Everyone told us: It's not possible, haul out!

It’s us again! 😀 Progress has been made!

Yesterday we dove down and managed to seal the shaft with children’s playdoh. It took a while, because the belly of CUBA has a bit of growth - more like a reef…😵🤣

We took the bracket off, which we temporarily attached to stop CUBA from taking on water, and we realized straight away that the replacement fitting was way bigger than the original one and Beneteau actually no longer makes these fittings.

Their advice was to get a standard one that is used for gas, diesel, water etc….

This time we decided to go for a bronze fitting because the previous one was made of brass and to our surprise, brass should not be submerged in salt water. Until this happened to us, we did not know that this is a fault by design and heavily discussed in Beneteau forums.

The fact that the new fitting was bigger, was to our advantage because we were able to drill the old one out and create a new thread with a tapping tool.

Yet the thread of the fitting was a little longer than the original one, so we cut a couple of threads out to prevent it from touching the shaft inside the stern tube.

After this, we added 5200, which is a permanent adhesive that can only be removed mechanically, to the thread of the fitting and screwed it in.

We were so happy because in order to screw it in we had to use a spanner and originally we thought the fiberglass wouldn’t be thick or strong enough to hold the thread.

5200 fully cures within 48 hours but we could continue working after 24 hours. It was a little scary to sleep with only the playdoh keeping the stern tube closed. Today we woke up and it was time to add the epoxy around the fitting like it originally comes by factory default.

So we used epoxy putty for underwater use because the area was still kind of moist. Enrique was expecting this to be messy to work with since you only got 2 minutes of working time before it becomes solid like a rock.

However, the instructions indicate that if you wet your hands, it would be very easy to work with. Indeed it was fantastic, we were able to make a neat little mount around the fitting just like it was before.

While we are writing this, the epoxy has set and is now rock solid! Yeay!!

Some original designs are good but can be improved especially because we do not want to run into this kind of issue anytime in the future.

Therefore, we decided we will sail back to Tyrell Bay in the next couple of days and build a little bracket with a hole on the top that will wrap around the stern tube and fitting. Like a jubilee clip, but wider.

By tomorrow the 48H will be complete for the 5200 to fully set and we should be able to return to Carriacou, where we can (hopefully) visit Sandy Island.

Guys, today has been the first day in weeks that we were able to relax. We have been a bit anxious because being without an engine and with a leak, well actually two leaks in your home, next to a life volcano, near an island full of snakes 😜🤣 …. Well it’s not a delight! 🐍🌋

Thank you so much to all of you for your kind words and support during this ordeal, since we have no experience with leaks inside the boat and we were actually quite petrified.

We want to send all of you lots of love and big hugs from Sarah, Kiki, Pewee, Meatballs and the tree boas! 🐍😜🙈💙⛵