Of the10 repair compounds tested underwater, ûsome stuck better, some set faster, some ûplugged holes better, and some would be best ûused to soak into a larger batch of material ûfor stuffing or back-filling major cracks.

Anyone who ventures farther away from a safe shore than their propulsion systems can carry them in a few minutes needs to have plans to deal with several "what if" situations. The hull-breach scenario is one of these, and although one of the worst, it can certainly be dealt with more effectively with some prior planning and cool thinking.

In the event of a puncture from the branch root of a semi-submerged log or the corner of a container, or a large crack from a broad impact on a Chesapeake telephone pole or 55-gallon drum, there are techniques that can be employed to get you and your vessel back in…