Slight Leaking at Mast Clamp

EFOIL.builders Foils & Boards
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Ok, so I thought I had a foolproof setup, but apparently not. I believe my problem to be the sealant I’m using that goes between the mast clamp and the aluminum tube/motor/everything else. I dumped tons on both sides of the “firewall” and it appears that water might be leaking through because the 5200 doesn’t bond to the silicon wires. Any advice on alternative sealants?

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I’m also thinking it would be good to have the connectors flush rather than the wires dangling out so I could quickly plug and unplug the motor. But will I get into heating/melting issues?

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If it’s leaking around the cables, pg9 cable glands could solve the problem.

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Use marine silicone, it will bond to silicone :wink:
Also check that it’s not coming through the print.

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I was using Loctite Marine Silicone Adhesive Sealant on the mast side and the Marine Grade 5200 on the motor side. I guess the Loctite let me down!

The print could have been the issue. I’m printing a new one and sanding it down and putting XT3D on it.

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If you didn’t coat the print, it’s definitely that! I over-extruded the first mount I ever made and then depth tested them and found that there is no way a std extrusion printer will seal 100%.
An easy way to test is to fill the tube with water, seal you lips against it and blow. You’ll see the leaks straight away!

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Weird. I thought if you sanded them down it would help seal. But I guess that sounds foolish thinking about it now! haha. Well these are being coated with the XTC-3D! Take no chances!

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Other solution is to make a silicon mold of your parts and cast urethane… parts 100% waterproof. But you have to deal with shrinkage if you have o-ring grooves… a couple %
for the silicon mold and a few more for the urethane…

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I put a layer of epoxy and 110g glas fiber on all petg prints. Finally a layer of clear coat. Looks almost like carbon fiber.

If you want to be 100% sure, go SLS.

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3D prints in most cases leak much more than you think. Add water pressure and it compounds the issue more. Sealant will fix it.

If you are using orings for any part then i would think they are the main cause for leak. The 3D texture will make For a poor seal and an over snug or too loose oring will also draw in water believe it or not. Waterpoorfing is a real pain in the butt.

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Yeah man. Glad you’re beyond that stage Chris! I printed all new parts and I’ve painted them in the XTC3D epoxy. So now I feel a lot better about rebuilding everything.

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Nice Tyler!
Have you been out efoiling yet on your ride? what you think :slight_smile:

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Hey Tyler, not sure if you are doing double shaft seals, each seal with a different OD and packing them with marine grease, but you could be getting water in through your seal, any vibration in the shaft and they leak.

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My leaking is actually coming from the front portion. Pretty sure the back lip seals are holding.

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