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wet hull
drake1271	#1  Posted on 11/16/08 - 3:55 PM
Member Posts: 1 Comments: 0 Joined: 11/16/08	Hi, I have a old 13' I use as a hunting boat. it has water in hull. what is the best way to dry it? if i get it dry how do i seal it? it is pretty beat up and dont want to spend alot on it.was thinking about haveing the spray on bed liner stuff put on it or would this ad to much weight?
Jeff	#2  Posted on 11/16/08 - 4:12 PM
Member Posts: 1987 Comments: 34 Joined: 04/02/05	Honestly there is no way to get all of the water out from between the hull skins. During my restoration of my 22 outrage I found that even though the foam used was closed cell foam, over time those cells will break open and allow water to move around with in the foam. This is good and bad. Bad because it allows for more area for water to find it's way into places and sit. Good because once in there is will move and settle in the lowest spots it can find. In most cases this would mean the keel and maybe the chines depending on how much water there is. So long as you have no delimitation of the skins from the foam it should be a straight forward solution. This means you will need to drill some holes along the keel line. I would start at the stern and drill 1/4" holes about every 6 inches moving towards the bow till maybe half way. Then try and get the bow up higher then the stern. Since you will some what be refinishing the hull anyway you will need not worry about putting that many holes in the hull. You will be filling them anyway while fixing the other areas that need work. Once the holes are drilled let gravity do it's work. This will allow what ever standing trapping water there is to get out. Once the dripping has stopped you have gotten out all the water that you will be able to. The foam will still be damp though. Now fill the hull over with the keep facing up. Start at the first hole and use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to dry the foam in that area as much as you can. Now fill the hole and move to the next one. That is the route I would take. Everyone has their own ways and here are some other thread that may help. Edited by Jeff on 11/16/08 - 4:13 PM 1993 23' Walkaround Whaler Drive
chris b	#3  Posted on 01/22/09 - 10:06 PM
Member Posts: 6 Comments: 1 Joined: 12/15/06	i like your calm approach, water in the hull can be pretty discouraging I can't turn my hull over. While trying to fill the quarter inch weep holes along my keel,water sometimes oozes out of the foam, destroying the integrety of my cabosil patch goop. Any ideas? What do you use for weep hole fill? thanks chris b
wezie	#4  Posted on 01/23/09 - 8:29 AM
Member Posts: 109 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/12/07	The calm approach is the best all around. The perfect approach will involve a lot of holes and heat and time and in a perfect world a vacuum bag. These will all provide a better solution for removal of water; however most of us lack one or more of the ingredients. Good luck!
Josey Whaler	#5  Posted on 01/23/09 - 9:20 AM
Member Posts: 77 Comments: 1 Joined: 05/28/08	In order to prevent any residual weeping water from disrupting your cabosil patch, you could first apply some 5200 adhesive caulk in the hole sufficiently to form a seal and deep enough to allow for you finish application. The presence of water does not disrupt the 5200 and may actually help it cure.
Tom W Clark	#6  Posted on 01/23/09 - 9:36 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	A vacuum will not remove water from a wet Whaler foam core. Draining will not remove (much) water from a wet Whaler foam core either. Evaporation is the only known method to remove such water and it could take literally decades to get all the water out of a Whaler. Josh -- Jeff offers good advice. Seal it up and don't worry about it. This assumes ther is not Too much watr in there. You should quantify how wet the hul is by weighing it. I had a 13 foot Whaler that weighed well over 1000 pounds. It did float (sort of), but was not usuable in any pratical way. It went to the land fill. Edited by Tom W Clark on 01/23/09 - 9:36 AM
charkbait	#7  Posted on 01/23/09 - 12:10 PM
Member Posts: 82 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/01/08	gorilla glue could work in the hole as well, it will expand out of the hole and can be sanded and beveled as desired.
hevysrf	#8  Posted on 01/23/09 - 6:50 PM
Member Posts: 17 Comments: 0 Joined: 10/20/07	Last year I had some good results on a heavy 11 ft hull using a few holes, a vacuum setup similar to the one Tom describes on CW, and patience. A black tarp and a sunny warm spring helped. I did not take precise weights , but the improvement in the way she floated was dramatic. When I purchased the boat in the fall the waterline was terrible. I drilled a few holes, installed a garboard drain(mortal Whaler sin), and ran a small computer fan under the tarp. Vacuum pump was run at most 30 hrs. After fiberglass repairs and some gelcote.she went back into the water. She did not float exactly symetrical but was nice and high even with a 15 hp.Before she sat about 3 inches lower without an engine. For a small investment she was a very usable boat. MartyD http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL583/4074976/20014503/324027933.jpg
95Outrage17	#9  Posted on 01/23/09 - 9:17 PM
Member Posts: 32 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/09/05	Marty, your 11' looks like it's sitting nicely in the water. Those 9.9/15 hp 2-strokes are one of my favorite Yamahas. I have a friend who sucessfully dried a 11' Whaler as well. I'm not quite sure what method he used, but the boat has been doing well for years now. I have had some sucess removing water from Whalers as well. I did some fairly extensive work on a friend's '91 Outrage 17' last winter and it sat at least an inch, possibly two higher in the water this past summer. In fact the boat actually felt different while under way. I think many factors contributed to this. The boat did not get wet all winter; it was either in a barn or in the shop. It had many components removed from the deck for much of the winter (open screw holes). All thru hulls, except the anchor locker drain were removed and the foam dried over time via vacuume and heat gun. Then filled with epoxy, drilled and new drain tubes fitted (I don't think I'll ever fill holes that deep with epoxy and redrill again. Too difficult to drill straight). There was a hole drilled aft at the keel and left open all winter. All unecessary holes in the hull were filled with epoxy and all fittings to the hull were properly sealed when reinstalled. The gunwale cap was recored and the gas tank (and therefore wet foam around it) was replaced. It took at lot of time, but all said and done I was very glad that there was a noticeable difference in the boat dynamically. Another indication: The summer before their Outrage 17 ('06 Yamaha F90) could not keep up with my '95 Outrage 17 ('04 Mercury 90 4-stroke) at top end (about 37 mph vs 42) and last summer they were pretty much side by side (and mine didn't get slower, haha). So I think *some* water can be removed from a Whaler sucessfully, but it takes the right methods, and lots of time... - Chris
jsb91010	#10  Posted on 01/23/09 - 10:46 PM
Member Posts: 128 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/01/08	I agree that there isn't much you can do besides let the water run out...the foam is still going to be damp...I did something similiar to jeff but on the railing I knew it was wet I just drilled a hole and ALOT of water rushed out, everything was still damp after letting it sit weeks of summer TX weather, I just sealed it up and everything is great! Is it 100% dry hull? NO, but it's only 350 pounds and it's good enough...you should weigh your boat drake and get an idea of what your working with...Good luck with whatever you decide...
MW	#11  Posted on 01/24/09 - 2:05 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1827 Comments: 10 Joined: 01/08/06	topside, don't forget to seal up the holes topside, also "Marine Tex" will cure wet. on older Whaler's their always "Some" water in there (mine included), drain out as much as you can without setting up a major operation, seal it and enjoy the boat. 13's are designed for "Fun".
Turpin	#12  Posted on 01/26/09 - 5:53 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 434 Comments: 20 Joined: 07/04/08	Anyone ever thought about or tried a dehumidifier? Could you possible make a tent sealing it around the bow rail and having an exhaust area in the tent for the dehumidifier? I would guess that you would probably need some holes in the floor but it sounds logical. Edited by Turpin on 01/27/09 - 11:58 PM
jsb91010	#13  Posted on 01/26/09 - 6:45 PM
Member Posts: 128 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/01/08	I thought about that Turpin after my house got flooded, and they brought them in to dry some of the drywall and floors...I think it would work best out of everything combined with strategic holes.
Eri	#14  Posted on 01/31/09 - 7:13 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 157 Comments: 4 Joined: 10/09/08	i did the humidifier and sealed up the boat with plastic. Ran it for a week. It was definately drier. The humidifier stopped pulling water. I am sure it lightened it up. Will see after in water this summer. Not totally dry but much better i am sure.