Dingy with Hull Problems - Newbie

[amevy]

I have a 10ft Skunk sailing dingy . The problem is it weights about 500 pounds (4 men to lift) I suspect that at the hull is waterlogged. Can i drill holes in the inside seat area to drain the water and patch? There is a drain at the back of boat but no water comes out.

[Landlubber]

Hey that "stinks".

Yeah, of course. Why not insert an inspection port, that will allow easy access and still maintain the waterproof integrity. The 4" ones are easy.
You can also insert a bung into the seat.

[Guest625101138]

Inspection ports also provide access for sealed storage of valuables and things that might need to be kept dry.

Hull should be about 200lb. The 500lb sounds unrealistic - would mean about 300lb of water. If it has that much water in it then you would hear it sloshing about. If it is that bad you should find the source of water ingress and fix it. It will no longer float if swamped.

Rick W

[Ad Hoc]

If the hull is still heavy after you've drilled drain holes (especially if not much water comes out), then it is a more serious issue.

[PAR]

I'm fairly sure that hull has foam filled sections to it. This would likely be open cell stuff and it has absorbed moisture over the years. Drilling holes will not get all (if any) of the water out of the boat in this case.

The typical repair for this sort of thing is to separate the liner from the hull, remove the foam and reinstall the liner (with or without new foam). I usually don't replace the foam, just insure the liner is well bedded and access ports have good seals.

[ancient kayaker]

If it has been left rightside-up for a while and filled with rainwater, the most likely place for leakage into the bouyancy volume would be at the trunk-hull joint, noting that the trunk looks to be a different material. That would be a place I would take a close look at.

The rest of the hull looks to be a 2-part molded assembly and it is hard to see how it coul leak that much without an obvious hole someplace.

[PAR]

The usual culprits are fastener holes left to permit moisture in, when a piece of equipment was removed or replaced. In powerboats it's usually the seat pedestals or boxes, on a little dink like this it could be anything from a compass to old pieces of hardware that's lost it's bedding. Then of course the hull to deck joint should be also considered, which is another common leak point.

I'd be willing to bet, if the cap/liner was removed, you'd find water soaked foam weighing a few hundred pounds.

[amevy]

Looks like drilling holes may not solve my problem. How difficult is it to separate the liner from the hull? Any articles or books that explain how to do this?

[PAR]

I don't know of books or articles, which doesn't mean there couldn't be some.

Along the edge of the hull to deck joint there usually is an extruded piece of aluminum or plastic, often it has a rubber or PVC insert. If it has the insert, find the seam (usually at the bow or transom corners) and pry it out. Grab it with a pair of pliers and pull it the rest of the way out of the track.

Under this you'll find a few hundred screws, which will likely be stainless sheet metal flat heads. Remove all of them, then peal off the aluminum/PVC track. If you're neat about this you can reuse it or you can kink it up and buy a new one.. The deck cap/liner is typically bedded or glued down. Considering the age of the boat, it's probably butyl rubber or polyurethane. Use a stiff putty knife and lever it into the joint. I usually use a torch and heat up the knife until it's red hot and this cuts right thought the bedding material.

Now the hard part is actually lifting the cap/liner off the hull shell. It's often best to use an engine hoist, chain fall or come-a-long attached to a handy tree branch. The boat's weight will assist in pealing off the liner. Work the putty knife around until it's free, then set the cap aside.

Once it's off, you'll see the foam, which will probably smell like your ex-wife's old underwear. The foam cuts very easily with hand tools like hand saws. Hack away and remove major portions, then scrape out the rest.

Clean the edges of the hull shell and deck cap where they rest on each other and prep for re-bedding the liner back on the hull. If you want you can use new foam, but I wouldn't bother, as air chambers work just as effectively as foam filled chambers.

[Guest625101138]

Originally Posted by PAR

...........

Once it's off, you'll see the foam, which will probably smell like your ex-wife's old underwear.

........

How would anyone ever know this!!!!!!

Rick W

[ancient kayaker]

Rick: there are some things best taken on trust.

[PAR]

Extensive in lab and personal studies that I've conducted over the decades, Rick . . .

[Mikie]

Hey, I have the same boat. 1986. It should be 190 pounds. Here is a link that gives you some info.
<http://www.sailboatdata.com/VIEWRECORD.ASP?CLASS_ID=4970>.

Maybe you can help me. I would appreciatte a close-up photo of the boom to mast rigging. Or anywhere I can get the parts or photos. Or even better if you have anything you want to sell from the boat, sails or boom parts, etc. Especially a manual or brochure.

My email is mkornrich@yahoo.com if you want to send photos.

Thanks, Mike

[PAR]

Mikie, you may not have noticed, but the original poster was last on this thread in April of this year, which is some time ago. This was in fact his last post on the board, so he may be up to something else by now, but good luck any way.

[BobBill]

A bump. Curious how it is progressing.