First Test of Water Tanks. IT DID NOT GO WELL. [E118] 

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Pull a vacuum on the affected tank and paint epoxy onto the leak exit on the surface. I have used this approach on composite aircraft fuel tanks. That way it does not matter where the leak is on the inside, by definition the epoxy will track down the leak path to the leak. Make sure the epoxy is nice and warm and just keep on painting it on until the epoxy starts to go off in the cup then release the vacuum and let it cure.

You guys are so awkwardly awesome. No fake bubbly emotions like other channels. I love it. Plus you guys are teaching me so much about rebuilding a boat I don’t have. I can’t wait to see Duracell finished.

The end where Matt is being so serious about the leak and Mom is in the background is just loving her dog. OMG that is funny and touching. Your Mom and the dog are stars!

Well, if I didn't have to go to the bathroom before starting this episode, I certainly do now, haha

I have a 3500 gallon tank in my library in my earthship that collects water from the roof. Filling it for the first time and listening for little creeks and groans as well as sleeping in the next room was.....well... interesting.

Matt you will probably have solved your tank leak by now but if not my suggestion is to put the tank under vacuum and suck resin in through any leaks. It should fill the voids as it tracks back. Just need to release the vac at the right time

Matt, I'm afraid that those seals on your hatches will leak over time. When the gasket rubber wear over time you will need to tighten the bolts to keep the pressure. In submersible water pumps you always tighten rigid to rigid, and add a o-ring (in a recess). Then you don't need to tighten bolts over time.

Noooooooo! So sorry to see those leaks. I'm confident you'll find and repair the tanks successfully. Don't be too bumbed about it.

Mom, " Throw herself between Duracell and the gound," She's my new hero!

We need a "Life and times" of Matt's mom. With as many skills as she possess, id like to see what made this woman!

oh noooo, why you dont test tanks with air-pressure first, its so easy and you have all the tools to test it in minutes... hope you can fix the leaks. Best from germany

Matt that mother of yours is a rockstar, enough said 😊

I am impressed with the creative engineering work that went into installing these watertank access covers and fasteners .. I understand the need to have the tanks water tested for capacity and possible leaks, but was wondering whether the same could be achieved by pressure testing them in a similar way as was done for the fuel tanks.. Now that you know where the water leaked from, you can use the air pressurizing method and see whether you can spot the leaky area as well..Use the old fashioned soaping method.. Another job well engineered and well done...

The first creation is the creation of the Mind. You clearly think through every step of this refit before implementation. This is going to be a fabulous boat when you're done.

Congratulations on the baby!

I sure hope that when all is said and done, Mom gets to go on an extended trip.

I have to mention that when you are tightening the bolts on the covers you should use a star pattern this reduces the stress on the part and ensures a more even seal. Pity about the leaking but hay you cannot have it all go your way a leak or two keeps you on your toes I hope that you found the source and have fixed it my now. The progress is stunning looking forward to seeing her finally under sail.

20:44 I was woried about Iris roaming under the boat while the tanks were being filled!!!

I used to be a pattern maker model maker for a manufacturing firm in New Zealand. We made add on car parts like side skirts spoilers etc. The spoiler that comes out of the tool had to have inserts similar to what you are making, ours where made from hexagonal material threaded through the center but also had a locking groove midway up the length of the material as there is a lot of tension when bolting up a spoiler. Hope this is of help to you on this fantastic build ! Cheers

I just binged 60+ episodes, now I’ve gotta wait 😂 I love your work, you are building such a beautiful boat and giving such good ideas.

FERTILITY GODDESS!! Good Job Matt

Tiny leaks that even an inspector could miss. Best wishes from Montana !

I'm looking forward to the completion of your retrofit. So excited!!

Most anxious I've ever been listening to that water running. Flooded basement vibes.

just love you guys. So honest. Your recognition of the patreons is such a nice personal touch

Thank you for sharing guys!

I love mom and dog having a moment behind you while you're talking about the leak.

Great project guys, just adding these for you to think about where you want a bolt in composite construction. Build up a thick area, coat a bolt with a large washer and stop nut in grease and insert all the way down the threads locking the stop nut (this will let you manipulate holding the bold and push down till the washer is level with the surface and bolt straight up and down, drill a hole just larger, wrap them in unidirectional glass soak in epoxy, insert and wait .... the large fins give plenty of grip so they will support strong tension - E-Z LOK Knife Threaded Insert for Hard-Wood, Stainless Steel Thread Inserts 1/4-20 Internal Threads, 0.625" Length(Pack of 10)

Congrats on the little 1 coming soon! 👍❤️

Good idea on the extra jack stands.

That’s why you tested. Always better to find issues now than later on. The boat is really coming together.

Math your attention to detail is crazy and I love . Congratulations for the new sailor ❤❤❤

she is glowing .... i am so happy for you both

Mark the external leaks,drain water and then blow air in on the marked leaks .spray soapy water on inside to find bubbles.(I used to seal aircraft fuel cells on wet wings

Nice job guys. Enjoyed the video as always. Stay safe

Great work on the ballast tanks, knowing where the leak is seeping through is better than having to look for it, team Duracell deserves that high 5 ! Yanni is looking great, hope all is going well 🤞👍

I'm sorry to see those leaks I hope you'll find and repair the tanks successfully. Cheers

Leaks are part of the game, Matt. It's how you tackle them that matters more than the fact that they exist. I feel your pain, and I promise you, you will figure out the leak path and come up with a good fix.

Leak testing for in ground pools uses food coloring to track leaks

Matt you are incredible...I wish I had learn how to sail when I was young..your skills are insane...

Great video and that was a very good project

You sure do have a great helper!!! Love mom comes to help!

That really worked well. You are really amazing!!!!!!!!!

Dude! Seriously, MOM of the Year! As always solid solid content!

You have to swing the bat to hit a home run. Most people don’t even make an attempt. Learning from your mistakes is part of the process. It’s going to be a great boat.

Very talented men right here, nice job 👏🏽

That is a big-a$$ boat! Love the project, thanks for sharing.

Hey Matt sorry about the water leak and the set back, I'm sure you will come up with a fix and get back on course, really enjoy watching things take shape, thanks to both of you

You can install tube inside. The tube is designed for old fuel thanks what have damage and they cant be taken out. This was to big risk . Also the flange inspection hole you could use stainless steel inspection hole cover buy already made. Don’t waste time on things what have solution. I know there are many things what need to be custom but some things try to buy things what are already made. You don’t want to hand made clock from scratch because you want to have some particular design in living room right? Buy the clock gave it a little bit tune and install it. The rest what you can’t buy that you make. Also you could fiberglass the bolts and then you put the cover and nuts on top. Silicone the lead, that rubber will get harder and will leak 100%. When you need to get there clean the silicone and repeat the installation.

Good luck with the repairs from the leaks hopefully you find a good way to fix it👍👍

congratulations 🎊 on having a baby. more intro music on such a big announcement 🎉

Interesting idea... I used a similar one when I built the motor base but I used two 1" HEX standoffs with 3/8" threads for each insert. I put a bolt with 2 washes from the bottom side to create 2 anchors one on the bottom and another one in the middle of the hole.

Sorry about the leaks, but I am sure you will get them repaired by next week. Good luck to both of you.

Was glad to see the extra stands.

You guys are great, thank you for keeping up the great work. I did a 14ft 1969 O'Day Javelin with my sons a few years ago and would love to have the yard space to keep my own Duracell....

Water is pernicious in its abilities, to find a way. Keeping water out, Keeping water in is a life sustaining endeavor. YOU GUYS will find a way. I am confident.

I’m sure, no absolutely confident that you’ll have a good plan to resolve the leaks. Much love from England

That was a great commercial, you two are really fun and also intriguing to watch. I love how you carry humor throughout the episodes, like the embarrassing amount of glue, I've been waiting for that to resurface. Same with some more epoxy pumping footage ;-) I was really hoping you were going to be leak free, bummer.

My thought is using bladders inside the tanks, think fuel bladders in aircraft. What ever you end up doing that will be an amazing amount of water for those long hauls. Love the channel and detail you put into each section of the build!

Bummer that you had leaks. I am confident you will be able to fix them.😊

Sorry about your leaks. I am confident you will fix without to much extra work.

Matt, I have a crazy idea that may work. Create a small reservoir at the point of the leak for resin then pull a small vacuum on the tank and see if you can suck resin through the void. All of that is after you figured out how to dry the void. Good luck!

Fine Business!!! CHEERS from HERE!!!

Hey Matt, I am back up in Port Townsend, actually coming out of the water at 10:30 am, in a couple of weeks I will have my CNC set up again down that the boat yard. I have made a whole lot of tank flanges and hats with it, I could make these up with way less work than this took, just a machined base that goes in place, gets drilled and tapped, and a matching cover with a perfect bolt circle to go with it. It only takes about an hour to cut out a mounting ring and a tank hat. I even use FRP pipe fittings to create pickups and fills in the tank hats. I know you pretty much have these sorted, but if you need to make more I would be happy to lend a hand.

What a bummer Matt. But you will find a way of solving this. An appropriate quote (?) could come from the builder of the marble machine: "pain is temporary, glory is forever!". Sending lots of karma and good energy to all of you from Copenhagen!

Sorry to see Factor as a sponsor but I guess I shouldn’t complain without putting my money where my mouth is. Your Mom continues to be a superstar and your project is enlightening. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

Bummer about the leaks. The hatches look to be a wonderful success. You'll certainly figure out the fix for the tanks...no doubt.

What do houses and boats have in common? Chasing down small leaks is a pain in the you know what. Best wishes on a rapid fix.

Aww, what a bummer. So sorry the project wasn't leak-free. But Matt is a wizard so I know the problem will be found and fixed to the complete satisfaction of The Inspector.

You hav a very well inspector on "4feet". Cool.!! bon courage and staysafe.

Hi you’re doing a fantastic job, I’d glass the Port under the freezer if you ever needed to go into it just cut it out! Beats pulling the freezer out!

I did wonder what you were going to do with the tank under the freezer .. I knew you would have a plan though, you always do :D

Man i loved the Heli coil idea.

After you fix your minor leaks and get ready to retest make sure you fill the tanks to the height of the vent this the highest pressure the tanks will ever experience.

Being pregnant looks wonderful on you. Being a father of 6 girls I always felt my wife was very pretty but when she was pregnant with our daughters she was absolutely beautiful.

I'm sure you've tested the method for the inspection/service port first, I hope. You are the pro.

Two things I would have done differently. 1. Contact cement the port hole covers to the rubber gasket, then cut them out for install. Would be faster and result in fewer parts overall (less chance of mix-up or movement later. 2. When tightening them down you should do it in the same star pattern as you would when mounting a tire.

Water is the devil. You'll figure it out. Anyone who has done plumbing feels your pain. The anticipation of the finished interior is so exciting ❤

They make closed end stainless steel inserts that are specifically designed for being embedded in composites. They have extremely course outside teeth for maximum surface area. They also make ones with s plastic shoulder that you cut off at the surface when they are cured. If you don't want air bubbles in the epoxy you can degas the epoxy in a vacuum chamber.

If you wait a day or 2 for the water to settle and stop moving, then fill a hypodermic needle with dye, preferably luminous or brightly coloured so you can see it in the tank, inject it close to where you think its leaking, it will be drawn into the hole and point out where the leak is.

Nice job, as always! I'd still recommend a water maker and lots of solar to run it.

Came for boat work stayed for the music

I LOVE to see a professional build , with the purrfect furry supervisor lol , with that kind of supervision on the build , it will be the cats-pyjamas.

You could try using UV dye to chase the leak. Given the semi-transparent nature of fiberglass and resin it would be fairly easy to see with a high-powered UV light. You might even be able to see the pinhole or crack from inside the tank after you drain the water and UV die out.

I am the first viewer 😂. Mat I have an unnecessary suggestion which might be also comeing too late.... if the port were rectangular with screws all around, you could have inserted from underneeth a 5mm rectangular flange with respective threaded holes and bonded it. Then your screws would be directly threading into that bottom metal flange. Rectangular obviously in order to be able to pass the bottom flange inside from the top. Also your port lid although rectangular, it could obviously have another openable port into it of whatever shape you need, e.g. round. Congrats and best wishes to you and your wife for you baby!

Looks like the inspector 🐈 needs some remedial tank inspection training!!

Hey Matt, love the show. You should put your flow meter before the y-peice to your tanks. Flow meter may have some resistance.

bummer about the leaks but confident you will sort it 🤞🤞👍

Around 22:00- making all the viewers need to pee. 😂

:( so sorry. The worst when it happens like that! Especially when you took your time to do it right. Had a similar thing recently trying when re plumbing a bathroom. Toilet check on leaking and couldn't find out why. Tried 3 diff toilets and diff flanges..... finally found the issue. A pin hole leak in brand new cast iron pipe!

Sorry about the leak.🙁 Can you use food coloring to find where the leak originates from?? I guess the"inspector" missed it roaming around in there....😬 Love your mom's spirit during this build , she's a trooper for sure!

Sorry the tank had a small leak. Pain in the neck☹️. Certain you will sort it out. Enjoyed the process posted nevertheless. It’s fascinating watching the build process. 😀 Much admire your skill, persistence not to say fortitude in the challenge. It’s the future adventures that drives you both on isn’t it ? Best regards, phil, Suffolk🇬🇧 0:20

I am sorry to hear about the leaks. I too support the idea of using air pressure to discover leaks. 10psi should be plenty of pressure to expose leaks without over-straining the tanks. I'm also curious about how you drain the tanks before repairs. Thanks for the video.

At 23:55 that wasn't a very enthusiastic 'high five' lol

The Factor meals look great!

Dam fine effort and some more goo in the right places she be good to go. 😮😅 The quality inspector will need to go in for retraining I mean she missed that leak 😂. Keep at it now. 😊

When are you guys going to realise that the cat wants its own YT channel ?

Another test method is to seal and pressure test with air. Once it holds 1-2 PSI you know it is water tight. Then you can do volumetrics.

Bit of a bummer. But I'm sure you'll fix it. Always enjoy these informative videos.