House boat in need of foam to keep it from sinking

What would keep the liquid epoxy from just running into the low spots? For the air pressure to push the liquid epoxy into the holes the liquid epoxy has to be over the holes.

 

How accessible is the inside of the hull? Is it possible to go inside and run a into each hole?

 

The inside of the hull is full of structure beams, can only see about 80 of bottom of hull, so epoxy would have to flow under beams.

 

It sounds like there would be no bottom to the mud, so propping it up would be impossible and useless anyways, as it would still fill with water.

If there is a few feet of water underneath, it would seem easy to roll a wide enough piece (25' ?) of pond liner on a 4"pvc pipe (capped on the ends to help it float and relieve some of the weight), and then securing the loose end on one end of the boat, you could have someone in dingys on both sides of the boat unroll it along the bottom to the other end. After the ends and side were secured a small hose stuck down inside the bag would suck out most excess water. Or maybe water pressure would eventually push all the water trapped between the liner and the hull through the spots that already leak and the bilge pump would pump it out until there was too little to pump. Then if a dehumidifier was put down there for a week or so, that would dry it out pretty good.

Of course, if there are sharp screws sticking out of the bottom, that probably wouldn't work.

Is the bottom smooth or are there skegs and screws and protrusions under it?

Whatever happens, if it sinks it will be a gigantic problem compared to what he has now. If he can slink away and anonymously abandon it, it's just a loss of the houseboat. If he's pegged down by the authorities and made responsible, it's the loss of the boat, plus the huge cost of removal, plus whatever fines and costs of environmental damage might be assessed.

 

Why not tie empty drums on opposite side of the boat? Use a wide strap to connect the two (or more drums) with the strap running under the boat. This will prevent the boat from sinking further.

Or you can tie it with mechanical straps so you can shorten the straps by using the ratchet, lifting the boat, sinking the drums.

Or you can tie the drums at predermined length. Attach a gate valve to the discharge flange, and air fitting on the breather cap. Fill it with enough water to remain just buoyant enough to position it, then purge the water out using a small compressor. Was this method the one proposed to raise the Concordia, except they are going to use inflatable bladders?

 

We passed a large camp house -boat comming up the river friday, nothing but 55gal, drums under it. Sink the drums, put them under the boat , suck water out one hole , pump air into the other like Rx sugest.

 

Maybe you should bring in Donald Duck as a technical adviser. Didn't his nephews raise a boat in 1848, by pumping ping pong balls into it?

 

Good technical advise. 1848 ---nah dont think so.

Donald duck was'nt born then and neither was a ping pong ball.

Try again.

 

Go to Google and type in "boiler plug" -- you should get pictures with a description. Boilers and water pipes can sometimes be fixed while they're still pressurized -- there are ways.

 

CDK's advice is sound as the water pressure will press the plastic into the leaks.Don't know if you have a bilge space but if you do fill it with empty capped plastic bottles to displace the space the water can fill.A bilge pump would be a good idea but one with a float switch or you burn out the motor.

 

Wrong on both counts.

The animated Donald Duck was created in 1934, and he almost immediately started showing up in comic books too.

Modern-style celluloid balls have been used in Ping Pong since 1901.

And I happen to own a modern reprint of the 1948 comic book story I was referring to.

 

But you keyed 1848 not 1948.

 

OK, it was a typo. Frosty can sue me... and sue me again, for not realizing it at four o'clock this morning when I answered him.

 

Sure, laugh about it. But it's just one more small step in Frosty's plan of world domination.

 

So, what happened with the houseboat?