Windrush 14 How to make water tight

[mistyblue]

Hi!

I have an older Windrush 14 and not much cat experience. On my last outing I went over and one hull in particular filled with water. I want to reseal the hull but have stuck a snag. I can't figure out how to remove the four mounts on the hull to reseal them. The beams go into a complex locking device on the hulls and I can figure out how to dismantle.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

[Badboy 6340]

Hi

Most of the water comes in under the water line, replace the bungs and what they screw into and seal with sicaflex, make sure the bottom rudder fittings are tight and sealed. Check the bottom of the hulls, they may have worn thin, if so glass up. Check the deck hatch's and there oring seals, thats were water gets in when tipped over.

Seal up the alloy side tracks, run a bead around the the casting's where the beams fit to the hulls. If you want to remove a hull remove the rudders just pull the pins. Loosen the tramp or take it off, take the jib rope off. Undo the big bolts on top of the beams get help and roll the hull inwards, the pins that go through the beams will come out of the cast hooks. Before bolting back up slide a bit of seat belt strapping between the beam and casting to take up a bit of play, somtimes you need two bits just to lift the beam up so the pin sits up in the hooks, this will help tighten the hulls up. I hope this helps

cheers

Quin

[mistyblue]

Thanks big help!

Many thanks I had already done some 50% of what you suggested but the info on the hulls is great.

Happy Xmas

Paul

[darcy1945]

The older Windies are also prone to cracking at the hull to deck join (usually caused by loose horizontal foam bulkheads allowing the hull sides to flex). If you take the rudder off and blow in the bung hole, (as if blowing up a balloon), you, or your mate, wife, whatever, will quickly hear and find the leak, if you can't hear it, then the leak is at the bung hole you are blowing in. If it is at the deck join, you need to re attach the bulkheads internally (a reasonably big job), get back on this site for help with that repair. Michael (Tornado sport 260 is the resident Windy repair/tuning expert)

[George II]

If you have an older windy, then its very likely that when you tip its the hatches that let the water in , a lot of the earlier boats had the hatches that didn't have an O ring (ie not the ronstan hatches) & they leak like crazy sometimes.

What I have done is get a spare bung and have drilled a hole in it , I then put a air blow nozzel from my air compressor into it , set my air compressor down really low (like only 2 - 3 psi ) and pressurise the hull, then I go around with a spray bottle with soapy water & spray everything, it soon shows where the leaks are. As already said there are often some of the rivets along the side tracks that aren't sealed, Always leaks at the hatches, sometimes leaks on the hull joins, etc etc, but this works a treat. you could no doubt do it with a bike pump but you would have to keep pumping as there is a deliberate breather hole in each hull on the inboard top of each hull just behind the front beams.

While you are at it , try doing the same thing with your mast (some have a drain hole near the base), pump some air in & see where the leaks are , as you will never right the boat if the mast fills with water.

hope this helps,

good luck. rgds.

[Ozzydamo]

On 12/24/2011 at 9:41 PM, Badboy 6340 said:

Hi

Most of the water comes in under the water line, replace the bungs and what they screw into and seal with sicaflex, make sure the bottom rudder fittings are tight and sealed. Check the bottom of the hulls, they may have worn thin, if so glass up. Check the deck hatch's and there oring seals, thats were water gets in when tipped over.

Seal up the alloy side tracks, run a bead around the the casting's where the beams fit to the hulls. If you want to remove a hull remove the rudders just pull the pins. Loosen the tramp or take it off, take the jib rope off. Undo the big bolts on top of the beams get help and roll the hull inwards, the pins that go through the beams will come out of the cast hooks. Before bolting back up slide a bit of seat belt strapping between the beam and casting to take up a bit of play, somtimes you need two bits just to lift the beam up so the pin sits up in the hooks, this will help tighten the hulls up. I hope this helps

cheers

Quin

sikaflex is a big cost brand try PU50 from adhseal same product half the price