Emergency leak repair putty?

[George DuBose]

This is the email address of the boss of Stay Afloat. Email him and if there is a vendor in Australia, he will know.

It does get pricey due to shipping from the plant and customs duties before the shop puts their thumb on the scale...

[thruska]

Originally Posted by suiramor

I have discovered a slow leak where one of my sea-cocks is fitted through the hull. I have arranged to take the boat to a shipyard to have her hauled out and repaired but that's still 20 away from where the boat is now. I believe there is an epoxy putty I could apply from the outside to seal the leak temporarily (found one called Stay Afloat Leak Sealant). Are these any good? Are there other ways to ensure the sea-cock does get completely lose in transit?

I’d recommend g-flex from West System. Defender stocks it. Some automotive stores have it.
Doesn’t have to be permanent. Sounds like you’re going to be grinding eventually anyway. Use it on interior application.
I’ve used it to stop water wizzing from engines block 3/8 inch hole , while underway .

[CarlF]

If you handle StayAfloat you'll immediately realize that it is different than bowl wax.

And it doesn't seem that the people recommending bowl wax have actually used it to stop a leak.

Bowl wax gets squeezed between two surface. It doesn't have to stick the same way, just conform. And there's no sustained water pressure on a toilet wax ring. It's mostly keeping sewage gas from leaking out.

You can see in the StayAfloat video that it can be spread on the inside of the hull on a crack and it will stick without anything holding it in place. If it came unstuck after a few minutes of water pressure, it would be useless.

Even if it was the same as toilet wax, is it really worth saving $15 to go with an untested solution when your boat is sinking?

I've no relation to the StayAfloat folks other than I keep a tub on my boat and once needed it.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by George DuBose

Having Stay Afloat, softwood bungs and a large collision mat give me a lot of peace of mind.

Sound advice. I would add rescue tape and GFlex in addition to the above.

[Lepke]

Stay Afloat is on eBay Australia:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Stay-Afl...4AAOSwkyNa0-kW

[suiramor]

Thank you all. I bought the Stay Afloat but did not have a chance to use it. Met a friendly diver on the doc who replaced the sea-cock with boat in the water! Pumped out a few gallons of water but it worked fine. I think I may have to invest in some diving gear for future emergencies