Monday, May 23, 2016

The Importance of Properly Addressing Leaks on your Boat


It's a fact that sooner or later most if not all boats will leak if not properly maintained. It's also true that as boats age, leaks tend to increase for the simple reason that sailing and all related weather conditions put a lot of stress on all vessels.  

Nowadays some of these problems with leaks accentuate as result of emphasis on speed and lightweight which lead builders to use laminates that are not as thick and work with hulls that are not as rigid as they used to be. 

As most boat owners know, leaks are not only inconvenient and aggravating, but also cause damage to personal gear and the boat itself. The source of a leak is usually hard to find and even harder to stop. On most occasions we find the water enters at point “A” but shows up at point “B”, which may be six feet away from point “A” where the owner spends weeks attempting to find the source in order to repair it. 


These are usually instances where inner liners work to distribute the leaks to points far from the source of entry, and are often the subject of many wry jokes. 



When a leak occurs many people take the easy way out ( at least they seem to belief so) and instead of assessing the damage, they put some caulking on the outside of an open seam, joint or ridge. This is something we see happen very frequently and most of the time leads into a bigger mess and a complete waste of time.  

When working on boats, in order to applying an effective seal, the caulk has to go between the two parts that are mated. This process is called bedding. Achieving this is not easy, but it is the only way to effectively stop leaks. Furthermore, with the way many boats are rapidly built today, parts are often never bedded properly from the beginning. If that is the case, then you have to go back and do what the builder did not do correctly. 

It is important to know that every material in contact with the sea and the weather elements has a certain life span and durability. At Whiticar we’ve mastered all the process related to proper leak maintenance and repairs.  Our team has the knowledge, expertise and we ensure that all maintenance and repair work is done correctly to have your boat ready as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary waste of time and money. 

Whiticar boat works is your one stop shop for all your boat maintenance, service and part needs. We stand behind the work of our professionals and courteous crew. 

For additional information, please visit www.Whiticar.com.

You can also contact us via email at info@whiticar.com or call us (772) 287-2883.

WHITICAR has 2 locations for your convenience:

- STUART: 3636 SE Old Saint Lucie Blvd. Stuart, FL 34996

- FT. PIERCE: 2010 Harbor Town Drive, Suite K, Ft. Pierce, FL 34946