Leaking fuel port fitting on deck; best method for resealing?

[ryastu]

Hi All,

I have small leak, leaking into the boat from the deck mounted fuel filler fitting. I have not had to reseal these prior but have a few that should probably be resealed. What is the best method(s) for resealing?

I appreciate your help! -Ryan

 

[Comodave]

No easy way to fix it correctly. You will have to take the filler hose off the bottom of the fitting and pull the fitting off the deck. Then clean off all the old caulk and rebed it. I like Sika 291 for general bedding. If the fitting is through bolted instead of screwed down you can use butyl tape to seal it. Check out marinehowto.com for a comprehensive article on bedding.

 

[kapnd]

You should have a look under the deck fill to check for water damage, especially if it’s right over the tank.
Tanks are generally built with flat tops that invite corrosion from the smallest of leaks.

 

[Cigatoo]

IMO this is the only way to properly seal the fuel filler leaks. Not too hard of a solution.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums...ng-water-top-fuel-tank-68819.html#post1183493

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. r. I'd not read Mr. C's repair solution before BUT it is REALLY quite elegant IMO. Great fix. The ONLY problem you might encounter is degradation (rot) of the core material around the fitting. If you discover this, repair and re-bedding could be quite a bit more complicated. I think there are other threads on TF dealing with this situation. Hopefully your repair is straightforward.


From your picture you may have leakage and core degradation. The damp areas alongside the deck seams suggest such. At least you should ream out the seams and re-caulk IF the core proves to be sound.

 

[Cigatoo]

Greetings,
Mr. r. I'd not read Mr. C's repair solution before BUT it is REALLY quite elegant IMO. Great fix. The ONLY problem you might encounter is degradation (rot) of the core material around the fitting. If you discover this, repair and re-bedding could be quite a bit more complicated. I think there are other threads on TF dealing with this situation. Hopefully your repair is straightforward.


From your picture you may have leakage and core degradation. The damp areas alongside the deck seams suggest such. At least you should ream out the seams and re-caulk IF the core proves to be sound.

Thanks for the compliment RT. If you are concerned with water intrusion keep drilling through the top layer of fiberglass with the 4 /12” hole saw and into the core. Pull the coring out and add another donut or two or three with lots of thickened epoxy to bring it back up to level with the teak deck.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. C. You're welcome. I'm not concerned, at all. I'm simply warning Mr. r that there may be more going on than meets the eye. While your extra "fix" certainly would work the problem might be more extensive than a simple leak. Adding extra donuts would stabilize and seal the fuel fill but they might be more prone to rot if the surrounding core is saturated in spite of the epoxy IMO.

 

[C lectric]

Several years ago I dried out a couple of damp/wet deck holes in my back deck.

My meter showed one a curcumerence of about 4-5" , the other hole showed about 8" diameter around the hole with a wander of a bit more to one side.

I used ABS fittings of a size to cover the holes and used caulking to secure them in place and stop any more water entry.

The top of the adapter then had a 90o elbow to prevent water entry. These were just pushed on, not glued.

I then used small fans aimed at the holes from the bottom. I mounted each of the fans to a long stick so I could maneuver them into place to ensure the air was pushed through the fittings.

Left it on all winter and then checked with my moisture meter well into spring. The moisture was gone that my meter could detect.

I then sealed the edges of the holes with epoxy painted on with a brush enough to penetrate the balsa.

One done I then made more permanent covers of aluminum and caulked them into place..


A couple years later I resealed my fuel fill fittings. I don't know if they were leaking but the reseal was overdue. I had enough hose slack to be able to lift them without disconnecting although checked the hoses and clamps.
I then used Rod Collins BED IT TAPE for the sealing including the screws and trimmed away the excess squeeze out.