Im a noob loooking for leaks. Any ideas welcome.
- Thread starter Eclifford
- Start date
alcodiesel
Bill McLean
Welcome to the Ericson forum. I have found great help here and was a factor in buying an old Ericson.
After 5 years of re caulking a port light only to have it leak again I finally took others' suggestions to run water, starting low, all over that upper side of the boat. Slowly and methodically I worked my way to the sliding hatch cover. After about 15 minutes water was dripping out of the window frame.
Turned out some PO had installed the cover and failed to seal all the hold down screws. I re did them all and no leaks. Yet.
Moral of the story: The entry point(s) of leaks can be illogically far away from the dripping.
Best wishes.
After 5 years of re caulking a port light only to have it leak again I finally took others' suggestions to run water, starting low, all over that upper side of the boat. Slowly and methodically I worked my way to the sliding hatch cover. After about 15 minutes water was dripping out of the window frame.
Turned out some PO had installed the cover and failed to seal all the hold down screws. I re did them all and no leaks. Yet.
Moral of the story: The entry point(s) of leaks can be illogically far away from the dripping.
Best wishes.
Welcome aboard.
Start by using Google (or other big search engine) to search for each specific issue--leaky deck, windows, vents, and so on. Add "Ericson Yacht Forum" to the search line and it will retrieve threads here, as well as other forums.
When a thread discusses your issue, add a post to it. Your new post to it revives the thread and everyone here will see it.
The leaks thing is one by one, identification is key, solutions vary. All part of the fun.
Start by using Google (or other big search engine) to search for each specific issue--leaky deck, windows, vents, and so on. Add "Ericson Yacht Forum" to the search line and it will retrieve threads here, as well as other forums.
When a thread discusses your issue, add a post to it. Your new post to it revives the thread and everyone here will see it.
The leaks thing is one by one, identification is key, solutions vary. All part of the fun.
I bought the same kind of boat. Hang in there. Slowly but surely you'll get it under control. I still have leaks that I believe are mostly related to the rubrail screws. I've had my boat for about 8 years. When I got it my bilge was full of water after a good rain. Now it's just a scant inch after a hard rain and some of that is coming thru the cowl vents. Spend time on the boat during a hard rain to find those easy to locate leaks. Cleats, stanchions, winches, etc.
Every hole in a sailboat is suspect to leaking. If we are just talking about the forward section of the boat from your photo. You have the rub rail, Stansion bases, the navigation lights, anchor locker- usually has a drain hole. Forward cleats, the anchor locker hardware to lock it down. The hatch itself can leak - water run above the headliner and down the sides of the hull.
Sailingfun
Member III
I found today the port side forward cleat is leaking inside the anchor chain space... more work for tomorrow!!!
If you are pulling the cleat to re-bed it you might also want to back it with either big fender washers, a piece of stainless or a piece of plywood. I have done that on each of my cleats as I have re-bedded them. Maybe the glass in those areas was thick enough, but I feel better with more surface area between the nuts and the glass!
Yes backing plates for all hardware. Use G10 and epoxy them in place.
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I wonder how much Ericson saved by not fitting backing plates. I used some scraps of Black Locust left over from the engine bed project in some spots and some 3/8 inch ply in others. 3/8 ply at every cleat would not have cost more than maybe $2 for the whole boat in 1974. Maybe $20 when you figure in cutting the backing plates and drilling them.
I noted last night that my winches have no backing plates. What are folks thoughts on that?
I noted last night that my winches have no backing plates. What are folks thoughts on that?
Our Olson had all 6 of the winches backed up with oversized and over-thick SS fender washers. No Problems, altho I replaced with G10 full-circle backing plates. Note that the force on a winch base is all in sheer.
Trivia: I checked and those particular big washers are hard to find. We also have them under all the bolts in the genoa tracks and the traveler, altho the coring under the traveler is plywood. So while they might be denigrated as "just washers" they have more strength and contact surface than any hardware store products I have seen.
How does one cut G10?
So my soft decks that are currently being repaired (finish in the spring) are because the core was exposed everyplace something was bolted and they should have epoxied the holes to prevent core rot?
I am about to drill a big hole in the transom and I want to do it right so I do not start any rot in the transom. By big I mean about 1 1/4 inches for the exhaust of my diesel forced air heater.
So my soft decks that are currently being repaired (finish in the spring) are because the core was exposed everyplace something was bolted and they should have epoxied the holes to prevent core rot?
I am about to drill a big hole in the transom and I want to do it right so I do not start any rot in the transom. By big I mean about 1 1/4 inches for the exhaust of my diesel forced air heater.
Most Ericsons have backing plates under the cleats( apparently not the 27) . Most are designed with plywood, not balsa, under stressed fittings. Big washers are entirely sufficient to secure the five bolts of winches to the deck. Bear in mind that a backing plate that spreads the load equivalent to the pattern of the bolts is no better than the bolts. The purpose of a backing plate is to engage a large area, for which there is seldom much room where cleats are placed.
If your yacht is towed by a tugboat at 10 knots through a sea state, any form of cleat, despite its backing plate, canl be torn from the boat along with that part of the boat. Limits are acknowledged. Overkill is not part of good design. Installations that have stood the test of time prove their worth.
A boat designed to be anchored in heavy conditions shouldn't rely on cleats anyhow. It should have a sampson post. That's not practical these days, and the occasion is unlikely in normal use.
Popular today with offshore sailors is the Jordan Series drogue. The designer says we should not use stern cleats and backing plates for the drogue. The forces in a gale are too great and the transom can be pulled off the boat. The recommended solution is five-foot chainplates installed horizontally on the aft topsides to spread the load. Ignacio installed them for his Hawaii sail.
If your yacht is towed by a tugboat at 10 knots through a sea state, any form of cleat, despite its backing plate, canl be torn from the boat along with that part of the boat. Limits are acknowledged. Overkill is not part of good design. Installations that have stood the test of time prove their worth.
A boat designed to be anchored in heavy conditions shouldn't rely on cleats anyhow. It should have a sampson post. That's not practical these days, and the occasion is unlikely in normal use.
Popular today with offshore sailors is the Jordan Series drogue. The designer says we should not use stern cleats and backing plates for the drogue. The forces in a gale are too great and the transom can be pulled off the boat. The recommended solution is five-foot chainplates installed horizontally on the aft topsides to spread the load. Ignacio installed them for his Hawaii sail.
Brett, if it was me I'd drill the hole and just epoxy the exposed core, if it's dry. Caulk around the fitting will do the rest.
If by chance the core is saturated, larger project ensures.
If by chance the core is saturated, larger project ensures.
Working G10 turned out to be relatively easy in my admittedly limited experience. Standard woodworking and metalworking tools.
I use a more expensive bi-metalic blade in my saber saw (or circular saw). If you read my blog about making new backing plates for my new mooring cleats, note that I used up several blades.
Transom? That should be solid glass, no coring. Same for most boats from the 70's and 80's, AFAIK.
G10 is tough stuff and you will go through a lot of blades. Bimetal as Loren suggests will last a lot longer than the standard blades, carbide blades even better. A grinder with a thin cutting wheel would go through it like butter (use several passes per cut). If aeshthetics are involved where not concealed on the underside, you can further shape it with a sanding wheel or a belt sander on its back with the trigger lock on.
Just a caveat... be careful with the really thin grinder cutting discs, they have a tendency to shatter and remove flesh if they are not held firmly or are allowed to chatter (don't ask me how I know). Slightly thicker ones are a bit slower but still work well and are safer.
Just a caveat... be careful with the really thin grinder cutting discs, they have a tendency to shatter and remove flesh if they are not held firmly or are allowed to chatter (don't ask me how I know). Slightly thicker ones are a bit slower but still work well and are safer.
Actually the transom of the E-27 has a wood core, at least at the center of the cockpit. A previous owner put an inspection plate a few inches below the top of the transom in the middle of the transom. When I first got it I opened it and found solid plywood.
I suspect he did the inspection plate for a weird home made outboard mount that came with the boat. It had one bolt for holding it in place that lined up with that wood.
My exhaust will be to the starboard of the cockpit, so maybe it will be all glass there. I suppose I will find out when I turn the boat in her slip so I can cut the hole from the dock instead of by hanging over the stern.
I suspect he did the inspection plate for a weird home made outboard mount that came with the boat. It had one bolt for holding it in place that lined up with that wood.
My exhaust will be to the starboard of the cockpit, so maybe it will be all glass there. I suppose I will find out when I turn the boat in her slip so I can cut the hole from the dock instead of by hanging over the stern.