Small cracks

[Cuchilo]

After launching the runabout i noticed some water had got in the boat . We didnt know if it was from the launching or a small leak but after getting her home the water had gone so i am assuming it was a small leak .Looking at the transom i can see the varnish has cracked a little and then i noticed someone has put something alongside the frames and planking . You can see what i meen in the top of this pic ...






She has been out of the water for over thirty years so i thought she is just taking up and to be honest there wasnt that much water but then i thought do plywood boats take up ? I dont know

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Looks like it might be a glue line failure?

Plywood boats don't take up!

[Cuchilo]

Hi Andrew , any ideas of what to do ? I was thinking of trying to inject some glue into the cracks .

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Hi, yes, that ought to do fine, once the wood has dried out.

[ChrisBen]

Hey Cuch, It wouldn't hurt to do as you plan but the proper way would be to stop the water ingress from the outside of the hull. Doing it from the inside will stop the water from getting in but you'll still be getting water into the seams causing rot.

[Cuchilo]

I agree there but i cant see where it is getting in , no cracks in the paint anywhere And my plan of chucking a bucket of water in and seeing where it comes out has been foiled by very heavy rain

[Cuchilo]

Aha , i found one

[Mrleft8]

AHA! Indeed! Now you need to determine whether you need to tighten up some fasteners, take it apart and apply some compound and re-assemble, or slather with epoxy!....

[Cuchilo]

I was thinking option 4 . Ignore it and hope it goes away

[Tylerdurden]

Had some issues with the dingy I am using. I re-taped the exterior with glass tape and epoxy and all is well now. On old glued plywood boats thats a must. Leave it in the sun without any rain a few days and grind off the old. You can do it in one day if you work steady.
If you raise any wet spots let them dry before attempting.

[Lew Barrett]

Fair enough; Mark's approach sounds good. Apply the patching and it should be fine. Keep an eye on it though, as it may reopen at some point in the future if there is too much movement or flexing there.

[Cuchilo]

I think it will be easier to repair it from the outside as it's right under the fore deck . I think there will be alot of flexing ( probably what caused it ) as it seems to be at the point that is mostly hitting the water when underway .

[Cuchilo]

That wasnt the leak I found the leak on my tidal day out and it is where there are no cracks or any sign that it would be leaking but it is because i watched it seep in Its where the transom meets the keel . Maybe it opens up when i put the outboard on

[Tylerdurden]

Check for rot or delam and retape it if its ok.

[Cuchilo]

When i rubbed the transom back to the ply i exposed the ends of the ply on the hull and all looked like new . I then primed with antifoul primer , flatted that right back and primed with toplac primer and then toplac . I really cant find any rot or where it could be comming in ... but it is

[Tylerdurden]

If the seam isn't taped I would highly recommend it.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

How old is this boat?
Check the fasteners first.
Reef the seams.
Apply the goop(aka wood in a can) and paint.

[Cuchilo]

The boat was built in 1963 and has pretty much been in dry storage all its life .

[pipefitter]

Why not put a small amount of water in the boat and watch from the outside where it is leaking?

[Cuchilo]

I did that and found a leak somewhere else but it doesnt come in from that point the same as it doesnt go out from the point it is comming in Dont you just love boats

[Tylerdurden]

As it was built long ago taping all the exterior seems may be prudent.
Not much of a job and it looks like you can flip here which would mane short work of it. A little faring and your good to go.

[Cuchilo]

I think your right and it would also reinforce the transom . I will drop her in a few more times (as i have only launched her twice ) and see how things go . I know the ply doesnt take up but the timber keel /hog do and that seems to have solved the leak at the bow .

[Tylerdurden]

Good luck with it and I don't think it will hurt to much if you sail it through the season, just let her dry out an go to town on her.
Pick up epoxy now as the prices are not going down anytime soon.

[onobleboat]

Do what Chris Craft did, caulk the seam or small crack when the boat is dryed, when she swells back up, trim off the excess caulk.
The major problem you have is the boat does not know if she is going to live on the water or dry land. If she lives in the water, the problem will probally take care of it's self, sounds like nothing to get excited about, just enjoy the boat, don't do a complete rebuild of the hull, 75% of wood boat owners would rather work on their boats than enjoy them on the water, just throw a towel down close to the water leakage and ring it out every hour or two, go on with your life and enjoy the boat.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

That's what bilge pumps are for eh?