Hello all, I thought I'd let you know that I am cautiously optimistic about a repair of leaks on my PortaBote. It was leaking at the port and starboard corner of the transom as well as in the center joint. Not a lot, but say half a gallon or so per hour when we were in the boat.
I bought the larger bottle of Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure: Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure 8oz Bottle The manufacturer touts that it is thinner than water and penetrates cracks through capillary action. I agree. I assembled our PortaBote with exception of the transom board, and tipped it up against a fence to hold the boat at a 45 degree angle. I then applied the sealant, dripping it down the joints both from the top of the transom and down the seams at the bottom of the boat. Initially, I applied too much. Previously, I filled the boat up with water, and never saw water leaking out, but it would come in when we were in the boat. When I applied the sealant and came back a few hours later, some of it had leaked out at the corner and center joints. I let it cure overnight. Then I did it again, and less leaked out. It took about 5 applications, but finally it stopped leaking out, and I let it cure another couple days. After the final cure, I poked around with my fingers and it felt very flexible, yet still a little sticky. We launched yesterday and took it for about an hour run. NO leaks! I say "cautiously" optimistic, as I have not put it through a couple folding/assembling attempts and tests, but it seems good at this point. Thought you'd want to know, Bruce Whitmore (847) 404-5092 (mobile) bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
