32-3 Dorade Leak

[windblown]

I took my headliner down in the salon getting ready to fair/paint the deck head. More here if you like seeing gross projects which are going to take too long:

Fairing, sanding, and painting the deckhead

A brief pause while you retrieve your jaw from the floor or keyboard... In the midst of a major refit of running gear, I started removing the headliner on Rumour. Abhorred by a million and one rusted staples, a series of complex folds, and a lot of mold, I started thinking there's gotta be a...

ericsonyachts.org

Looking forward from the salon, I discovered some issues with the drain hose for Rumour's dorade box. I haven't removed the headliner in the v-berth cabin yet, like @Kenneth K, but that's probably my next step. Upon barely touching the hose the corroded green pipe broke like a tortilla chip in a toddler's hand. <sigh>

View attachment 50019

I can see the edge of the glob of resin Kenneth described. I'm wondering... if I should chisel everything out and see if I can remove the remainder of the copper pipe. Then I could drill the hole to the outside deck and use 4200 or similar to bed a plastic nipple in place. Something to which a new hose can be clamped. Thoughts?

I'm definitely not going to be covering the hose or the drain exit with fairing compound. Instead I'll probably leave that space open and put up some Sunbrella fabric with snaps so this area can remain serviceable.

This thread and this discovery now explain why the veneer is so trashed on the forward two portlights in the v-berth and head. I'm betting water was just pouring into the headliner when attempting to run out of the dorade box.

Bryan,
Thank you for boldly going where other 32-3 owner must eventually follow! I suppose this is the next winter project for Tradewinds. We get dampness at the base of the port bulkhead (around the bolts inside the settee). It comes and goes, and doesn' seam to have any direct correlation with rain or sailing. We also get evidence of moisture around the head d, irregularly, and at the forward side of the first portlight aft of that port bulkhead. First season, I thought we would have to re-set the portlights, but the next three seasons there was no indication of moisture around the port lights at all, so I moved on to electrical projects. Still, the dampness at the base of the port bulkhead comes and goes, with no clear corrrelation with rainfall. . . Looking at what you've uncovered, I want to get to it. before there's more hidden damage from moisture.

 

[Pete the Cat]

Really funky design for emptying a dorade. I am not sure we get to blame Bruce King for this. My guess is that some of the genius mold builders had to figure out a way to drain it and wanted to keep the low profile of the dorade rather than raise it to empty on the deck as you will see on other production boats. I still curse whoever thought the canted cabin top on my 32-200 was a good idea. I realize they wanted the cabin to look lower, but it is a built in safety hazard that I fear will someday cause me to fly overboard with a wrong step. It is a place where esthetics seemed to triumph over safety and practicality in the Ericson design shop.

 

[Christian Williams]

the corroded green pipe broke like a tortilla chip

Copper isn't holding up after 40 years in sea air. Ericson put a copper tube through the E381 stem (to attach the anchor locker drain hose), and mine also disintegrated. I eventually replaced with a stainless tube.

 

[Kenneth K]

Copper isn't holding up after 40 years in sea air.

Interesting. My copper dorade tubes showed no signs of decay when I removed them. But, my boat did spend many years n fresh water.

 

[vanilladuck]

Now that the salon ceiling is done, I'm back on the dorade plumbing case. Any ideas what kind of fitting would be corrosion resistant for the outboard/external end of the hose? I'm kind of thinking a sized piece of plastic, bedded in place with 4200 might work. Would be nice if there was a barb on the inboard end for the hose/clamp attachment...

 

[peaman]

@vanilladuck, if you have the area under the dorade open, I would love to see a photo of the fasteners and drain arrangement. I really like my vinyl headliner, but I also really admire the work you have done in your salon in exposing the underside of the deck.

 

[vanilladuck]

I managed to fix one side drain for the dorade box a few weeks back -- just late posting this. I was able to cut out the badly misshaped copper tube that half disintegrated in my hands once it was out:



I got a 1/4NPT tap and "threaded" the fiber glass hole and then gently turned a nylon 1/4NPT-to-hose barb fitting into place. I plugged the hole with SikiFlex 291 LOT to seal up any potential pathways for water. Then I connected a new water hose between the dorade box drain and the new fitting.



I tested it with a hose pushing as much water into the cowl above deck as possible. No water in the cabin and it mostly all drained out the new line. I still need to do the other side, but I'll probably wait until I finish the ceiling in the head.