I have returned... with a Starcraft this time!

[BWR1953]

It IS awesome. I like the way she thinks.

It is tempting to just let it go but I need the painting practice so that I'm more proficient when I start the Chieftain project. Later this year maybe?

 

[BWR1953]

It's certainly looking shiny out there in the morning sun. Dew tell. :lol:

 

[BWR1953]

Leak test...



Part 1

Got the boat in the garage and started filling with water. My buddy was helping as supervisor & safety monitor.


And after an hour of waiting, a few drops showed under the forward section.

 

[Watermann]

Not bad! Easy fix.

 

[BWR1953]

So at this point it was time to take the boat out into the yard to drain and dry.

And I did something really, REALLY stupid. And I have to pay the price. :facepalm:

 

[BWR1953]

Part 2


I'm posting this so that others can learn from MY mistake. Don't be a bonehead like I was this morning! :blue:

It was completely my fault. :yell:

REMEMBER TO STRAP THE BOAT TO THE TRAILER BEFORE MOVING!!!

I didn't even think about it. I was so happy that I only had a tiny leak to worry about that I got distracted. And my yard slopes.

So even though I was moving the truck and boat very slowly, the yard is bumpy and when I made a turn around a tree, the water inside the boat moved to the port side of the boat, flipping it off the trailer and onto the ground! BANG!!



And back in the garage for another leak test. The port stern is now leaking along the bottom rivet seam line.

 

[BWR1953]

Okay, now I have to fix the stern leak. It's seeping very, very, very slowly. A few drops per hour; not rivulets. But I want zero leaks.

I'll have to re-buck the forward rivets as well, plus the stern rivet line, then reseal all of them with something.

I'm reluctant to spend $50+ on a small can of Gluvit just to seal these tiny areas. Would it be okay to use Coat-It over top of the existing Gluvit, or are they chemically dissimilar enough that I should pay the $35 difference and just go ahead and get the Gluvit?

Any other options?

Sigh. :blue:

 

[Watermann]

Oh man! Hope the boat didn't get tweaked.

I dunno about doubling up on gluvit and coat it, not been done before that I know of... so it would only be a guess. Run a wire wheel over the gluvit to scratch it up good, clean and apply another layer of gluvit is what I'd do. Save the coat it for the Chief.

 

[BWR1953]

Oh man! Hope the boat didn't get tweaked.

I dunno about doubling up on gluvit and coat it, not been done before that I know of... so it would only be a guess. Run a wire wheel over the gluvit to scratch it up good, clean and apply another layer of gluvit is what I'd do. Save the coat it for the Chief.

Thanks WM. I just ordered more Gluvit. I still have some left over from 3 years ago but I don't trust it and simply haven't thrown it away yet. Will do that now for sure.

I'm not seeing any "crinkles" or other signs that the boat got bent. So far.

This is the area now in question. When I checked it earlier, there was definitely water there. Underneath along the bottom and a few drops on the garage floor. That was after 1/2 hour of waiting.

At first I was hoping that it was simply "leftover" water from the spill which had run down from the gunnels, along the sides and then underneath. But I need to be absolutely sure. So I dried it with a hand towel and let it sit for another 1/2 hour and it was wet again. Dried it one more time and then lowered the bow so that the water pulled away from that area. It's been sitting that way for a couple hours now.

Just sent the boy out to crank the bow back up so that the water will flow back over that area. Will give it another 1/2 hour or more and then go check it again. If it's wet, then it's definitely a leak which will need to be repaired.

 

[Watermann]

Uh I'm not seeing any of the amber Gluvit even on the seams, did you paint over it

 

[BWR1953]

Uh I'm not seeing any of the amber Gluvit even on the seams, did you paint over it

Yes, I painted over it when we did the interior last year.

 

[BWR1953]

So it looks like I may have gotten lucky. :concern:

Went out a few minutes ago and after 2 hours of sitting with water in the stern, there's no water under the boat and the seam is still dry. The prior water must have been from when it splashed over during the spill.

Just to be sure, I'll leave the water in it overnight and check it again tomorrow. (Keeping fingers crossed here.) :ambivalence:

 

[Decker83]

Glad to hear there was no real damage to the hull.. I bet your heart nearly stopped when it tipped over..
You know with all that water in her, if you had strapped it down it may have tipped the trailer with it..:noidea:
Good luck with the leak test..

 

[BWR1953]

Glad to hear there was no real damage to the hull.. I bet your heart nearly stopped when it tipped over..
You know with all that water in her, if you had strapped it down it may have tipped the trailer with it..:noidea:
Good luck with the leak test..

Well, my heart definitely dropped when I heard that bang! It came as a complete surprise. I'd been watching carefully and nothing untoward seemed to be going on. Of course, I couldn't see inside the boat, which is where the trouble was brewing. From my view in the truck, all was okay then suddenly kablammo!

Ya know, I was thinking awhile ago that if I'd had some trailer guide posts on there that they might have prevented the boat from lifting off the trailer. :noidea:

But your point about taking the trailer with it is well taken! :faint2:

Then again, if the boat had been tied down, I may have been given some warning by the grunts and groans of the trailer hitch as the water sloshed around. Maybe? :barbershop_quartet_

 

[BWR1953]

There is definitely a leak at the stern caused by damage from the boat coming off the trailer yesterday.

Water drops along the seam this morning and water on the floor beneath.

I have a doc appointment shortly and I'm unsupervised right now, so I can't move the boat outside to drain. But I will do that ASAP and get to fixing things caused by "the grassy knoll" event.

 

[nrf414]

Oh man. Thank you for sharing for others to learn from. I started and ended my leak testing in same place, outside. Glad to hear no major damage from Grassy Knoll. Fortunately you will get a good laugh later in life at this misfortune.

 

[Watermann]

Looks like you have some more paint to strip off :grumpy:

 

[BWR1953]

We safely got the KF into the backyard this afternoon. My buddy and the boy walked alongside and carefully watched to make sure that there wouldn't be any problems. No worries this time. (Man, I really need to get the bow of the Chieftain up!)

The KF is draining and drying tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll bring it back into the garage at that point and start stripping the leaking area inside the hull. Gluvit isn't going to be here for a few more days, so I'll have time to properly prep the area.

 

[Decker83]

I would definitely do something to raise the bow.. you don't want a lot of water sitting in there for a long time..
Have you found new decals for the Merc yet?

 

[BWR1953]

I would definitely do something to raise the bow.. you don't want a lot of water sitting in there for a long time..
Have you found new decals for the Merc yet?

Yes, I found some repop Merc decals online. Pricey though.