Spindrift bailer replacement

[ssawyer]

I just thought I would make this easier for the next guy. Since purchasing my 1985 Spindrift, I have been redoing the bottom, including putting on a barrier coat and bottom paint. The boat came with an Andersen "SuperMax" bailer, and the prior owner obviously had some leaking problems. There was a quick fix attempt at smearing some epoxy around the outside of the bailer flange where it met the hull.

For those who don't know, the Spindrift is intended to use the Andersen bailer that mounts from the bottom of the boat, not from inside the boat. The proper Andersen bailer for this is the "New Large" Bailer, available from Defender and other sources, and NOT the "Super Max" bailer, The "SuperMax" is intended to be mounted from the inside of the cockpit, and requires a different cutout size.

Another thing I learned is that it is highly recommended that if your bailer is leaking, to replace the whole thing, not just the gaskets.

Finally after removing the old bailer, you can see the lay up of the hull, and Spindrift's "not so thorough" sealing of the hull where the rectangular cut out for the bailer was made. From what I can see, it is a sandwich construction in this location, with a wood core. If, like me, your boat is going to sit on a mooring for several months of the year, and there is a likelihood that some water is going to end up inside the cockpit (though rain or otherwise), I think it is important to seal the edges of this cutout area with some kind of 2 part epoxy like Marine Tex. If you don't, you run the risk of the core getting waterlogged, and then you've got real problems. I am going to use "Goop" 2 part epoxy, because it is one third of the price of Marine Tex.

When mounting the new bailer, I intend to use 5200 as bedding between the bailer flange and the hull, although I thought hard about just going with 4200. I guess I would rather go with a more permanent connection, especially since the Anderson "New Large" bailer is not meant to be used with a gasket when mounting from the bottom.

Hope this helps anyone faced with the same problem in the future. In a future post, I will let you know how my attempts at finding a waterline worked out after I get the boat in the water.

[Jett]

I'll be interested in your updates on replacing the self-bailer in your Spindrift. I recently replaced the gasket in my bailer (the New Large Anderson), having order the gaskets (I bought two which is a good thing since I screwed up trying to replace the first one) from Mauri Pro Sailing. They were very prompt in filling and delivering the order.

Though many seem to advise replacing the whole bailer, I thought I'd give the gasket replacement a try since, I figure, they sell them separately after all. For me it worked; I had a bad leak through the self-bailer and could tell why when I pried out the old, rotten gasket.

I worked from under the boat while it was on its trailer and, though it wasn't the best way to tackle the project, I was able to pry out the old gasket and install a new one. No gunk, though in time I may regret this, but for now the gasket has sealed the bailer so that there are no leaks at all there. The gasket comes with a sticky side which goes "up" when working from under the boat. You must remove the "valve" first, install the gasket, then replace the valve. The following link sure helps:
http://www.int505.org/old_site/bailers.htm

It did take a bit of effort to position the gasket, especially when replacing the valve flange tightly, but so far, so good.

Cheers!

[K.C. Walker]

I hope you don't mind my asking but I was wondering what you think of the Anderson bailer? I have an older DS that just has a train plug at the aft end of the centerboard trunk. Earlier, I asked if anybody had installed one of these in this thread. http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2786

This is the perfect opportunity for me to ask, would install one of these in your boat if you didn't have one already?

Thanks for your thoughts!

KC

[Jett]

My answer to your question: If my boat didn't have a self-bailer, I wouldn't miss it. But because it was there (Mt. Everest answer), I decided to fix it. Maybe one of these days I'll see how it works, but for now I've plugged a leak and plan to leave it alone.

I simply don't sail hard enough these days to bring much water into the boat, so your "bucket and sponge" method works just fine for me, too. The only time I used a self-bailer was when I sailed a Windmill years ago. It's easy to get water "over the rail" in that boat when going fast, and I found the bailer really helped. I could even leave the bailer open on windy days!

I should point out that on the Spindrift, which has no wooden floor, it's easy to get to the bailer. Don't know how easy that would be on an original DS. But I worry, as others have mentioned, about the effects a poorly sealed bailer might have on the sandwich core construction of the the Spindrifts.

[K.C. Walker]

Jett,

Thanks a lot for your opinion on the bailer. It would definitely take me some work to get it in my boat gracefully and leakproof. I think I'll stick with the bucket and sponge.

KC

[ssawyer]

I have to agree with Jett. If your boat doesn't have a bailer, I'm not sure I would install one unless racing. My boat will be used for family daysailing, and will sit on a mooring for 3-4 months--24/7. For my purposes, I would rather not have the hole in the bottom, and would also prefer the "bucket and Sponge."

It is good to hear that a simple gasket replacement worked for Jett. I actually had some friends help me invert the boat, so I had very good access to the bottom. I cleaned, sanded, used a solvent wash, then an epoxy barrier coat before bottom paint. Sure hoping I got the waterline right--we'll see next weekend when I pop it in the water.

[Jett]

Sure sounds like you're going about bottom preparation in the right way, especially since the boat will sit in the water on a mooring. My gasket repair was a quick fix, one that may work only because I day sail off a trailer.

Best of luck!

[K.C. Walker]

Thank you both for your thoughts. My boat will be at a dock unattended for weeks at a time so a potentially leaking bailer would be a bit worrisome. So, I guess I'll update my bailing set up by getting a new sponge.

KC