Help - I'm leaking! (and I hope not siniking!)
I have a '72 Typhoon (hull # 375) with a steady trickle of water coming in at the base of the starboard side seacock, where the retaining nut rests on the fiberglass floor under the cockpit floor. There is also water coming into the bilge, which may be the same leak draining into the bilge. It's on the order of a gallon a day, so I'd rather not just put up with it.
Can I just tighten the retaining nut and have some reasonable expectation that it will seal up or do I need to pull the boat, loosen the nut, and put something under it to make it seal? If so, what goes under the nut? Is that retaining nut really the top end of the through-hull fitting or is there something below the floor in the bilge that needs attending to? If I just tighten the nut, is there a risk that the whole thing will come off, leaving me with a two-inch hole and a sinking feeling?
And a related question on the other side - the hose has come loose from the port cockpit scupper. There seems to be a very short tail on the scupper, too short to get the drain hose over. There is a pvc pipe clamped into the end of the hose which seems to fit up into the scupper, though not tightly enough to keep water from dripping down the outside of the hose. Is this a standard arrangement or has part of a fitting broken off and been cobbled back together?
I appreciate any suggestions. The boat is on a mooring in Sturgeon Bay, WI and I'm a hundred miles away in Appleton until next weekend and worrying.
john.hoft-march@appleton.org
typhoon leaky cockpit drains
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Bill Bloxham
Re: typhoon leaky cockpit drains
Sounds like you are suffering from Previous Owner Abuse.
My Ty thru hulls were dry, but when I pulled them out to rebuild the scupper system I found a void a half-inch in diameter at one of the holes. Could have been a manufacturer's quality control lapse or osmosis. I did not care, just filled it in, but the point is that you do not know what you will find till you look. My thru hulls had been out 3 years before I bought the boat, and the previous owner did not do anything about the void.
Its time, I think, to haul out.
As far as the thru hull leakage rate goes, consider that if you take in 6 gallons (384#), you will have lowered your waterline about an inch. I sometimes sail with fellow adults from the second helping club, and with three of us aboard at about 525# the cockpit is dry in flat water. I do not believe the thru hull leak will sink you by itself.
I think your broken scupper tube complicates the problem a lot.
The broken scupper tube will leak like crazy when the boat is loaded and heeling. This can be much more dangerous then a controlled leak at the thru hull.
If you do it yourself rather then have a fiberglass professional fix the tube, you have a several options.
Buy the WEST System repair book and follow the advice about tapering the joint to a 12:1 surface match, and use epoxy for a higher-grade repair.
Do what I just suggested, and instead of a tube repair replace the tube with a scupper assembly from Forespar or someone like that. Just make sure to seal any coring you may expose in the process
Lastly, you may want to do a quick fix for the scupper hose. 3M 5200 sealant will really hold that PVC tube until you get to a place that you can do a better fix. Be aware, though, that 5200 is a permanent bond, and removing it will take some work.
Good luck
Bill
mmmmmmbill@aol.com
My Ty thru hulls were dry, but when I pulled them out to rebuild the scupper system I found a void a half-inch in diameter at one of the holes. Could have been a manufacturer's quality control lapse or osmosis. I did not care, just filled it in, but the point is that you do not know what you will find till you look. My thru hulls had been out 3 years before I bought the boat, and the previous owner did not do anything about the void.
Its time, I think, to haul out.
As far as the thru hull leakage rate goes, consider that if you take in 6 gallons (384#), you will have lowered your waterline about an inch. I sometimes sail with fellow adults from the second helping club, and with three of us aboard at about 525# the cockpit is dry in flat water. I do not believe the thru hull leak will sink you by itself.
I think your broken scupper tube complicates the problem a lot.
The broken scupper tube will leak like crazy when the boat is loaded and heeling. This can be much more dangerous then a controlled leak at the thru hull.
If you do it yourself rather then have a fiberglass professional fix the tube, you have a several options.
Buy the WEST System repair book and follow the advice about tapering the joint to a 12:1 surface match, and use epoxy for a higher-grade repair.
Do what I just suggested, and instead of a tube repair replace the tube with a scupper assembly from Forespar or someone like that. Just make sure to seal any coring you may expose in the process
Lastly, you may want to do a quick fix for the scupper hose. 3M 5200 sealant will really hold that PVC tube until you get to a place that you can do a better fix. Be aware, though, that 5200 is a permanent bond, and removing it will take some work.
Good luck
Bill
mmmmmmbill@aol.com