Peter Treby wrote: > "A small leak can become a big problem... It is surprising how much > water can come in through a small hole under such circumstances. It is > like a pump. Usually this is a nuisance, but the hole does not have to > be that big to become a problem on a rough day." > Have you ever seen this become a significant problem? I have drilled a 1 > millimetre hole at the top of each bulkhead and each compartment remains > dry, no matter how much rolling, surfing or bashing over waves the day > involves. As Robert Livingston said, it is not that hole which allows water in; it is any hole in the outside of the hull in regular contact with water. In my boats, I do not see leaks into the _bulkheaded_compartments_ any more; rather, I get water "pumping" from the hull flex mechanism, operating on the opening the rudder cables demand, _into_the_cockpit_, where they exit the hull-deck seam. The cables run along the inner edge of the H-shaped rubber extrusion which "seals" the hull and deck.* The hull and deck are mated with a structurally sound overlap of mat and resin on the inside; but, the cables have to penetrate that mat/resin overlap, and after a few hours of rough water travel, I'll have a quart or so of water sloshing around in the cockpit. That quart of water has never been a problem; I know from rescue practice that even a couple gallons of water is not enough to materially affect the handling of my boats. I get wet some from the leakage; but, it _is_ a wet sport, after all. --------- *That H-shaped extrusion is laughable as a "seal"; it just makes the hull-deck seam look good; I think its main function is to maintain registration when the real seal (the mat and resin overlap on the inside) is bedded in place at manufacture. Once, I replaced most of the overlap in a boat which had been oil-canned in surf; the H-extrusion helped me mate the halves, but that was about all. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Apr 04 2007 - 02:41:26 PDT
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