The Gurnard fixes a leak in an awkward spot...

[The Gurnard]

[Admin note: these posts have been moved here from this thread: http://www.rib.net/forum/inlinemod.php?threadid=72466 which explains how The Gurnard acquired the leak in the first place!]


Ach ..the midges were only around for about an hour Jeff. I generally wake at 5 am every summer morning so that is why I met one or two then..by the time the rest arose..a wee breeze kept them away.

I had no midge bites when I got home..but I did have a wee tick..just behind my knee. Those are wee buggers too.

Just for info..particularly to you Jeff as you have the same SIB ..just a tad shorter. Here is the leak. As I suspected..its chaffing from the angled edge of the rear floor trim. It was very rough the day I used her before the SIB outing.. so probably that was the final straw after twelve years of rubbing on the floor. An easy sort though..and I suspect the tear at the back edge was due to the rough with a flat tube as I didn’t see it when I had the floor out during the winter.

Keep an eye on that area on your SIB too ..perhaps pad the edge of the floor with plastic tape to help. Wear and tear after 12 years is only to be expected.. especially if you push them the way I do

[jeffstevens763@g]

thanks for the tip gurnard i have seen this on other boats as you say its to be expected two surfaces rubbing sand , salt in between and twelve years of it, i think end of season i will buy some neoprene tape, i have used it on my bow dodger to prevent chafing its not expensive sticky on one side various widths and thicknesses got it off eBay for info.
since you have it stripped out is there any other areas that are as bad or is it just at the stern i have only seen it in that area possibly because of the engine forces at that point.

cheers

[The Gurnard]

I have only removed the last panel so far Jeff.. Im leaving it with the boat cover on for a few days so it all dries out.. then I will investigate further and do the repairs.

The other side is going in the same place..but not quite through the black PVC layer to the red PVC tube..so some padding will sort that side out. This photo shows the angled edge that has done the chaffing



This is a closer view of the leak..its a sizable hole in the red PVC tube. The black PVC layer is well glued and is not lifting.. so my plan for the permanent repair is to clean it all up .. then make a mix of sikaflex and PVC glue ..to plug the hole and make the plug flush with the outside of the black PVC layer. Once its cured off .. Two part PVC glue a big patch over the plug and black PVC..if that makes sense. Whadda ya think ?

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

I have only removed the last panel so far Jeff.. Im leaving it with the boat cover on for a few days so it all dries out.. then I will investigate further and do the repairs.

The other side is going in the same place..but not quite through the black PVC layer to the red PVC tube..so some padding will sort that side out. This photo shows the angled edge that has done the chaffing



This is a closer view of the leak..its a sizable hole in the red PVC tube. The black PVC layer is well glued and is not lifting.. so my plan for the permanent repair is to clean it all up .. then make a mix of sikaflex and PVC glue ..to plug the hole and make the plug flush with the outside of the black PVC layer. Once its cured off .. Two part PVC glue a big patch over the plug and black PVC..if that makes sense. Whadda ya think ?

In some respects it's a difficult one as the surrounding material is still ok and plugging the hole will do the job but if it were me I would go to a tyre repair shop and buy a mushroom repair insert if they have one small enough or one of the self bailer mushrooms push through the hole with glue on it pull tight back to the tube and inflate the tube wait till it dries then cut the stork level and do an external patch even sikaflex on the mushroom will do it and give you more time than glue.
Put some string round the mushroom stalk and tie it back to keep pressure on wont do any harm till it sets. Also the mushroom stalk has a ridge on it which will help.
Just thought an old mushroom off a fuel pump is very small which would be easer to get through the hole.
Farm machinery supply shops sell mushrooms to
Cheers

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>> before returning to Largs...and home.

Interestingly Largs (well Fairlie) was my home a while ago... I say a while... actually 1957 when I was one. Fenlander snr was a construction engineer on the... not totally popular at the time... Hunterston A nuclear power station opposite Little Cumbrae. It was his stories of escapades on leaky hired puffers with iffy engines that prompted my interest in returning north of the border as an adult.. as we have done each year since for most of the past 35+ years.

>>>make a mix of sikaflex and PVC glue ..to plug the hole and make the plug flush with the outside of the black PVC layer. Once its cured off .. Two part PVC glue a big patch over the plug and black PVC..if that makes sense. Whadda ya think ?


Yes or an alternative would be to slit that exposed red PVC each side from the hole giving just enough room to get in some glue and a folded small inner patch... fiddly but just possible and perhaps too invasive??

What do you think to my mushroom method David you have done more repairs than me ,same as mending a car tyre if he uses sika flex it would stick on in its own write if the mushroom drops off.

[The Gurnard]

Hey Jeff..I must have been keeping myself in the dark and feeding myself a lot of sh&!

I love your 'shroom idea.. and will do that first..followed by sikaflex PVC glue filler mix.. to build up to outside level of Black PVC. Then slap a patch over the lot which should help it reoccuring

Thanks for that

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

Hey Jeff..I must have been keeping myself in the dark and feeding myself a lot of sh&!

I love your 'shroom idea.. and will do that first..followed by sikaflex PVC glue filler mix.. to build up to outside level of Black PVC. Then slap a patch over the lot which should help it reoccuring

Thanks for that

The car repair stalk has a metal rod which will aid pushing it through so you could make a folded umbrella shape full of sikaflex if that makes sense so kind of push through half way fill with sika push the rest of the way mushroom will open pull back. Hope it works because it would be a good repair for awkward places like yours.

Cheers

[Fenlander]

Yep that's the best idea yet Jeff! Something where pressure pushes the inner repair into place has great merit.

[The Gurnard]

Im going to steal a little of both your and Fenlander’s suggestions Jeff.

I cut two small PVC patch material circles. Drilled two tiny holes in one of the disk patches.. threaded fishing gut through the holes..then glued the other disk on the back so it seals the holes. Once Im ready ..warm this mushroom patch up..make the hole in the boat slightly larger... slobber the mushroom patch with glue..shove through the hole..then pull it up tight to the inside of the tube with the fishing gut.

Once it has set in position.. cut the gut flush..fill with sikaflex.. to level of black PVC then the external patch over the lot. That should sort it ..no problem..and jobs a done deal

Three minds working together .. are better than one gurnard fish head

[jeffstevens763@g]

Great idea and done in a jiff could also be done in the field as part of the repair kit.
As a suggestion I would say if it's wet in side? Sika /marine flex will set with a damp surface or use a moisture reacting glue such as gorilla glue.
And make the hole round to stop it travelling same as they do with cracks in steel by drilling a hole to stop it running on.

[The Gurnard]

Yup..a round hole it will be Jeff..I also have a small diameter brass tube. It will slide up the fishing gut to the patch..so I have the brass tube to push the patch through the hole. Then the brass tube will slide off the gut..and I can tie the gut up to something to give pressure until the internal glue sets..so Im still using all your suggestions

[jeffstevens763@g]

Let us know how you get on mate interesting one cheers

[Poly]

crikey I didn't know you had any of those shiny circular things left after the soup in Tighnabruich.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Pang M6 6mm Maxiseal Rubber Plug Patch (24) | Autosessive

For info

[Nick Hearne]

Looks like a lot of fun had by all

Mods don't you think Gurnards repair should be split to anther thread as it is useful stuf which not all will read here!

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Nick Hearne

Looks like a lot of fun had by all

Mods don't you think Gurnards repair should be split to anther thread as it is useful stuf which not all will read here!

Yes! I'll tidy it up either later tonight or whilst appearing to work tomorrow

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by Poly

Yes! I'll tidy it up either later tonight or whilst appearing to work tomorrow

good man wouldn't catch me doing that though

[The Gurnard]

Hi Jeff..I like the look of those type plugs ..but as Im a stingy old git..Im not spending £18 on them to sort one leak. If I had a few leaks..I would then consider it.

I have plenty PVC patch material..from a repair kit and also a re cycled Seago.. so Im still going down that route..but keeping both Fenlander and your advice in mind for an internal patch before the external patch and final finish.

Its still raining here so I cant do the actual leak yet.. but have now worked out my technique for applying the internal patch.

I will use a ¼” drill bit to enlarge the actual PVC leak hole ..and here I have used a piece of ply to simulate the PVC tube

First step is to cut three patch disks .. two are around ½” diameter and the third around 1” diameter. I drilled two small holes in one of the smaller pieces and also the larger piece. I also require some fishing gut..at 25lb breaking strain..its strong enough for the job. The holes I drilled are a nice fit for the fishing gut to pass through.



Second step is thread the gut through the holes in the small disk.. then PVC glue the other small disk to the rear of the disk with the gut. Leave overnight to cure. This seals the holes around the gut



Step three is thread the larger disk onto the fishing gut but don’t slide it all the way to the smaller disks. Fold the smaller disk and shove them through the hole in the tube. When I do it for real..they will be slobbered in a mix of PVC glue and Sikaflex marine adhesive to form a sticky paste.



Step Four ..once the two smaller disks are inside the tube ..slide the larger disk up the gut..roll it up and shove it through the hole. Again..it will be slobbered in sticky goo when I do for real.



This photo shows the “rear or inside” of the tube. The disks are dangling on the fishing gut. (you have to use your imagination to see all that slobbered sticky stuff that they will be covered in.)



Then its simply a case of pulling the fishing gut from the outside of the tube..and all disks are pulled into place. Secure the gut to keep tension on the patches until the slobbery stuff has cured.



Once cured..the fishing gut can be snipped off..then the external patch applied.

Anyone have any better ideas or see any pitfalls to this way ?

I would prefer to do the repair with materials I have at hand so not wanting to order stuff that I wont use. I also don’t want to cut a large hole in a better access location so I can access the internal area of the leak.

[office888]

I've seen this before.

Cut a hole in the outside of the boat, patch the leak from the inside, then inside/outside patch the hole you cut on the way out.

You can glue a d-ring over the patch if you care about cosmetics.

[office888]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

I also don’t want to cut a large hole in a better access location so I can access the internal area of the leak.

Why not? That's the right way to do it.