Shaft Log Question

[endoftheroad]

Hello,
I bought a Westsail 32, it's on the hard and has been at same location for 2.5 yrs.
The boat has a termite problem and is being tented tomorrow.
I need to get the boat splashed in a few days.
The ground termites entered the boat through 2 cockpit through hull's and the Shaft Log to Fiberglass Hull Joint.
The attached picture shows a small hole, in the deteriorated caulking where the bugs were entering.

Can I fill this hole with West System thickened Gflex epoxy and then caulk around the seam to buy myself some time?

Thanks

[Target9000]

I'd personally pull the log, replace the cutless bearing, grind down the imperfections in the opening then epoxy it back into place and make a new fillet. You should probably replace the bronze nuts/bolts/washers at the same time. It doesn't take long to do, is inexpensive, and probably the perfect time to do it.

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by Target9000

I'd personally pull the log, replace the cutless bearing, grind down the imperfections in the opening then epoxy it back into place and make a new fillet. You should probably replace the bronze nuts/bolts/washers at the same time. It doesn't take long to do, is inexpensive, and probably the perfect time to do it.

I would really like to do that but the yard is far from where I live, I'm working alot lately, the yard is loaded with termites and I wan't to get my boat the hell out of there and lastly I'm in a "non working" area of the yard and they want a small fortune to move the boat to a working area and a daily fee to boot.

I'm looking for a good fix to buy me some time.
Pulling the log is my intentions but I'm hoping to get out of doing it for 6 months.

[cburger]

So the answer is try the simple fix, making sure to inspect the area around the shaft log while the boat is hanging in the slings in the water and with the realization that it may leak and the boat have to be put back on the hard for repair.

[sabray]

Not Familiar with West Sail and how that fitting works. guess it retaining the bearing. take the prop off for inspection, take the bolts out for fun. pull the bronze piece off cause you lost an earing. Take the bearing out cause your curious. None of this is working. My guess is some one bedded the retaining plate no big shakes. If the bearing is good then I guess you could just not be curious. If someone is upset because they think this is work you beg forgiveness. Rebed the plate with new bolts and stick the prop back on because you said you were sorry and wanted to make things right.Probaby west sail owners group could get you drawings. There is likely a tube that holds the bearing and water needs to pass up the bearing. The retaing ring seals the tube but not really. Someone gooped it up to stop water from going on the outside of the tube. Maybe that helped.

[osirissail]

Problem is - if termites are entering the boat through the shaft log there is something mighty wrong at the other end of the shaft log.

At the outside end is the cutlass bearing, the retaining plate and the propeller shaft, etc. However, on the other end - inside the boat - is a stuffing box. Water, termites, whatever can enter the grooves (rifling) in the cutlass bearing but they should not be able to get past the stuffing box or a dripless bearing that is installed on the inside end of the shaft log.

So patching the "hole" on the outside is not going to do much as somehow the termites have worked their way through the stuffing box and water will do the same thing once the boat is back in the water. In other words, it will sink - slowly, but sink. Unless you seal the inside end of the shaft log/stuffing box/?

An option is to seal up both ends with liberal amounts of T5200 around the prop shaft and plate and the area around. Then do the same thing inside the boat by finding out how the termites are exiting the shaft log on the inside end. Then seal that up with T5200. - - Then tow the boat to its new home and get it out of the water.

Unless you got the boat "for nothing" I would hazard that the insides are trashed by the termites eating away all the bulkheads, mast keel steps, floor beams, cabinets, and anything else made of wood. I would not "pay" for such a boat and taking it "free" would still be highly "iffy" as the cost of gutting the boat back to its plastic hull and removing all the interior and then putting a new interior is going to cost more than buying a new version.

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Problem is - if termites are entering the boat through the shaft log there is something mighty wrong at the other end of the shaft log.

At the outside end is the cutlass bearing, the retaining plate and the propeller shaft, etc. However, on the other end - inside the boat - is a stuffing box. Water, termites, whatever can enter the grooves (rifling) in the cutlass bearing but they should not be able to get past the stuffing box or a dripless bearing that is installed on the inside end of the shaft log.

So patching the "hole" on the outside is not going to do much as somehow the termites have worked their way through the stuffing box and water will do the same thing once the boat is back in the water. In other words, it will sink - slowly, but sink. Unless you seal the inside end of the shaft log/stuffing box/?

An option is to seal up both ends with liberal amounts of T5200 around the prop shaft and plate and the area around. Then do the same thing inside the boat by finding out how the termites are exiting the shaft log on the inside end. Then seal that up with T5200. - - Then tow the boat to its new home and get it out of the water.

Unless you got the boat "for nothing" I would hazard that the insides are trashed by the termites eating away all the bulkheads, mast keel steps, floor beams, cabinets, and anything else made of wood. I would not "pay" for such a boat and taking it "free" would still be highly "iffy" as the cost of gutting the boat back to its plastic hull and removing all the interior and then putting a new interior is going to cost more than buying a new version.

Thanks for the help but I never asked for termite boat survey advice.
And, why would the bugs go through the cutless and stuffing box? Didn't you see the picture?

[osirissail]

Everything on this forum is opinion/advice - some good, some bad, some just opinion. That is the nature of this place. You can bet you will get more than you asked for . . . which doesn't mean you have to pay attention or take it - that's your decision. Most of it is just a way of helping you to think of different ways of approaching your problem.

Why would "bugs go through the cutlass . . ." because there are easy slots/grooves in the cutlass that they can walk right into the boat without having to "eat" away anything. However, the stuffing box is something else - which was my question - how did they get through that?

If your "hole" is from the outside of the hull and is a "crack" that is open to the inside of the hull and none of it is actually in or into the shaft log, that is a different matter. the "bugs" can march through the crack in the hull from outside to inside.

If there is a crack in the hull at the shaft log you can certainly "plug it" but I would suggest using T5200 so that you get good adhesive grab onto the FRG in the area. If the hole is large (your photo does not show the "hole" with any clarity) you could drill it out with a long drill bit to get rid of any debris or dirt inside the hole before sealing the hole. Nothing much will grab onto "dirt" or dirty FRG.

Termites that I know leave or build a mud tube up the side of whatever from the ground to their destination source of food. Did you find any such mud tube trails on the outside of the boat and likewise in the inside of the boat? What is the condition of the inside wood in the boat? We all love to get all the facts and information for future speculations on future similar such circumstances.

[Wotname]

Surely the termites have only entered your boat to find food, just how food they have found and how much they have already eaten would be my first question. As others have indicated