Check and Double-Check!

[pjl83]

When I first bought my boat I decided that I would strip everything and re-do for peace of mind. This way I would know exactly what is in and how it was fitted.

The bung in the back of the boat looked a little "ropey". It was screwed tightly inside and there was a layer of fibreglass over the outside (which was a little strange!) This was a job that I wasn't looking forward to. On Sunday I was cutting the final frame when the battery died on my jigsaw. I almost sat down and made myself a coffee but with the cold outside I resisited temptation as I might not have got up again :escape:

I decided to tackle the bung! I got my hammer and screwdriver ready to chip away at the fibreglass but within seconds it was clear that the hammer wouldn't be neccessary. With the slightest of "pokes" with the screwdriver the whole of the fibreglass came off in one piece! Then, once I'd unscrewed the bung fitting it found what looked like bathroom sealant behind the plastic. It came off far too easily!

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It's now all cleaned up and ready to be refitted using marine grade sealant. It just goes to show that you just never know what you're buying, I dread to think what could have happened if I'd not bothered to have a closer look at the bung fitting! :hitting_fan: :faint:

[Mike]

Hmmm ... a fibreglassing job that attempted to use a mechanical bond - unsuccessfully - due to inadequate preparation, methinks. What a botch job that was. Whoever did that had rocks in the head.

I don't actually see the bung in your photos above, Paul. Only the bung hole. It may be worth considering a new replacement. They are cheap enough to replace.

I take it you won't be attempting to keep it in place using a fibreglass patch. Heh heh. :sick: That's the kind of job for sikaflex, as we have discussed at length offline, though I would go to some pains to ensure that the GRP in that area is very sound and well prepared for the sikaflex to bond with.

[pjl83]

Yes Mike, just the bung hole in that picture. There never was an actual bung, I needed to buy one so I have now ordered the complete pair - A bung hole and bung to match the 32mm hole that now exists in the hull.

Stikaflex will indeed be the stuff to use ;)

Although I am looking forward to seeing the family up north over christmas, there is a part of me that wishes we were spending our time off at home as I'm on a roll at the minute and really want to get stuck in!

[Mike]

Good man. Be careful about the hole that exists at present. You can't be sure what was used before to bed the old bung in place and it could well interfere with the bond between the sikaflex and the GRP, especially if it had any silicone in it. Use that acetone you spoke of and give it a thorough clean up - and a sand - before applying the sikaflex. Incidentally, I suggest you might use the rapid set 'Sikaflex 291' multi-purpose. It is pretty darned cold at present and some sikaflex products are rather slow to set in low temperatures.

If you would like to read the instructions for use (I need a magnifying glass to read the sparse notes on the product itself), here's a PDF file for you. Note the minimum temperature for use and the optimum temperatures too.


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For obvious reasons, I can't do much at present myself, so I know how you feel. But it's not the best time of year for using products like adhesives/sealants and epoxy, especially when you are exposed to the elements.

Family comes first, mate, so enjoy your Christmas with them. The boat will still be there when you get over all that turkey and Xmas pud, don't you worry.

Best wishes