All,
I have a 2006 Capricorn that has a leaking hull. This leak has been aggravating me ever since the boat took a bounce on the trailer fender. It leaks about a half gallon after a six hour day which is not much but the other hull is bone dry.
The leak is right at the seam where the 2 hull halves are joined together. There is a small hairline crack about 6 inches long right over the seam. I have repaired this leak 3 times now but it keeps coming back. The last time, I opened the crack up and ground it down through the gelcoat down to the foam core. I also drilled a hole at the start and end of the crack and then filled the repair with glass cloth and resin. Then the repair was re-gelcoated.
The repair will hold for a couple months but then the crack will reappear in the exact same spot. I think trailering may have something to do with the crack reappearing but I can't be certain. I have my cradles padded and the crack appears forward of the cradle on the trailer.
Can someone give me a technique that will correct this once and for all?
Thanks!

IMHO you need to fiberglass over the crack area extending a few inches on either side of the crack. obviously gel coat is not strong enough to repair the crack.

ericweller

All,
I have a 2006 Capricorn that has a leaking hull. This leak has been aggravating me ever since the boat took a bounce on the trailer fender. It leaks about a half gallon after a six hour day which is not much but the other hull is bone dry.
The leak is right at the seam where the 2 hull halves are joined together. There is a small hairline crack about 6 inches long right over the seam. I have repaired this leak 3 times now but it keeps coming back. The last time, I opened the crack up and ground it down through the gelcoat down to the foam core. I also drilled a hole at the start and end of the crack and then filled the repair with glass cloth and resin. Then the repair was re-gelcoated.
The repair will hold for a couple months but then the crack will reappear in the exact same spot. I think trailering may have something to do with the crack reappearing but I can't be certain. I have my cradles padded and the crack appears forward of the cradle on the trailer.
Can someone give me a technique that will correct this once and for all?
Thanks!

That was going to be my same comment, did you use any fiberglass cloth in the repair? Also, are you sure that you've correctly identified the source of the leak? A crack would seem like the logical spot, but if you haven't done a bubble/pressure test, how do you know for sure that's the spot?

sm

FIrst thing to do is definitely a pressure test. Its not hard to do. Duct tape a garden hose to the drain (doesn't have to be all that tight a seal) blow a half dozen breaths into the hull until you get some back pressure. Walk around the hull with spray bottle with dishsoap and water and spray it down. In a few minutes you will be able to identify ALL the leaks. Don't forget the keels! I chased a leak around for quite a while before I realized that the top of the hull (although it had a few small leaks) wasn't the main source. Once you find it grind a trench a few inches wider than the leaking area and apply 3 layers of glass fibre each layer slightly smaller than the previous one. Sand it smooth after a day of curing and apply gelcoat. Total fix time maybe 3-4 hours plus cure time.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

Hey, thanks all!

Yes, I definitely know where the leak is. The Capricorn has bulkheads that create separate compartments so it was easy to narrow the general area of the leak.

My method of locating the exact location of the leak is a bit bizarre so I thought I would share. I started with the inside of the hull totally dry. Next, I took the boat to the lake with a roll of toilet paper. I put a single layer of the paper on the inside of the hull on the bottom and put the boat in the water. I was watching as the toilet paper immediately got wet and showed me where the leak originated. I confirmed the hairline crack on the bottom of the hull.

I located a picture of the first time I repaired it. It shows how much of the hull was prepped. By the time the third repair was done, I was about 1 1/2" wide. I will extend it out twice that amount and see if that corrects the problem.



Thanks!

Eric, maybe have catley look at it next time your down and give you his thoughts ?
ps were you here last weekend? we though we saw you sailing around while we were island camping on 1

Not the easiest to see what's going on from that picture, but I'm not seeing any glass fibers. Did you just smear epoxy into the crack? Also, if the bottom of the hull is foam core, then I would be concerned about water ingress into the core. That could mean replacing the core is also necessary. At the very least, you need to make sure the core is 100% dry before glassing. That could be the reason you have been having adhesion issues.

sm

Quote

At the very least, you need to make sure the core is 100% dry before glassing.

+1
May require the boat being flipped and left to dry for a few days
that's what i had to do on my h16 repairs

MN3

Eric, maybe have catley look at it next time your down and give you his thoughts ?
ps were you here last weekend? we though we saw you sailing around while we were island camping on 1

I thought of having Catley fix it but I don't want to have to take another trip to FL to pick it up. Yes, we were down this past weekend. We had to go to a friend's wedding and decided to sail while we were down. It looks like you can claim a homestead on island 1. We are going to try for a longer stay at Thanksgiving.

Dogboy

Not the easiest to see what's going on from that picture, but I'm not seeing any glass fibers. Did you just smear epoxy into the crack? Also, if the bottom of the hull is foam core, then I would be concerned about water ingress into the core. That could mean replacing the core is also necessary. At the very least, you need to make sure the core is 100% dry before glassing. That could be the reason you have been having adhesion issues.
sm

That picture was taken after I opened the crack up when I first found the leak. My first repair was simply to fill the divit with epoxy. By the time I fixed it for the third time, I used polyester resin with fiberglass cloth and the repaired area was about 1 1/2 inches wide. There didn't appear to be any foam as I was digging out the crack. I am going to make the repair 4" wide this next time to make sure I don't have to fix it again.