Tracking Fins

[WIldfan]

We own a 2003 Response LX. We have been dealing with a water leak for a couple weeks. We have narrowed the leak as coming from the front tracking fin; probably from banging into the boatlift. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to remove the fins and reseal / repair. There are no cracks in fiberglass. Thanks

[krward]

We own a 2003 Response LX. We have been dealing with a water leak for a couple weeks. We have narrowed the leak as coming from the front tracking fin; probably from banging into the boatlift. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to remove the fins and reseal / repair. There are no cracks in fiberglass. Thanks

Just went through a similar repair and it is not too difficult to do as long as the threads are not damaged. Using a large screw driver simply remove the 4 screws from the fin you want to remove (don't use a power tool as you can risk stripping out the threads and then things get interesting). The fins are held on/sealed by a heavy duty below water line marine silicon. I used a rubber mallet to remove my fins (however I was replacing them so I didn't care if I bent one) and just beat the h#!! out them until they broke lose. I would suggest finding a small to medium sized pry bar and gently taping on the pry bar with a hammer around the edge of the fin to work it underneath and then gently work around the fine until it comes free.

Once you have the fin off use new razor blade to scrape off the existing silicon (you will want to get off as much as you can to ensure a good seal). After using a razor blade I used some 3M Adhesive remover to make sure everything was good and clean. Inspect the threads in the hull and make sure they are not damaged (if they are damaged you will have to use a bigger sized screw and re-tap the threads for the new screw(s) to get it to seal up properly). Now using below water line marine silicon put a thin bead all over the fin by going around the edges and then use a zig-zag pattern all over the rest of the fin. Be fairly liberal with application of the silicon. Now just carefully stick the fin back on and then put a dab of silicon on each screw and put the screws back in. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS AS YOU PUT THEM BACK IN. They need to be a little more than snug at most.

Once you have the screws back in, take your finger and smooth the silicon around the edge of the fin to make a nice seal and remove the excess that squeezed out by tighten the screws down.

Hopefully this helps out. If you have any other questions let me know and I will see what I can do.

[WIldfan]

Thanks a lot, Krward. We'll give it a try.

[bound4er]

If you still have a leak after re-sealing the fins, check your HDS. Actually, given the spotty track record of these things, I would check it before messing with your fins.

Dave

[WIldfan]

Dave, What does HDS refer to?

Thanks

[bound4er]

Check this thread out for some info - http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....6496&hl=HDS

Dave

[VinRLX]

If you have "narrowed the leak as coming from the front tracking fin; probably from banging into the boatlift" then it is not the HDS. No sense worrying about things that aren't a problem. Also, if the HDS was going to be a problem, it likely would have been before now on a 2003.