Emergency Underwater Yacht
Epoxy Repair
A Case Study Using Progressive Epoxy Polymer's Underwater
Epoxies
Epoxies Used:
- Corro Coat FC 2100 (brushable Kevlar (tm) and Ceramic epoxy
paint/resin that can be applied underwater)
- WET/DRY 700 (Kevlar (tm) thickened epoxy paste that can be
applied underwater)
- and a discontinued "5 minute" underwater epoxy
paste (has
been replaced with Quick Fix 2300)
Email Message
Subject: Progressive Epoxies
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2003 23:36:47 -0770 (PDT)
From: Joy Sxxxx <bansheeboat@xxxxxxx.xxx>
To: p.oman@ix.netcom.com
Paul:
Remember me? Joy Smith and her sunk boat in Papua New Guinea around
Christmas time last year?? By the time I finally left my boat
and got off the island, got to civilization and then found your
website, in my desperate search for an air-shippable underwater
epoxy, we had been marooned on remote Hermit Is., PNG for two
months.
Banshee sank on October 21, 2002, in three minutes, after
hitting a coral head and was completely underwater for three days.
There was a 6 ft. crack through the hull and a punched in hole
about a foot in diameter. The damage was massive.
Leslie patched the hull with old Z-Spar Splash Zone and a piece
of wood a villager shaped with an axe. We kedged it off the reef,
winched it upright, and then the villagers built an underwater
cradle of lashed together logs to support Banshee. We bailed with
buckets during a very low tide at night. She floated. The inside
of the boat was trashed, the electric/electronics destroyed, the
engine unusable, lots of things stolen, and diesel oil, sandy
sea water and ocean bottom rubble and mold covered everything.
But the sailing rig survived.
However, it soon became apparent that the old Z-Spar patch would
never hold for a 300 mile open sea voyage to Madang, PNG and dry
dock for hull repair. As I told you when I wrote in December,
the hull was steadily leaking, and we knew the temporary repair
would not last much longer.
I was desperate to save my boat that has been my life for 32
years.
I bought your underwater epoxy, and you shipped it to Manus Is.,
PNG. I picked it up and returned to the remote island of Hermit-what
a name!! Almost didn't make it back as a storm came up while we
were in the open 26 ft. boat making it back to the island. 36
hrs in an open boat with heavy seas with local bush people and
me! BUT I HAD THE EPOXY AND KNEW WE WOULD NOW SAIL BANSHEE OFF
HERMIT.
The whole saga is a very very long story of an incredible three
month ordeal for two women alone. I got back to Hermit in mid
January, and Les and I applied your stuff according to your directions.
We patched the hull inside and out as you said. By then, the leakage
from the 10 year old Z-Spar Splash Zone was getting worse. However,
your stuff stopped all the leaks.
After 3 weeks of working on the boat, we left Hermit for the
voyage to Madang, PNG. Sailing the 300 miles with no engine, no
electrics, no autopilot, no functioning liferaft, and very little
food or water. There were very high winds and rough seas and then
dead calms, and we only had wind and sails alone to get us across
that ocean. YOUR REPAIR STUFF HELD!! The hull had a fierce pounding-but
no leaks. WE MADE IT!! We were towed in at the entrance to Madang
Harbor and collapsed in exhaustion.
If we had not had your epoxy - our boat, which is our life, would
still be under water at Hermit. We owe a debt of gratitude to
you. The boat was put up in a primitive dry dock, and we literally
cut out the repaired hull with a diamond tipped saw. Your stuff
eats sanding grinders! We are good at epoxy repair of hulls-thank
goodness, because no one here knew anything. Before we had properly
repaired big holes where thru-hulls had been removed by building
up larger and larger layers of mat and roving with epoxy resin.
Leslie is very good at that-having worked in a fiberglass repair
shop. This was just a bigger job.
Ghastly work. We have pictures of the repair and the 6 ft. long
crack and hole in the hull.
We are now safely sitting in an anchorage in Madang rebuilding,
and rewiring with our very limited funds. We plan to leave Madang
for Guam and employment in December. The story became such an
incredible one about doing the impossible that some publishers
in the states are interested. I am writing a book about the whole
ordeal. There will be an article in Sailing magazine. An article
in the online magazine of Andrew Corp.. makers of our GPS antenna,
has gone to press. Now, ACR Electronics, maker of our EPIRB that
notified authorities of our disaster, is interested in an online
article.
All because you were kind, took time to help me, and had the
right stuff. I should have written many times before, but work
on the boat kept interrupting me. Its been non-stop since we got
in. You and your company will have star billing in any written
piece that comes from me. Also, I think it's important for sailors
to feel that if the unspoken fear that we all have - holing and
sinking - actually happens, one has options other than just walking
away as so many told me to do. Two women did this - they can too!
I am 61 and Leslie is 44. We did not walk away!
I feel that any person taking a boat to sea anywhere, anytime,
should carry your product aboard and know how to apply it. If
I can assist you in distributing or advertising
your product, I am more than happy to do so.
Very thankfully,
Joy S. and Leslie B.,
US Yacht Banshee
Madang, Papua New Guinea
Vendors Note:
These epoxies are available for private label and resell.
They are non hazmat to ship.
One underwater repair trick is to soak sponge/foam rubber with
the thin/brushable FC 2100 epoxy and then jam (caulk) underwater
seams, cracks, holes, etc. with the epoxy soaked foam. It will
swell to form a tight seal and become rock hard.
PAUL OMAN ----- Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.
Frog Pond Hollow - 48 Wildwood Dr - Pittsfield NH 03263
603-435-7199 FAX 603-435-7182 VISA/MC/Discover
info@epoxyproducts.com
https://www.epoxyproducts.com
Boating site:
https://www.epoxyproducts.com/marine.html
|
