Water sloshes from built-in livewell into bilge; seal, or let bilge pump handle it?

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
I found that the way my small built-in livewell is constructed, water sloshes over the upper "lip" of it (under the hull "cap") into the bilge.

(I actually found a thread almost exactly describing my issue on another boating forum, but I don't know if I'm allowed to link that, plus I was not entirely happy with the answers there)

So, should I try to seal that upper lip to the bottom of the hull cap? If so, what are some good ideas on sealant to use?

Or, should I just let the bilge pump float switch take care of that as the manufacturer apparently intended?
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,036
Seal it if you can. Maybe some of that canned spray foam insulation can seal it, at least somewhat.
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
I'm concerned spray foam would just suck up water and stay damp all the time.

Some of the spots that need sealing are hairline, but some will require quite a bead. Unfortunately a caulk gun with the pushrod extended will not fit in there, so I was thinking about either Flex-Shot (supposedly silicone sealant in a "Cheese-Whiz" type can), or a couple or three small 3oz tubes of a Loctite sealant equivalent to 3M 4000 UV.

(I am attracted to the Flex Shot only because it looks like it will "push its way in" on some of the larger, deeper gaps...I've never used Flex Shot and the online reviews are generally pretty filtered, so anyone recommend for or against that product? Is there an alternative you know of?)
 

Grub54891

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
5,908
A caulking gun will work in more places than you think, You put a clear hose on the nipple of the tube, and pump where ever you need to. Sometimes you will need a helper if the tube is extra long, but it works!
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,036
The Canned spray foam I have seen is closed cell, and will not absorb water.
 

Marinescout

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jan 1, 2017
Messages
81
I would just get a tube of silicon the small kind and squirt it on it and brush over it with a brush. Do it several times and it will be good. It dries clear. My son lost his balance on my 201 pro while the live well lid was open and stepped on the divider and cracked it where it is seemed and if I would let my love well fill 3/4 full it would leak into the back compartment. I fixed mine with the clear silicon and never had a problem again. Not sure if your talking about a similar problem or not but it worked for me.
 

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,544
I'm concerned spray foam would just suck up water and stay damp all the time.

Some of the spots that need sealing are hairline, but some will require quite a bead. Unfortunately a caulk gun with the pushrod extended will not fit in there,

Wet your finger and use that gun to squirt a quantity onto your finger and rub away. Your finger being round on the end is perfect as it allows for excess material where you need it most...in the crack.
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
OK so I took a crack at it yesterday.

On the plus side, it does look like it did seal everything around the top of the livewell tub, from the small hairline seams to the large gaps. Also, it was fully set in less than 1 hour at ~60?F 75% RH (light rain) outside.

On the con side, this stuff was VERY difficult to make come out in any kind of steady, consistent, predictably placed bead. Maybe all the Great Stuff foams are like this, but there was always a 3-10 second random delay between pressing the applicator and anything coming out, an even longer unpredictable delay between releasing and the stuff stopping coming out, and no matter how soft or hard I pressed the applicator, the bead would randomly be either tiny or huge. So the "bead" is actually more like a series of tiny-to-huge "blobs." Luckily it's not visible without an inspection mirror! I suppose I can cut away parts of any really large blobs with a utility knife blade.

Hoping to get an on-the-water test of the seal sometime in the next few weeks.
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
After a couple of days, I went at the drips, streaks, and oversided blobs with a pretty sharp-edged plastic scraper, and that cleaned it up pretty good. Makes me curious how well the bead will adhere over the long haul.
 

Old Ironmaker

Captain
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
3,050
I don't know how the livewell mechanically closes and latches but I might look at using an automobile window or refrigerator seal around the top.
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
Update: took the boat out for a test run this weekend in some rough water. Some parts of the foam broke away and some water still sloshed into bilge, but far less than before. I do agree I also need to trim a couple inches off the standpipe.

If the rest of this foam breaks off...and I believe over time it will, bit by bit...I'll find another solution.
 

fishrdan

Admiral
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
Post up some pics of what you're trying to seal up. I was going to respond last week, but didn't know what/where you were trying to seal, or how to suggest sealing it...

FWIW, if you are trying to stick something to a polypropylene tank, there isn't much that will stick to it, especially if the sealant cures rigid.
 

bashr52

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
413
Post up some pics of what you're trying to seal up. I was going to respond last week, but didn't know what/where you were trying to seal, or how to suggest sealing it...

He's trying to seal the gap between the floor and top of the livewell. I'm in a similar situation. I keep seeing those flex tape commercials and wonder if I got a roll of the white, cleaned both fiberglass surfaces really well (using acetone or the like), if I could fold this stuff over the gap to seal it up (stick it to the bottom of the floor and side of the livewell). I like the idea of it being one full strip vs something I have to brush/paint on as there is less of a chance of missing a spot and having a small area for water to still seep into.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,417
Some parts of the foam broke away and some water still sloshed into bilge, but far less than before.
next time try the round gray foam insulation used for filling cracks. Compresses to roughly half its diameter. Will expand and contract to make up for the movement in the joint
 

foodfisher

Captain
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
3,756
Just a thought. I sometimes carry 5 gal buckets of water in the bed of my truck with the sloshing out problem. I found floating a smaller bucket on top of the water stopped the slosh.
 
Top