Spencer35

tonykiwi · #1 (**permalink**) 04-25-2010

Greetings to all. I bought a spencer35 a little over a year ago from a guy that sailed her to NZ from Mexico.
I have reconditioned her Perkins Perama and about to put her back in the water with new paint and several other improvements. I was hoping you could offer some advice to my dilemma. Today I was drilling a pilot hole into the bilge area for the float switch. I had only drilled 1/2" through the glass when a liquid started bubbling and popping from the 8mm drill hole. I was perplexed. There are no tanks there. After 30 minutes of watching and asking a couple of different experts that wander every boatyard, I decided to drill a little further. Maybe another 1/2" and there was a release of pressured gas(air) and the bubbling stopped. The fluid is still there. it doesn't smell like diesel of anything. The rest of the bilge area under my engine is dry. Any thoughts???
Tony

WanderingStar · #2 (**permalink**) 04-25-2010

Two thoughts: Uncured resin or blisters. More likely water (blisters) which can be absorbed into glass hulls. Your drill or changes in water temps heated it causing the pressure. I have no personal experience with 'glass hulls, but I've read enough and seen enough to know about the blisters.

tonykiwi · #3 (**permalink**) 04-25-2010

Thanks for that suggestion. I need to explain a little more. The spencer35 is pretty much a full keel and the area in question is actually at the top of the keel and the floor of my bilge, under my engine.
I would've thought there shouldn't be any voids there but after reading Hal Roths accounts on Whisper (sister yacht) it appears there were many voids in these hulls. So i am going to increase the size of the hull by 2 - 4mm and drop a tube in there and see what I can syphon out.

tonykiwi · #4 (**permalink**) 05-11-2010

Whilst installing my floatswitch in the bilge under my engine (about 3' above bottom of full keel, I drilled thru to massive void which, when I inserted small hose, I siphoned out nearly 10 litres of a fluid which smelt like a cross between teak oil and resin. I feel confident the fluid got in when previous owner had a badly leaking sterntube and gland for over 6 months of sailing. My question is what to fill this void with. Hal roth in his yacht whisper(sistership) filled many voids with resin. I was thinking of creating larger hole and inserting concrete. Is this a really bad idea?

WanderingStar · #5 (**permalink**) 05-12-2010

I don't know. Try posting this question in "Gear and Maintenance". Don't let anyone tell you to give up. The boat has sailed for years, it's seaworthy.