Well - as typical… a nice fall afternoon with plenty of wind yesterday! And as usual, while rigging the boat, adjusting sails, connecting batteries, etc. etc. the boat was almost blown off the stand several times. Wow - would this be a fun sail. Set the boat on shore, run back to truck to get transmitter and forgot camera. Run back for camera and return to shore, lift boat and look around. IMPOSSIBLE ! It was as if someone had shut off the wind with a big switch! NOTHING! [:-banghead] It always seems to happen - but just to me?
Decided to go for a float, but worried that it wouldn’t float back so photos taken close to pier. Sorry - no wind = no action photos! I recall days like that with the big boat too. Hurrying to get it set up and on the water and when done - no wind ! It’s a conspiracy I tell you. [:(!]
Anyway - here are a couple photos without wind.
This brings me to delema – found water inside, so I have a leak somewhere. Need to test but will ask the question - “How do others check for leaks?” Electronics are removed, so do you set it in the water and press down looking for incoming water - or set it on stand and fill inside looking for outgoing water? I have a feeling it may be around daggerboard trunk as the last sail was in pretty windy conditions and I may have developed a stress crack. Any other suggestions for leak testing appreciated. This is the first one that has caused me a problem finding.
Not quite sure what other people do, but if you fully submerge the hull, if there is a leak, air bubbles will leak out from the hole. Also, if you think it’s in the trunk, you don’t need to worry about a non air tight seal on the hatch, as you can flip the boat over…
Just another suggestion for checking on leaks. Seal the hull as well as you can except for one single “blow” hole. Smother the hull with detergent and then blow into the “blow” hole. Wherever your leak is it will show up very easily.
The problem with submerging the hull and looking for the air bubbles is that the air is probably coming up the side of the hull you then have to try and locate the hole anyway. Albeit you have a better idea, but it is still quite hard to do.
The detergent idea is the best idea we have found so far as the air bubbles will be over or very close to the hole it self.
I also use the detergent method and it works well for me. I once took up water and couldn’t locate any leak. The I did the blow trick and figured out that I had a 1 inch long crack at the bow of one of the hulls, right at a line where it was practically invisible. Must have happened at some collision… lots of bubbles…
completely forgot about that “trick” ! (and I’ve installed several gas lines for furnaces and stoves) DOH !
Can seal off hatch and mast step with plastic packaging tape and insert a plastic drinking straw for air. Will NOT be using my air compressor for fear of a bigger hole from too much pressure. Awesome. Thanks again !
