 7:42 am 
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Site Rank - Deck Hand

Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:01 am
Posts: 17
How Long do you want to leave the wet dry vac over the drain hole, I am aftraid to do it for too long. :( Also, Do you use just soap or water and soap combo to find the leak.

Are tehre any other methods people use in finding out where the water is coming in from.

thanks for the info


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