[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference unifix::sailing

Title:SAILING
Notice:Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:UNIFIX::BERENS
Created:Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2299
Total number of notes:20724

2039.0. "dinghy density doubles!" by MR4DEC::RFRANCEY (dtn 297-5264 mro4-3/g15) Fri May 28 1993 17:20

    A friend just brought my fiberglass dinghy to my house from outside
    winter storage (open to the elements).  I wondered what he was talking
    about with regard to the weight of the dinghy - he said it caved in his
    roof and he felt fortunate to be able to push it back out!!!
    
    I thought my friend surely wasn't a weakling so I wondered just what he
    could be talking about - until I tried to move the dinghy into my
    garage.  I t feels like it has doubled in weight!!!
    
    What's the scoop?  Does fiberglass absorb water so much that there is a
    tremendous increase in weight???  The dinghy doesn't feel soft anywhere
    and I cannot hear any sloshy of water in any "hidden" compartments.
    
    Do I need to stop smoking that funny stuff?
    
    	Regards,
    
    	Ron
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
2039.1need help on removing waterMR4DEC::RFRANCEYdtn 297-5264 mro4-3/g15Tue Jun 22 1993 12:1818
    Well, I pulled the dinghy out of my garage and turned it on its side
    and heard water sloshing around inside.  I found a small plug about
    half the size of a dime and pulled it out.  I also noticed another plug
    area about the size of a quarter and that it had been removed.
    
    I stood the dinghy on end and some water drained out but not much.  I
    inserted a small screwdriver in the hole where I had removed the plug
    and felt something like a firm jelly or like soft beeswax.
    
    I turned the boat on its other end and a little more water came out.
    
    What do I have to do to get rid of the water???  Is water absorbed into
    something inside the shell?  If so, what to do about it?
    
    	Regards,
    
    	Ron
2039.2Lacking a flavor straw, maybe a wet/dry vac?MARX::CARTERTue Jun 22 1993 12:317
    Ron,
    
    Can you get the nozzle of a wet and dry vacuum cleaner over the hole
    where you removed the plug?  If you can, that might be able to dislodge
    or suck the sludge.  
    
    djc
2039.3what is the expected sludge?MR4DEC::RFRANCEYdtn 297-5264 mro4-3/g15Tue Jun 22 1993 13:119
    Well, I don't own a wet & dry vac but maybe the new owner of the dinghy
    does, and yes, I can recommend that approach.
    
    What is inside there anyway?  The dinghy is an Ensign.
    
    	Regards,
    
    	Ron
2039.4DEMOAX::GINGERRon GingerTue Jun 22 1993 16:337
    If the dingy has a nice smooth molded interior, and a similar smooth
    exterior, then it was built by moulding an inner and outer hull and
    sticking them together. The space inbetween was probably left empty,
    someone thinking it was a 'sealed' compartment. Of course nothing is
    'sealed' forever, so water gets into it.
    
    A better design would have put foam in between the hulls.
2039.5slow drainMAST::SCHUMANNTue Jun 22 1993 17:3513
re .4

Even if there is foam in between the hulls, there is typically room for quite
a bit of water. My sunfish usually has 2-3 gallons of water in it after
floating in the lake all season. (I think it leaks in around the self-bailer.)

You need to make sure that the hole is clear, i.e. remove any sludge or gunk
inside the hole as best you can, then turn it hole down and WAIT. If there
is foam in the hull, it may take several hours for all the water to seep past
the foam and out through the hole.

--RS