Skin Tank had emptied itself.

[Nightwatch]

Hello. 

Im not having a good day. Stopped for the night, I know, it was raining and only 1230. We are near the junction for the Welford Arm. 

 

Anyway, could smell something very hot. Opened the 'ole and it was a bit misty in there. No Fire as first thought, phew!, but the bilge contained a lot of water. Seems the hose from the bottom outlet from the skin tank has a hole all of its own. Vacuumed out all the water, and started to put water in viathe filler on top of the engine. Took ages. Anyway water started to appear once again in the bilge which draws to the opinion that the hose has gone. 

 

Barras Shire 2.2 engine. The hose is approximatly 2" in diameter and about 5' in length. Jubilee clip at either end.

 

Sounds simple doesn't it. However not if you're built as robustly as I. Any ideas where I can get a hose? Someone bendy to fit? Typical, left Braunston two days ago. Not a contributor to RCR. 

 

Anyone used Welford Marina for repairs? Any thoughts?

 

 

[Slim]

Would recommend Ed Bowden 07941zero4eight8four7. I think he lives near Marsworth.

 

Slim

[Nightwatch]

Thanks slim, Marsworth is some 55 miles from where I am. Not sure if Ed would be too far away. Worth a thought though.

[BEngo]

Could try Justin Green, based Braunston, but mobile.https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=HtUQXd-SIc6Ma8nshMAB&q=Jg+marine&oq=Jg+marine&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-hp.3..0l4j0i22i30l4.2915.6926..7736...0.0..2.2190.4850.5-1j1j1j0j1......0....1.......8..41.Sj9ffLFe9ag#

He may have gone over to mainly surveys but I am sure he would give you a steer if so.

 

N

[Lady M]

Foxton Boat Services perhaps?

[matty40s]

Speak to Les at Welford Marina Services, if hes not on holiday, will have hoses there. 

[Nightwatch]

4 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Speak to Les at Welford Marina Services, if hes not on holiday, will have hoses there. 

Thank you all. I'll give the nearest place a call first. Welford.

[Graham Davis]

Any garages (roughly) nearby, as that sounds like a fairly typical vehicle rad hose.

[bizzard]

If its getatable biind the hole with self amalgamating tape, best to bind over the area first with string or thin wire to reinforce it and then the tape.  It will get you out of trouble until you get a new hoxe. The repair will probably last a long time unless another hole occurs.

[Murflynn]

as Bizz says

 

 

.............................   all the best fitters have a large hammer, a crow bar, a reel of binding wire, cable ties and a roll of self-amalgamating tape.   ................  that'll fix most problems for a day or two.

 

luxury extras include big and small adjustable spanners, if you can afford them.    

 

[Alan de Enfield]

22 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

as Bizz says

 

 

.............................   all the best fitters have a large hammer, a crow bar, a reel of binding wire, cable ties and a roll of self-amalgamating tape.   ................  that'll fix most problems for a day or two.

 

luxury extras include big and small adjustable spanners, if you can afford them.    

 

"If you cannot fix it with duct-tape, you are not using enough"

[Bee]

And that is a cautionary tale for those of us who have raw water cooling, double clips on the below water level joints, proper hose, turn water off and keep an eye on things.

[Nightwatch]

Now, there's good news and there's bad news.

 

Good news. Mrs Nightwatch, considerably more flexible than I am, has gained access to said hose. It appears that there are no holes in the hose. Yippee!

 

Bad news. Skin tank has a series of pin holes along the bottom. Put the vac on blow and there they were. 

 

As we have sucked and blown out as much water as we can, and then vacuumed he bilge as best we can, we are now leaving over night to dry as much as possible. The question is, as a temporary measure will car bodywork filler see us getting to Langley Mill without damaging the engine if I keep an alert eye on the header tank once I've filled it up? I won't at this stage bother with antifreeze.

 

Another, and equally important question is, now what happens? Can skin tanks be repaired successfully? Can skin tanks be replaced? Can you fit another skin tank elsewhere? 

[matty40s]

Les used to be the welder for Stowe Hill Boatbuilders and could overplate the tank or build you a new one.

[alan_fincher]

A concern is why on earth has the skin tank perforated.  It is not unusual for them to be made in the same thickness steel as the sides of the boat, which includes the swims where they are mounted.  The coolant within them should contain anti-freeze with a corrosion inhibitor, so they shouldn't corrode much from inside.

 

Is the failure perhaps in a bilge on a cruiser stern that regularly has rainwater slopping around in it?  If the steel has not been protected, perhaps that could be the cause.

My worry would be that if the skin tank steel is the same thickness as the side of the boat, if one has perforated, so to could the other, so i think you eed to get an expert to work out exactly why it has failed.
 

It is often easier and cheaper to construct a new (slim!) skin tank on the outside of the swim - very much easier for the fabricator than trying to replace an internal one, with no working space available.

Edited June 24, 2019 by alan_fincher

[70liveaboard]

Is it the steel of the skin tank that has pin holes, or the bottom weld ?

 

Either way, it is repairable in a few ways. But one would have to see it to best know which way to proceed. Careful with boat yards, they're always quick to give you the worse news and make big money.

How old is the boat ?

[roland elsdon]

You need some chemical metal or milliput.

car body filler will crack with the temperature.

there are a number of two pack under water settable fillers i would try,  go on line to get names.

alternatively and as well maybe a can or two of radweld depending on hole size.

there are buses from welford to harborough and leicester.

 

The other question is why now ? Pressure may have worsened an existing weakness. Id check your thermostat too.

[Chewbacka]

As above - If they are tiny pin holes, I would try rad weld, poured into the skin tank.  As a boat has a lot more coolant than a car (my boat is about 30Litres) so you may need 2 or 3 cans.

[Alan de Enfield]

Try this stuff :

 

https://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-stay-afloat-emergency-sealant-0-4kg.html#.WWCJKdHXv4g

 

 

Edited June 24, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[Nightwatch]

7 minutes ago, 70liveaboard said:

Is it the steel of the skin tank that has pin holes, or the bottom weld ?

 

Either way, it is repairable in a few ways. But one would have to see it to best know which way to proceed. Careful with boat yards, they're always quick to give you the worse news and make big money.

How old is the boat ?

The boat is a reasonably old modern boat. (1991). The engine bilge has always been, a round tuit task. It's been chipped and scraped at least three times. Had Vactan applied and red leaded twice. Confess there's nearly always some water in there. Today there was a lot of water in there. (I now know why!). 

 

Yes., I'm really sad about this. Yes, it's the result of not maintaining the blooming thing.  It needs sorting and needs sorting properly. Ideally I'd like Langley Mill Boatyard to do the work if we can get there. We are booked in mid July for, funnily enough, some welding to be carried out. I'd like Dan at Langley to do the work but I'm sure there's equally proficient welders else where. 

[Chewbacka]

The problem with putty and filler etc is they are applied on the outside of the tank.  When the engine is hot there is some pressure in the coolant system and this is trying to push the filler etc off the tank.  With rad weld and internal sealing materials the coolant pressure is pushing the stuff into the hole there by blocking it up more.  So if you do go for epoxy or filler etc, then make sure the surface is absolutely clean especially oil/grease free or it will blow off.

[70liveaboard]

11 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

The boat is a reasonably old modern boat. (1991). The engine bilge has always been, a round tuit task. It's been chipped and scraped at least three times. Had Vactan applied and red leaded twice. Confess there's nearly always some water in there. Today there was a lot of water in there. (I now know why!). 

 

Yes., I'm really sad about this. Yes, it's the result of not maintaining the blooming thing.  It needs sorting and needs sorting properly. Ideally I'd like Langley Mill Boatyard to do the work if we can get there. We are booked in mid July for, funnily enough, some welding to be carried out. I'd like Dan at Langley to do the work but I'm sure there's equally proficient welders else where. 

Your right in thinking you need a welder and a good one. Any other method will be just something waiting to pop again. It's quite good your in for welding work, I'm sure they can do something for you.

I wouldn't worry about not maintaining etc. Just something that happened. Hope you get it sorted. Decent welder probably with some steel will be the order of the day.

 

Only thing that might push the bill up is the room they have to work in. Mig's are fine and if required perhaps a plasma (hopefully not), but would be easier than cutting gear. Although welding over may just be required and would probably last.

 

Good luck with it.

 

Edit: you didn't say if it was the steel plate itself or the weld. Much easier if it is just the weld that has problems.

Edited June 24, 2019 by 70liveaboard

[Guest]

I've heard good things about K Seal: https://www.thompsonsltd.co.uk/products/k-seal-k-seal-automotive-car-head-gasket-coolant-leak-repair-one-stop-multi-purpose-236ml.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6cHoBRDdARIsADiTTzZ3uNcYybOrzwKF7HqEeGSKZYqpiqeFQdgwa4EZFs3jR2Jm1ld6JKsaApXJEALw_wcB

Available at many motor factors I believe.
From my own experience with a coolant leak, I had no luck with trying to seal from the outside, owing to the pressure involved.

[Nightwatch]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Les used to be the welder for Stowe Hill Boatbuilders and could overplate the tank or build you a new one.

Thank you. I have tried to call but no answer. Left a message. Do you have a mobile for him? Please.

[Nightwatch]

Thanks for all the offers of support and suggestions.

 

I have had mixed results with Rad Weld. Might be worth a shot to get us north.

I have been swayed away from exterior sealants.

K Seal sounds good. Anyone tried it?

 

I think I'll try to get hold of Mattys recommendation and then decide on a quick fix or a proper job. 

 

Next issue is getting the boat up the arm to Welford. Extra weetabix for brekkers it is then.