TOPIC:

I sail a 1967 Fairey Marine Albacore converted to Mk 2. My Elvstrom bailers are leaking, and I would like to know if anyone has any experience of fiting new seals. Or perhaps I should just replace the bailers - They are 48 years old!
Many thanks.

It's an easy job to do, I have done the inner and outer ones on my wooden Albacore and Firefly and the bailers are like new.

Best to put the boat on its side and then you can reach everything easily. For the inner ones, just unclip the handle and then push the inner part of the bailer out through the bottom of the boat. It will hinge down as normal but without the handle can be pulled down and out quite easily. The seal is stuck to the underside of the outer frame. Just peel this off and clean the surfaces before attaching the new self adhesive seal and refitting the inner bailer. Because the new seals will be quite a bit thicker than the old ones, which will have compressed, it can be a bit of a push to get the bailer in, but it will be a good snug fit when it is.

If you are going to replace the outer seals on the main frame of the bailer, then do it whilst the inner part is out. It's much easier to talk to your helper and pass tools through the hole! The bailers on my boat needed some work on the wood as water had got into it, so first was to dry everything off. Also the fixing holes had become too deep, so they were filled with epoxy from the outside and then re-drilled and countersunk so that the screws were at the correct level on the outside of the hull. You can get various thicknesses of outer frame gasket depending on the thickness of the hull shell, so it is important to discuss this with your supplier when ordering or else the bailer can sit below or above the hull when refitted instead of flush if you get the wrong thickness. P&B 01604 592808 will help advise you.

If the wood has to dry out, ensure it is fully dry before sealing the edges with epoxy and touching up the varnish as necessary. When refitting the bailer frame, put a small bead of silicone sealant on the edges of the hull aperture to help further water ingress into the hull material (even though you have epoxied it). Also put a thin bead on the inside of the hull where the new gasket will sit. Put the bolts in from the outside and drop the gasket over them. Apply another thin bead of sealant to the top side of the gasket and then fit the bailer frame and secure with the nuts. Wipe down any excess of silicone sealant before it dries. Then fit the inner bailer and handle as described above.

On my boat, the water ingress had caused some staining and blackening of the varnish around the hole, so the varnish was stripped back and the wood treated with oxalic acid after drying out. The varnish was then built back up in thin layers until it matched the original level and was blended back in. The photo (assuming it attaches!) shows the bailers out and oxalic acid being applied to remove the staining.

Hope this helps.

Graham
Natural Ally 5893