At the end of the season I experience some water in the hulls of my Hobie 16. I have installed new drain plugs and checked the exterior of the hulls thoroughly and can't find any damage or sealings that would allow water in.
I have heard that some water is normal, and if this is the case, where would it come from and how much is normal.



Edited by catman42 on Oct 27, 2017 - 11:00 AM.

What boat??

Hulls leak in a number of spots: through hull fittings, all stay attachment locations, beam attachment locations, daggerboard trunks are notorious, deck to hull seams, the list goes on. You can GENTLY pressurize the hulls and do a soap check, or you can live with it.

There are countless places where hulls can leak - thru hull fittings, pylons, hull/deck seam. If you only get about 1/2 gallon or less of water in the hull after a day sail, I would not be too concerned and you will likely pull your hair out trying to get the boat to be 100% water tight. If you get more than 1/2 a gallon of water per day, then you may want to try to fix the leak. The most effective way is to lightly pressurize the hull through the drain plug fitting and then spray soapy water all over the boat and see where bubbles form, then seal the leak with caulk or epoxy.

You should certainly be draining the hulls after every sail, not just at the end of the season. Water left in the hull for long periods of time is not good for the boat. It will eventually be absorbed into the fiberglass causing the boat to gain weight and potentially causing delamination.

sm

In my experience with the H16 I usually found and cured leaks that were around the pylons from small cracks to no sealant. If you don't have sealant around the pylon/hull opening you will most definitely have a leak. If there's sealant there and it's old it is likely just hanging there without forming a seal so dig it all out, clean all the surfaces (where sealant must bond) and apply a new bead. For this I like either 3M 3200 (DO NOT use 5200 or 4200) or a silicone/urethane blend sealant like LifeSeal.



http://www.boatlife.com/l…seal-sealant-cartridges/

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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
MacGregor 25 (formerly)
Chrysler Dagger 14 (formerly)
NACRA 5.0 (currently)
High Point, NC
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I second or third pressurizing the hulls and spraying with dish soap and water and trying to find the leak(s). Do not over pressurize the hull with a compressor or shop vac reversed to a blower. I have had good luck with a balloon pump bought from the dollar store. Just rig it up to fit in you stern drain plug and pump it up while a friend sprays the hull with dish soap/water mix.

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Scott
ARC 21
Prindle 18
Annapolis, Maryland
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Would an inatex matress pump be about right?..got a couple boats to check

carl2

Would an inatex matress pump be about right?..got a couple boats to check

Might but will be harder to regulate than using an air compressor with a tip (that you can control the volume of air)



Edited by MN3 on Oct 31, 2017 - 09:07 AM.

I use a short length of rubber hose with a couple of wraps of tape around the end to build up the diameter to match that of the drain plug fitting. Then thread it in and blow in a couple puffs of air and have someone spray the hull. It takes very little pressure to get bubbles to form.

sm

i use a hand towel or washcloth wrapped around the nozzle so it's not an air tight seal
def a 2 person job
i like ed's idea of using a mop to cover a big area quickly