Bummer to have leaks that are so darned hard to locate!
Decades ago I used to think in terms of stopping boat leaks from inside. After a while, slowly in my case, the wisdom of the pro's -- actual boat wrights -- seeped into my mind.
Deck leaks are, finally, not different from leaks in the hull below the waterline. If, for instance, you have a small leak around a thruhull fitting, no matter how much or how strong the goo is that you slather around it, sooner or later the outside water will reassert its presence. Luckily there are only a small finite number of places for such hull leaks to occur - shaft(s) and thruhulls. So we usually sigh, and finally re-bed them all or replace packing at a scheduled haul out.
"Deck Leaks" OTOH are far worse based on the 100 different fastening holes in the deck.... or in the case of a boat of my size, more like 200.
Those leaks will rot and ruin the interior woodwork as well as the coring.
Sometime, when in a comtemplative mood, take pencil and tablet in hand and actually inventory the true number of places, larger and small, where very screw or bolt penetrates your fiberglass deck. The final number may cause you to need a calming drink.
That is also why, even for the more labor-expending builders like Ericson, they knew that the majority of new boat buyers would not pay the extra cost to have all of those holes backed up with solid resin/filler.
Now that I have done that work, even allowing for my amateur pace, I understand that. It is not work that lends itself to mechanized mass production.
That said, I *did* find that most of the deck penetrations in our '88 boat had the hole chamfered at the top for extra sealant, and that the factory had used a lot of 5200. While we all roll our eyes at this product, in fact it was - and to an extent is - the 'gold standard' for adhesive sealants.
Point is that to have a dry rot-free interior whether from rain or spray, you are going to have to re-bed all of the fittings. Might was well "do it right" and do the epoxy potting and re-drilling dance while you're at it. Since bulkheads are so important and water flows downhill, start at the highest points, like everything on the housetop, then the ports, and then all deck fittings.
This work is tedious, but not technical. Any patient amateur can do it in one off season or as we cheerfully ID it -- as a winter project.
Thus the literary phrase "the winter of my discontent".....
As for 'micro cracks' I really really doubt that. The laminate layers are water proof under the gel coat.
Good luck!
Decades ago I used to think in terms of stopping boat leaks from inside. After a while, slowly in my case, the wisdom of the pro's -- actual boat wrights -- seeped into my mind.
Deck leaks are, finally, not different from leaks in the hull below the waterline. If, for instance, you have a small leak around a thruhull fitting, no matter how much or how strong the goo is that you slather around it, sooner or later the outside water will reassert its presence. Luckily there are only a small finite number of places for such hull leaks to occur - shaft(s) and thruhulls. So we usually sigh, and finally re-bed them all or replace packing at a scheduled haul out.
"Deck Leaks" OTOH are far worse based on the 100 different fastening holes in the deck.... or in the case of a boat of my size, more like 200.
Those leaks will rot and ruin the interior woodwork as well as the coring.
Sometime, when in a comtemplative mood, take pencil and tablet in hand and actually inventory the true number of places, larger and small, where very screw or bolt penetrates your fiberglass deck. The final number may cause you to need a calming drink.
That is also why, even for the more labor-expending builders like Ericson, they knew that the majority of new boat buyers would not pay the extra cost to have all of those holes backed up with solid resin/filler.
Now that I have done that work, even allowing for my amateur pace, I understand that. It is not work that lends itself to mechanized mass production.
That said, I *did* find that most of the deck penetrations in our '88 boat had the hole chamfered at the top for extra sealant, and that the factory had used a lot of 5200. While we all roll our eyes at this product, in fact it was - and to an extent is - the 'gold standard' for adhesive sealants.
Point is that to have a dry rot-free interior whether from rain or spray, you are going to have to re-bed all of the fittings. Might was well "do it right" and do the epoxy potting and re-drilling dance while you're at it. Since bulkheads are so important and water flows downhill, start at the highest points, like everything on the housetop, then the ports, and then all deck fittings.
This work is tedious, but not technical. Any patient amateur can do it in one off season or as we cheerfully ID it -- as a winter project.
Thus the literary phrase "the winter of my discontent".....
As for 'micro cracks' I really really doubt that. The laminate layers are water proof under the gel coat.
Good luck!
