Water leaking from screw hole

[Dgallagher1)79]

I have been cleaning up the hull of my boat to apply antifowl. It has taken me hours to scrub and sand the remnants of last years fouling. Anyway there where a number of screws at the back of the boat on the outside. These served no purpose and where there when I bought the boat, so I decided to remove and fill them with plastic padding epoxy filler. One of the holes which was in the transform is leaking a very small amount of water. I know this is not good but I just want to fill the hole again and get on with it. My question is can i use the platic padding on a wet surface. If not how do I fill the hole easily again.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

What is the construction of the boat? You won't get a good bond on a wet surface so don't just add some on the inside. If it's dry you could rough the surface and put an epoxy on the outside surface, or just epoxy a screw back in. Don't just patch the inside.

 

[Dgallagher1)79]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

It is fibreglass and grp. I have attached some images. C

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

Age of the boat???

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

dry it with a hair dryer. But if it's staying wet because it's draining trapped water from the transom, you have a whole 'nuther project ahead of you.


there are products that will seal when wet.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

I would try to dry it out some before hand and then use the JB water weld. I've used it with some good results. It also sands good too.

WaterWeld | Specially Formulated Epoxy Putty

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

My thoughts: you could hook up a vacume pump to the hole,let it run for a week or two. It'll dry it somewhat,but there must be a filter inline before the pump. If ya try to blow low pressure in the hole,it just pushes the water in deeper,and not drying,also air pressure could de-laminate the hull. In any case it'll never dry completely without a teardown and replacement.i prefer the vacume pump method,it'll get ya by for awhile. Probaly best to take some core samples and see how much is wet or rotted. Good luck!

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

It's a sad fact, wet wood in the transom equals rot, which in turn equals a large project. Whoever put those screws in there didn't seal them properly, allowing water in.

Poke around in each hole with something like an ice pick to see how soft the wood is. If all the wood is still solid you might be ok for a while, in which case I believe I'd seal the holes with 3M 5200 along with properly sized stainless steel screws.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

Shop vac for a few minutes and re-install said screw with 5200 sealant

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

If it were me I would dry it out as best I could inspect for further transom rot and repair it first.

Those being tiny screws I would the drill all the way through the transom, and I would fill the holes with 3m 5200 I would follow up by running a stainless steel bolt with nylon lock nut and washers on the inside. Doing it that way will also confirm or deny suspicions of rot in that area. Plus it is much more unlikely for a nylon lock nut and bolt to back out or come out than a screw in the transom.

 

[Dgallagher1)79]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

Join Date
Mar 2013
Posts
58

Location
Co. Donegal
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Boat
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Orkney Strikeliner
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Water is still trifling out of top screw hole. I filled the other holes yesterday with plastic padding marine epoxy. covered the top hole with a bit of masking tape so that I could get on with antifowling. I will go back to it later. I have seen an epoxy putty product in the force 4 catologue that can be applied on wet surfaces. Might try that later. The other holes were below the transform so should be ok. I have taken a picture of the inside so that you can see where it starts. At least I could get on with the planned antifowling job. Got a coat of primocon and one coat of micron extra 2 on. Have to wait 16 hours before next coat according to instructions. I have attached some images so you can see.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

Looks like holes for the speedo pitot. There are marine caulks that stick to wet surfaces, but it would be better to dry it out and putty it.

 

[oldboat1]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

I'm siding with the posts that suggest transom water logging and wet rot. On an outboard transom, at least, most of the water gets in from the screw holes in top trim, and leaches down and sideways. If doing a temporary fix for the holes pictured, I like the above post that recommends bolting or plugging all the way through. In replacing a couple of transoms, I've used expanding foam in holes through the skin at the bottom of the hull to force out water and seal the new transom at the bottom (not perfect, but useful). It's hard to say what the best solution is without knowing the condition of the transom wood.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

If decided to use epoxy ~~ West Marine Six10 is the ONLY one suggested by KeelGuard and a few other marine applications.

 

[ken51k]

Re: Water leaking from screw hole

I had the same problem, water got into the transom from a screw that was not sealed. I cut a couple of 1 1/2 inch holes with a hole saw just deep enough to get through the fiberglass, hooked up a shop vac and ran it off and on for a few days then I just let is sit for a few weeks. The wood completely dried out. I then epoxied the plugs I cut out back in gel coated over the area then put on a couple of coats of barrier coat then bottom paint.