Sunk 1 hull yesterday!

2 weeks ago we bought the Hobie
2 days ago, first time we "capsize"
Yesterday, 1 hull sank

After 2 hours of swimming on each side of the boat and pulling it, we got to shore. Emptied the hull and left to go home (it was getting dark, we went sailing after work from 6 to 9).

Question:
What happened and how can I fix it?
My first guess is that the plastic plug on our Port hull is not adequate (I suspect it is not the original one as it is different than the plug on the starboard hull.)
Any other guess? How can I test if there is not a hole in the hull? (it took about 30 minutes for the hull to fill).
The other hull also gets a little water, is there a product I can apply on the hull so that no water fills in?

Thanks for your hints,
JF

First make sure you have the right drain plug. Second look inside the Dagger pocket to make sure there is no cracks. Sometimes the board will rub the back of the trunk. If your or the previous ovner hit something with the dagger then you could have a hole there.

If its neither of those then you need to do some investigation. You can hook up a shop vac hose to the exhaust and taped to the drain plug. this will put a little pressure in the hull. You don't want too much pressure that will damage the hull. Then a mild soap and water solution applied to the hull in all areas will show you where the leak is. Hope this helps any other questions. feel free to contact me.

Also check this thread viewtopic.php?f=18&t=169

Rich

_________________
Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

That seems like a lot of water in a short period of time. Another way would be to remove the deck covers and look inside with a flashlight with the boat floating. If you have the rear deck covers, you would be able to see the drain plugs.

_________________
Jeff Serene
1984 Hobie 18 Magnum
Phoenix, AZ

jsserene, what are the tools needed to remove the deck covers (boat is currently on the beach and would like to bring necessary stuff before going).

Thanks

If they are the old style with the rope, they just pull out. The new style unscrews. You do not need any tools.

_________________
Jeff Serene
1984 Hobie 18 Magnum
Phoenix, AZ

jsserene is talking about the round hatch/port covers.

That is a LOT of water in 30 mins. Are you sure you started with empty hulls before sailing? was the full hull the one in the water when you capsized a few days prior? Was the hull drained after the capsize?

If the hulls look good potential leak points are:

Drain plugs
Rudder gudgeon bolts in transom
Hatch covers/seals
Dagger Board Flange at bottom of hull opening - this is if you have an earlier model boat - I think pre 1987. There are threads in this forum with good ways to fix this type of leak if you have one.

I suspect your hatch cover may not have been sealed well and when you capsized the hull got most of the water then. But thats a guess. I have sailed in low wind for 30 mins without plugs and didnt take on as much water as you described.

Keep us posted, I may learn something new.

_________________
1984 Hobie 18

Sailinagin,

In fact, the hull that sunk is the one that we capsized. I did not look before going in the water if if was filed, but I'm pretty sure it was not since the boat was floating horizontally (vs diagonaly after 30 minutes).

I will go tonight and bring the boat in the water and switch the plug from each hulls and check the following:
Rudder gudgeon bolts in transom (I don't know what this is, help please)
Hatch covers/seals
Dagger Board Flange at bottom of hull opening

Thanks,
JF
Hobie 18 1982

What I mean by the transom area is where the rudder castings are bolted to the stern of the boat. Make sure these and the flange around the drain plug are sealed well with a silicone sealant.

Good Luck!

_________________
1984 Hobie 18

Sounds to me like you probably forgot to put your drain plug in. Either that or you have a major hole somewhere. The only way that your hull would sink after 30 minutes of sailing would be if you forgot your plugs or you have massive damage somewhere. Minor leaks around the gudgeons or other fittings aren't going to cause your hull to fill with water that quickly. Even if your drain plugs aren't the right ones for the housings, they would still prevent most water intrusion as long as they were installed. Maybe you're missing a gudgeon screw or one of the shroud anchor plate screws.

If you're sure you didn't forget the plugs, then I would just give the hull a quick visual inspection for cracks, particularly at the dagger board trunk as others have mentioned and also under the hull flange where the crossbars connect. If all else fails, do the soap/bubble test. You don't even need a shop vac, just a short piece of hose that you can jam in the drain plug opening and blow up the hull with 10 or 20 lung fulls. Put some soapy water in a squirt bottle and just start spraying around the hull. The leak should be very obvious considering how severe it is.

sm

I left the plugs out on my 16 once, I didn't even make it off the dock before the boat was full of water. I bet you have a leaky drain plug.

Adam

Went back to the cat tonight.

Finally, with day light, it was a lot easier to see the problem.

There is a crack at the back of the hull, from the middle to ¼ of the way up, where the hull ends and the side where the plug is, both intersects.

I guess I'll read on the forums and fiberglass this part...

From your experiences, in what time will I be able to put the cat back in water? I would like to make a quick fix (if possible) and work harder on the hull during winter (in Québec, season is short and hope I can get the most out of it).

Thanks,
JF

There are guys who I am sure will give you more specific info than I can on this, but because this is in the transom area there are a lot of forces back there due the the rudders. A quick fix that only cures the leak may not take care of the real problem which is structural.

The fiberglass work will need to strengthen the transom area.

If you can post pictures of the crack to this site this will go a long way to getting the best advice on what to do.

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1984 Hobie 18

First a pic would really help.

You will need to glass from the inside. Cut an access port in the rear deck for an additional porthole. Sand the area for about 3 inches on all sides of the cracks. Drill the ends of the cracks with a small drill. A small hole at the end of the crack will stop it from continuing. Glass the cracks with 6 inch strips of fiberglass matt and polyester resin. Atleast 3 strips on both cracks. If the crack intersect alternate the strips so the center has 6 layers minimum.

If you tape the outside before starting the glass and resin work(blue painters tape works well) you will have minimal clean up to do when finished on the hull. A little gell coat on the crack and drill holes and your back on the water.

_________________
Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

Finally, here are some pictures of the cat...

if possible, i would like to fix the boat as soon as possible with a quick fix. Boat is currently at the beach and I would like to work from there.

I would work on the hull this winter.

any ideas? here are some pictures, any help would be appriciated.






If you can't view the pictures...
http://s779.photobucket.com/albums/yy76 ... 160007.jpg
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http://s779.photobucket.com/albums/yy76 ... 160012.jpg
http://s779.photobucket.com/albums/yy76 ... 160015.jpg