Dry Fibreglass hull

celticbandit · 10 July 2007, 12:22

Hi all,

I have a Dateline 5.5M rib with a problem!
I had a crack on the center under the waterline which led to water leaking into the GRP laminates. The hull is made up of thin layers of fibreglass and honeycomb foam core. The problem is I can't seem to dry this out to make a successful repair. At present I have opened a window about 20cm x 5 cm into the hull. Its wet through.
does anyone know how to dry the water out of the hull, I was thinking of covering the boat in a plastic sheet and using a dehumidifier.
do I need to turn the boat over to carry out the fibreglass repair?

thanks as always.

codprawn · 10 July 2007, 12:45

Time is a great healer - if you can leave the boat somewhere warm and dry it will dry out over the winter - obviously remove any hatches etc so air can get into the hull.

You could even use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the moisture

http://www.hotvac.com/process/default.aspx

There are also epoxies that can even be used for underwater repairs.

Pete7 · 10 July 2007, 18:10

Doesn't the Dateline have a moulded deck in her. Is that where the water is or does the foam go right to the bottom of the hull ?

Pete

celticbandit · 11 July 2007, 07:24

The hull is made of thin layers of fibreglass with a honeycomb like foam between them. The wet is in the foam layers.
Regarding the deck it is moulded. I removed the console from the deck. the long fuel tank underneath is fitted into a moulded "bath tub" like hollow made from fibreglass. I would need to remove the tank and cut into the moulded area holding the tank to get to the actual inside of the hull. The problem is the tank looks to be bolted somehow, but the bolts are underneath and there is no way to see or get to them!
I am hoping I will not need to repair from the inside.
Do you think I need to turn the boat over to carryout the fibreglass repair(when it eventually drys). Its not easy to apply the resin when you are under the boat as it drips out of the hole!

wavecrosschris · 11 July 2007, 07:43

a dehumidifier would help i'm sure but whenever i've seen boats out of the water in sheds being treated for osmosis they have had heat lamps (the infrared type that glow red) faced upwards at the hull for a few days

a couple of these would probably see it dry in a day or two: (might cost a bit though in electricity!!)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WALL-MOUNTED-1...QQcmdZViewItem

Pete7 · 11 July 2007, 07:47

You have two options, drill a hole through the crack, let it drain and then fill with Expoxy resin or take the tank out and cut out the foam, it can't be layered across all the hull surely, probably just the bottom of the V.

There weren't many of these ribs made so you will be pushed to find other owners unfortunately.

Pete