help with my RIB V-Hull

spencer.clough · 23 February 2010, 00:37

hi i was wondering if any body knows how to check for leacks in the fiberglass

andyxs · 23 February 2010, 01:06

put a hose in the boat and see where the water comes out?

GBR1 · 23 February 2010, 05:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by spencer.clough

hi i was wondering if any body knows how to check for leacks in the fiberglass

The best way is to use your tube pump, add tape or something the gain a tight seal on you bung or wherever the water comes out of and pump to get some air pressure in the hull. The apply lot of very soapy water all over the hull (keep topping up the air pressure as you go), if you have a hole you will see the bubbles expanding..

Good luck..

9D280 · 23 February 2010, 13:52

...and welcome!

I guess from your info thingy on the side if it's under 3m you don't have a hollow hull? In which case the "fil lit with water" trick is likely going to work best.

If that is just "default" and you do go the pressure route, you won't need much pressure to simulate a leak. Also to prevent creation of a floating skating rink, concentrate on fittings & fixings first. That way you don't cover the whole boat in slippy soap. I used a 50 / 50 washing up liquid when looking for a toob leak. It gives a reasonable mix of bubbles and ability to clean it off afterwards.

jyasaki · 23 February 2010, 16:45

I'd be a bit careful with the fill-with-water test.

Depending on your trailer (if that is where the boat is sitting) and your hull, it may be quite easy to add enough water to overload the trailer to the failure point.

OTOH, I have used this method quite effectively, so I'm not saying you shouldn't do it; just keep an eye on what's happening on other parts of the rig.

jky

yorfuoj · 01 March 2010, 08:34

I would add : be very careful when "inflating" the hull, as the (internal pressure x hull area) is huge and able to break all the GRP sealings.
I tried once, on a 7.5m hull, inflating slowly until I heard a bang ... the deck moved up ! Pressure was about 150mBars -

ecoXR24 · 02 March 2010, 07:22

In industry, cracks can be detected by-
(1) spraying with water containing a dye
(2) drying off the excess water
(3) dusting the whole area with chalk dust
(4) looking for the dye stains in the dust

The fluid stays in the cracks for a long time and the chalk draws it out. You could use red food colouring in water.

Has anyone tried this for a boat hull?