klb67pgh
Member III
Today was a good project day, especially since my 9 year old son was able to climb into the port cockpit locker, take directions from me, use a ratchet, and take off the 2 nuts that I was sure would be epoxied or corroded. We had success in less than 10 minutes getting all of the necessary hardware and parts off - unheard of success for boat projects - but I'm not sure I ultimately made any progress to find the source of my leak.
I'm getting rain water leaking into the port cabin top storage area and down through a hole drilled there and onto the port galley counter. Although one would reasonably expect it's a leak at the windows, I'm fairly confident it is not based on the location and numerous reasons and prior investigations. The wet area is much farther aft than the windows, the area forward of the wet spot has always been completely dry, and several sessions of spraying a hose on various settings from all angles has not reproduced the leak. I've stared at that area during rain storms with no success in identifying the source.
This winter I shifted a ladder and noticed a substantial movement of the rub rail that covers the hull to deck joint right at the main bulkhead. There was evidence of silicone or other goop that was no longer sealing that area, and I was sure the screws that hold the rub rail into the hull had backed out. So today's task was remove the port aft end cap for the rub rail and hopefully pull out the rubber rub rail, remove some of the screws and pull back the plastic base, and discover an obvious water incursion spot that corresponds to where I'm finding water.
Some screws were definitely backed out some, but I know the joint has glass and epoxy over it on the inside of the hull. There are some minor gaps at the joint, but nothing that looks like the source of my issue - see pics that follow.
At this point, I'll likely used thickened epoxy on those minor gaps just in case, and I may fill and redrill the screw holes as well. I'll reassemble with appropriate sealant, and I guess find out if I was successful sometime after I launch in April.
I've included a few pics below - I assume this is a fairly typical deck to hull joint? Any thoughts on whether this is likely to be the area of water incursion? You'll notice a small stainless steel vent scoop in the one port side shot at the end - I thought that was our issue and blocked it off with butyl mid summer. It didn't fix the issue. I'm not sure why it's there. It just covers a 3/4" hole in the side of the hull. The other side has a similar scoop, but it's a vent for the water tank. Any ideas why it's there?
The water ends up on the corner of the counter below the DC panel - dripping through a hole drilled (for old wiring or to let the water drain perhaps) from the ledge in the cabin top storage above - below are a few pics with the old and new DC panel during layout and installation and in use as the galley for good measure and perspective. I had the carpet pulled away from the hull to see if I could see the water dripping down during a rainstorm.
Finally - the vent in the port cockpit that I thought was the source, just even with the main bulkhead (I was fitting a new to me bimini over last winter).
I'm getting rain water leaking into the port cabin top storage area and down through a hole drilled there and onto the port galley counter. Although one would reasonably expect it's a leak at the windows, I'm fairly confident it is not based on the location and numerous reasons and prior investigations. The wet area is much farther aft than the windows, the area forward of the wet spot has always been completely dry, and several sessions of spraying a hose on various settings from all angles has not reproduced the leak. I've stared at that area during rain storms with no success in identifying the source.
This winter I shifted a ladder and noticed a substantial movement of the rub rail that covers the hull to deck joint right at the main bulkhead. There was evidence of silicone or other goop that was no longer sealing that area, and I was sure the screws that hold the rub rail into the hull had backed out. So today's task was remove the port aft end cap for the rub rail and hopefully pull out the rubber rub rail, remove some of the screws and pull back the plastic base, and discover an obvious water incursion spot that corresponds to where I'm finding water.
Some screws were definitely backed out some, but I know the joint has glass and epoxy over it on the inside of the hull. There are some minor gaps at the joint, but nothing that looks like the source of my issue - see pics that follow.
At this point, I'll likely used thickened epoxy on those minor gaps just in case, and I may fill and redrill the screw holes as well. I'll reassemble with appropriate sealant, and I guess find out if I was successful sometime after I launch in April.
I've included a few pics below - I assume this is a fairly typical deck to hull joint? Any thoughts on whether this is likely to be the area of water incursion? You'll notice a small stainless steel vent scoop in the one port side shot at the end - I thought that was our issue and blocked it off with butyl mid summer. It didn't fix the issue. I'm not sure why it's there. It just covers a 3/4" hole in the side of the hull. The other side has a similar scoop, but it's a vent for the water tank. Any ideas why it's there?
The water ends up on the corner of the counter below the DC panel - dripping through a hole drilled (for old wiring or to let the water drain perhaps) from the ledge in the cabin top storage above - below are a few pics with the old and new DC panel during layout and installation and in use as the galley for good measure and perspective. I had the carpet pulled away from the hull to see if I could see the water dripping down during a rainstorm.
Finally - the vent in the port cockpit that I thought was the source, just even with the main bulkhead (I was fitting a new to me bimini over last winter).
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20210522_143047.jpg
