It was raining pretty hard yesterday, so my plans to get a couple hours of sailing in were ‘dampened.’ But I decided it would be a good opportunity to get a good look from the inside to see where the boat was leaking. I was fairly certain there was water intrusion at some point since there was a faint moldy smell inside.
Once inside, I was quickly able to locate four points of entry. First, at the base of the companionway hatch, the bottom board doesn’t seal well against the fiberglass. I think there’s supposed to be some sealant at the bottom, but all I can find are remnants of old caulk or something.
Starboard window leak
Next up was the aft starboard window. Water was making its way through the bottom of the window. It wasn’t a stream or anything like that, but it was a fair amount of water getting in. My guess is I need to remove the window and re-apply some silicone sealer or something like that?
Mast wiring leak
Making my way forward, the next area was easy to locate. There’s water getting in through the hole where the electrical wires go through the deck to the mast. Again, this seems like an easy fix…I’ll let it dry out for a bit and then put some silicone sealer on the deck where the wires protrude. Other ideas?
Forward hatch leak
Lastly, in the v-berth forward hatch, there’s water getting in at one of the corners. I was actually surprised this hatch wasn’t leaking more than it was. I thought it’d be a pretty major source of water intrusion. This is a place I think I might be able to fend off the leak by attaching some rubber stripping on the base of the hatch cover. I’ll have to investigate a little more on this one to make sure I know exactly how the water is getting in. I’ve looked at how expensive these hatches are to replace, so repairing it is really my only option at this point.
I actually considered the day a success even though I didn’t get any sailing time in. I discovered where the leaks are and thankfully they don’t seem too difficult (or expensive) to repair.
If anyone has similar experiences and has ideas on how best to approach these leaks, please let me know by submitting a comment below. Thanks!
Mike
Do a search on Cruisers Forum and/or Sailnet. I think people have said it’s best not to use Silicone on a boat. Or maybe a certain type. For the window, consider butyl tape. One of the members of those forums sells some that is supposed to be good for compression situations, like the window, to stop leaks. I plan to re-bed my deck hardware with it. If not butyl, then maybe 4200 (never 5200). For the mast wires, if they just go straight through without a junction of some sort, 4200 or Boatlife’s Life-Seal caulk may be good to fill between the wires on the deck side. The weather stripping sounds like a good idea.
Like I said, try checking the forums and see if you can find something similar to your situation. I’m sure it’s been done and commented before.
I hope this helps.
Mike
Most ports and hatches can be rebed with Dow Corning 795. Its very flexible and lasts forever. Just make sure when you remove the port or hatch to completely remove all the old sealant and if you have a cored deck be sure to seal the edge of the hole with 2 part epoxy. 795 will work great for your mast wiring also. On the hatch boards, you can buy a piece of that foam pipe insulation that’s slit down the side and cut a piece the same length as your board. Slip it on and then put the board back in. We used this on the top board as well to seal the gap between the top board and the companionway slider to keep the mud daubers out.
Deb
S/V Kintala
http://www.theretirementproject.blogspot.com
Looks like others have already recommended the advice I’ve read that regular silicone isn’t the best option. Might try a Google search on “rebed boat glass” or similar to find tips and tricks. Welcome to boat ownership…hopefully I’ll be there soon. 🙂
-Mike
ThisRatSailed.blogspot.com
Butyl tape is magic stuff for rebedding things.
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/butyl_tape
Mike,
As others have said, don’t use regular silicone. You will want to use a sealant intended for marine use (i.e. Boatlife, 3M marine products, etc.). There are bonding issues with gelcoat and there are longevity issues. Butyl tape would work really well but you have to make sure you get the right type. On Cruisersforum.com and sailboatowners.com there is a poster who goes by MaineSail. Buy it from him. However butyl tape is a lot of work.
One thing to keep in mind is what you intent is for this boat. If you only plan to keep her for a couple of years and then sell her to get a bigger boat, don’t waste time with butyl tape. You will never make back the extra money, time and effort. Just use 3M 4200 or Boatlife Life Seal.
On the mast wiring, this item has me a bit concerned. You cabin top is made by having marine grade plywood in between two layers of fiberglass. If water gets in there it will rot the wood causing weak spots. Most all boats have this to some extent. But if those weak spots are in critical areas, like near the mast, they could cause dangerous failures. Do some searching on the internet about how to “sound fiberglass” to determine if it has weak spots. You need a special hammer but you can get them from the home store for fairly cheap money (much cheaper than a decent moisture meter). Check around the mast base to make sure you don’t have a problem.
For sealing the wires from future leaks, you can get a deck fitting made to allow wires to pass through. You might not want to just seal them in with a sealant because you would likely have to take them out to step the mast for transportation or storage.
Fair winds,
Jesse
Thanks for the comments everyone, there’s so much good information available from people who’ve ‘been there, done that.’
(Un)fortunately, before I got all the comments, I already got GE Silicone II at Home Depot and took care of most of those leaks. I know it’s just a bandaid fix, but since it was scheduled to rain again (a LOT of rain), I figured I needed to stop as much water as I could from getting in.
Long story short, three of the four leaks didn’t exist any longer when the heavy rains came, and the fourth was barely leaking.
I’m gonna write a quick post about it in a couple days with pics.
Again, I appreciate all the advice…this is certainly a ‘learning boat.’