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I was washing my boat last week and noticed water dripping out of an area that was dry on the keel.

There is a small chunk about the size of a quarter out of the keel ridge. No foam is exposed but it has obviously has gotten wet. It has been dripping for days out of the exposed fiberglass.

Should I just go ahead flip it, repair it and seal it? Or should I try to let is dry out till the drips start before doing the repair?

I am well aware of the fact that threre is always some water in there and I can never get it all out. I'm just looking for the best course of action. The boat IS NOT water logged.


Thanks,

AJ

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Let it drip as long as you can. The area needs to be dry to do the repairs anyway so the longer you can wait the better. Your right, you will never get all the water out, the idea is to get as much as you can.

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try putting heat under the crack. i put heat under a 1/4" hole i drilled in my keel that had stopped dripping awhile ago. once it got warm it began dripping pretty steady, after i removed the heat (1hr or so) the water stopped dripping. i've done this several times with the same results.

the holes i drilled are however into the foam, but could be worth a shot.

good luck

dana

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Thanks guys...

I got a wire stuck in the area to act as a wick to pull more water out. It has stopped dripping and is just damp now.

I pulled my drain tubes to check the rear (paranoid). No problems and bone dry in there.

Thanks Dana... Several other people have mentioned the heat. I'll try that for a while before I flip it.

I've pulled the engine and interior tonight. I'm going to heat and grind it tomorrow. Maybe glass it tomorrow?

Regards,

AJ

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litespeed,

could you tell a little bit more about the wire you got stuck? i ask because i too am trying to dry my whaler, and all the little tricks may help! i assume it is stuck just into the little crack acting as an escape route for water?

thanks and good luck
dana

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Dana,

I stuck a 2' piece of safety wire up into the exposed fibers were. I had to use a pair of pliers to shove it up in there. It really helped to pull more water out. It turned a drip..... drip....... Into a drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. Instead of dripping every 30 or so seconds it started dripping about every 5 seconds until it stopped.

Now the area is just damp. I have a blower on it right now. I'm going to give it to about 3 PM and then flip it, heat it, grind it and check it for moisture again before the repair.

I think I may put one of those "keel guard" things on it too. We are constantly beaching the boat on local islands. Some of the islands have rocks and oysters on the beaches. Probably how I got the chip in the first place.

Regards,

AJ

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Make sure you use epoxy and mat to repair the damage. Polyester resin woun`t adhere to damp foam.

rich:|

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Thanks Binkie...

I'm on it... I just got around to flipping it today. The crack bubbled a little water for about 1 hour in the hot sun. Still damp... The black bottom is helping the process.

I was hoping to grind and epoxy today. I may have to wait a couple days.

I plan to grind out a couple small portions of the keel, repair with West System epoxy (and mat), cover with InterProtect and re-paint the entire bottom with the old black bottom paint.

I'm not touching it until it is dry. I'm using a laser heat detector and a moisture meter to decide when to start. Hopefully Tuesday afternoon if the weather holds out.

AJ

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Ok...

I need more help and advise. I have had the boat flipped for a couple days now. I have it out in the sun and it appears to be drying. If I stick my finger in the holes I have grinded out the foam is still damp. It appears that the surrounding fiberglass is dry.

Will epoxy resin be able to cure properly with this moisture? I dont want to go through this again. I do not have access to a garage right now to let the thing air out for months again.

Thanks,

AJ