#STAY AFLOAT EMERGENCY LEAK SEALANT CRACKED#
#STAY AFLOAT EMERGENCY LEAK SEALANT FREE#

We have soft wood plugs attached to every through hull. We carry extra sail that could do in an emergency. Instead of 5200 we have 4200 (Mon Capitan refuses to use 5200, because as a marine mechanic, he has had to remove things that were put together with 5200.) We have all the above things on our Orca, except the last store bought item. Mon Capitan had the same opinion about the Stay Afloat as you do. There is an interesting store-bought alternative to fothering that I've never seen in person that works a little like a cross between an expanding moly bolt and an unbrella - push it through the hole and then pull so that it deploys out around the hole.Īll good alternatives to the nearly functionless 'Stay Afloat.' Good to have either sinking line or line weighted with a short loop of chain to get under the keel as you pass the bight under from the bow and walk it back. This is where you hang a suitable bit of canvass that's grommetted at the corners so you can pass lines under the boat to pull it down in place, controlling the upper edge with lines right up to the gunnell. I've not had to use it, but it's well to be prepared to fother a boat. I didn't realize I'd pushed in so much and certainly didn't expect it to dangle till hard and survive another thirty miles of sailing. In that case, when we hauled the boat a week later, it was very funny to see epoxy extrusions, like worms, hanging from the bottom of the boat. With the sloop, I nailed small plywood patches over each hole quickly after trowling in some epoxy. With the yawl I worked from the inside, prying off the butt block and slapping the lead slathered with epoxy into place and then nailing it to the hull. With the tug, we made up a lead sheet bigger than the hole, slathered it with underwater epoxy, and I went over to press and hammer it into place. On the times I've actually had to make a fast repair at sea, once on a steel hulled tug that got a puncture and once on a wooden yawl that hit a sinker and broke a bit of two planks at a butt block and once in a strip planked sloop that landed on an awash container that sent almost half of the floors loose with the screwheads pulling right through the planking, each repair took a slightly different variation. I figure any hassel cleaning cured epoxy later is worth getting home for. For myself, I'd rather something with a little staying power, which is why I have a selection of underwater epoxies to put under my plywood patch. You could then use Stay Afloat as a sealer held in place with a wood patch. You might also have some common lead falshing which will mold in against (working inside) or over (working from outside) most any compound curve. Those plugs should be tied one to each through-hull and ready to go, no looking about.Ī wooden boat really should have some bits of wood and nails at hand. Stay Afloat is not even remotely a substitute for a softwood tapered plug for a through-hull fitting. The video is dangerously and insultingly misleading given how trivial those staged leaks are, juxtaposed with boats well past the stage where a little dab'll do ya.

#STAY AFLOAT EMERGENCY LEAK SEALANT CRACKED#

Like that cracked fibreglass panel in the video would be panting in even the most modest sea. Tests show that it has little independent adhesion if well below the waterline or if the hole is large or is moving. Of course, in the vid it would have been more sensible to close the seacock but that's advertising. As you can see from the video, it does stop very low pressure leaks at the waterline in calm conditions. Stay Afloat is like a slightly improved plumber's putty. To advertise, take a look at WoodenBoat Advertising, or use your Google Adwords account if you want to advertise on the Forum. Selling/self promotion postings are verboten on the Forum. No need to register unless you would like to participate, although some images will only show if you are registered/logged-in.īefore you can post: click the red register link or the register tab, above, right. You'll find answers to the frequently asked questions as well as basic rules. To get WoodenBoat delivered to your door or computer, mobile device of choice, etc, click WB Subscriptions.Ĭheck out the FAQ.

#STAY AFLOAT EMERGENCY LEAK SEALANT FREE#

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Stay afloat emergency leak sealant