Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

[Boomyal]

<br /><br />I have two mysterious wet spots on the inside of my hull. (black arrows)<br /><br />When I first observed them, the floor and foam outboard of the tank well (as pictured) was still intact and I assumed that the water was simply weeping down, under the stringers, from the wet foam above.<br /><br />For two days now, the aforementioned flooring and foam has been removed. All the areas in front of this bay and beside it are clean and dry and have been sitting in the direct 80 deg sun for those two days. Yet this afternoon there are still wet spots (smaller than pictured but definitely wet)showing thru the glass mat.<br /><br />Is it possible that there is water in the hull laminations below? The area is rock solid and there is no evidence of wear in the gel coat underneath the boat. The bay did have standing water as picture in my TTB project post. The whitish porous glass mat that you see is layed in on top of the hull material.

 

[bounder4465]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

my old fiberglass fishing boat was built with roving cloth. they did not put enough fiberglass in it to fill the voids in the cloth. mine has oil, dirt down in the exposed fibers, and will stay wet in the rear for days after I pull it out of the water. I dont know, but think the layers in my hull are holding water. perhaps this is what is happening to yours???

 

[Bondo]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Hmmmmmmmm,<br />Interesting Hypothisis..........<br />It makes complete Sense............<br /><br />Resin Starved fibers Would appear White.......<br />Probably wick up Alot of water........

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

I had areas like that, it took days for the hull to dry out. I had ground everything and then washed all the dust out. By the time I was done glassing in stringers, the entire inner bottom surface was coated in resin to prevent that from happening again. You'll just have to leave it in the sun till it dries out. Have fun....

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Yeah, Id put a heat lamp on it for a day or two and then coat it with a little thinned out epoxy to make it waterproof again.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

I had a spot like that in my ski-locker floor. It took two days with the lamp.

 

[DJ]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Let it sit, till it dries. When it does, soak it with resin, as Jason did.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

After 4 days, with a lot of direct sunshine on it, the wet spots persist. I haven't done the heatlamp yet but this is amazing. I've got lots of other work to do so this is not slowing me down at all.<br /><br />Once dried, should I use thinned polyester or epoxy resin? Do you thin with acetone before or after you add the catalyst? What is the thinnest (%) you should go?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Years ago I rebuilt a 1958 Plywood boat......<br />Turned it upside down,+ Baked it with a Salamander.........<br />It took 6 coats of Polyester Resin, thinned with Styrene , to Finally Gloss,+ Stop Soaking In.......<br />Styrene is a Coactive Thinner...,And can be used up to 40%......<br />Acetone will Evaporate,+ cause Shrinkage.......<br />Tolulene is another Good Thinner........<br />Atleast for Polyester........<br /><br />You Guys using Acetone are Shooting yourselfs in the foot.........

 

[E. E.]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

I tried a test piece diluting the already mixed poly resin with acetone. It never really hardened after about 2 days. I was wandering what I could dilute it with. Should Styrene be added before of after the hardener?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Day 8- Still wet.<br /><br />Bondo, how about when to mix the styrene with the polyester resin? Before catalyst or after. If before catalyst does it affect how much catalyst to use?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Day 8- Still wet.

(Edit, OOOOhhhh..... The Hull.............. ) <br />Acetone Should have flashed off in a couple Hours.......<br />And Shouldn't Stop the Cure..........<br /><br />How Old is the resin you're using ????<br /><br />Styrene is added After the Normal Mix.......

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Bondo, have not done anything yet. WET is refering to the water still wetting the fiberglass cloth in the tank well. It's been sitting in the sun (80 deg) now for 8 days. In the morning there are 3 large damp spots. By midafternoon they have receded to a couple of square inches each, but liquid water is visible in the center.<br /><br />My questions re; thinning the polyester resin are in preparation to saturate the inside of the hull after the water has disappeared.

 

[dkwalker]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

"By midafternoon they have receded to a couple of square inches each, but liquid water is visible in the center."<br /><br />A question/suggestion from a novice:<br /><br />what if you drill one or two 1/8" holes through the layers of resin, etc. Those small holes should seal easily when you recoat it but they could let a bit of air flow through there.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

maybe there's wet foam on other side of the 2<br />stringers that is slowly weeping water???

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Originally posted by mellowyellow:<br />maybe there's wet foam on other side of the 2<br />stringers that is slowly weeping water???

That is what I originally thought MY, however the floor and foam alongside the tank well has been out now for 9 days. Eventually I will put a heat lamp on it but for now I have other work to do such as pulling the outdrive and motor. <br /><br />I need to pull the floor along side the bilge and get a look at the motor mount stringers.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

that's weird.... there's water in the hull somewhere.<br />is the bow raised? maybe try lowerin the bow so<br />it's lower than the aft/transom and see if it stops?<br />coming from front and running up side of stringer<br />to that exact low spot?<br />almost like trying to find where your roof is<br />leaking. water can take some weird turns with<br />the help of gravity.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

If the wet area partially dries then is larger again in the a.m., then either your boat is still logged with water somewhere, or maybe it is soaking up moisture from the morning air, as in dew? Is it sitting outside overnite? Try the heat lamp!!! It'll be dry in a day.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

Quantumleap, the boat is outside but covered at night. The enlargement of the spots are due to rehydration of the surrounding glass mat( not saturated in resin) that is laid on top of the core hull glass, in the tank well, in the absence of daytime heat. There is a core of liquid wet in the center of the larger spots.<br /><br />MY, I do have it bow high. Everything is cleaned out and dried for 6 ft in front and all the way to the gunwales on the sides. The only foam left is under the floor along side the bilge, downhill and 1 1/2 ft behind the spots.<br /><br />I think there must be some unsaturated (resin) core hull layup glass that is holding water. The visible hull core mat is a heavy 3/16" weave that appears to be very well saturated everywhere it is visible in the rest of the boat.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Wet spots on inside of hull? Finally dry after 30 days.

The mystery continues. 15 days now for the wet spots. As usual, larger spot in the mornings, reduced to the wet center by mid afternoon. Tonight for the first time, I put a space heater in the gas tank well, with the boat covered of course.<br /><br />The only conceivable way this could continue to happen is if the remaining flooring, beside the bilge and a foot or better behind and down hill, is wicking water up to the spots.<br /><br />I just finished removing and disconnecting everything necessary to pull the engine. As soon as I do I will rip up the remaining floor and hog out the foam. I hope that will put an end to the mystery.