Catalina 30 woes

[equalvision]

Hello sailors,
I've had my first big rain since I bought an early 80s c30 and I have no shortage of leaks to deal with coming from the top side. My biggest concern right now is the upper shroud chainplates (especially the starboard) as it's leaking into the bulkhead. I've never worked with standing rigging so my question is two fold...

Can I undo the upper shrouds (one at a time or both?) with the boat in a fairly active sea slip (wakes come by often and rock the boat)? I need to take these plates off and have them fabricated as I'm quite sure the PO just let this go without attention for some time as I'm expecting crevice corrosion. I have some rotted wood in the starboard bulkhead which I think is repairable without replacing the whole bulkhead. The port is still dry which is positive.

I'm finding all sorts of small leaks that seem to be from old hardware with old bedding coming loose but looks can be deceiving I hear. So are there any tips you Catalina cats could give to tracking down these leaks? I'm going to rebuild all the windows as many leak. Would love to hear from the experienced.

Thank you!

 

[Ron20324]

If you undo shrouds, run your halyard(s) to the toe rail for temporary support.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

yes - I do one at a time and let them dangle- be sure and bevel the screw/bolt holes and any penetration for the chain plates. This will give you a much better seal. Also when you loosen up the turnbuckles, be sure and count the number of turns (I use 5 full turns) - that way when putting things back together you will be in tune. I used buytl on a couple I did this summer, but just did one I hadn't gotten to last week - It was tooo cold for buytl so I put some 791 and will replace with buytl when the temp warms up.

 

[equalvision]

Thanks folks.

Sir Troyer, could you elaborate a little on the bevel you're referring to. I haven't taken one down yet so cannot visualize the bevel you speak of.

I found quite the leak coming from the hole that feeds the 12v wires for the light above the ice box. The hole goes through the thing that looks like a "gutter" on both sides to bring the 12v wires through for the light. Does this "gutter" have a name? The boat is nose up a bit so it could be water running along this gutter all the way to the low point and coming out this hole. So frustrating to track down. It is wood stained water as well. Thanks for the info!

 

[equalvision]

Here's a picture showing the "gutter" in case it's not clear.

As for the butyl tape, is that the best option over a 5200 or 4200 for the chainplates? Or anything else for that matter. I haven't used it before. Thank you!

 

[Stu Jackson]

As for the butyl tape, is that the best option over a 5200 or 4200 for the chainplates?

Do NOT, ever, use 5200 on your boat. It is a massive adhesive. Why would you want an adhesive on your chainplates, which should be part of normal routine maintenance, not something you only do when they leak?

Try this:

Chainplate Rebedding 101 - with Bed It with Butyl from Maine Sail

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,7265.msg49430.html#msg49430

 

[LeslieTroyer]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-1-4...-Plastic-and-Soft-Metals-2-Pack-125/203641150

I run this bit around the chain plates and a counter sink bit for round holes this give about 5 time the volume for your sealant

 

[equalvision]

I see. I see the goal of grinding away to a smooth finish before sealing but what is the idea of having 5 times more volume for sealant? I'd imagine using less and making sure the surfaces are conditioned for a tight seal before sealing would make the most sense? Appreciate the info!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Here's the how and why:

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware

You should bookmark that entire website and read all of it.

 

[equalvision]

This is great Stu. Thanks for the point in the right direction. Reading on...

 

[cb32863]

Then you should probably check for rot if there is core at these penetrations.

 

[equalvision]

Thanks for the info folks.

Another quick question...
I'm attaching a photo of the bow locker in the vberth as I have a leak coming from the top corner or the tip of the bow. Would you think this is from a looses chainplate or anchor roller? I tightened up the screws on the anchor roller a little bit in the rain trying for a quick fix to stop the bleeding. Didn't help much. The anchor locker is dry. Any ideas?

 

[LeslieTroyer]

looks like hull to deck leak..

 

[Rick Webb]

Is this the Avalon?

 

[equalvision]

Hey Rick,
It is. How do you know of it?

 

[Rick Webb]

I am the Dockmaster at FWYC we've spoke a few times.

What was the thumping? I was thinking strut bearing or an issue with the strut but you moved the boat before I saw you again.

 

[equalvision]

Oh hey Rick. I thought your name sounded familiar.

Norm was telling me it wasn't anything to be concerned about unless it gets worse and to be honest, I'm inundated with other issues on this godforsaken vessel. It only happens in reverse and at idle. I'll be sure to get to that eventually but it's lower on my list. Something I will look into on next haul out.

Hope the dock is going well over there. I'm at pirates bay now.

 

[equalvision]

For any interested, here's what I found on an '82 C30.

The anchor locker drain has a small metal thru hull pipe to drain the locker through the bow. That pipe seems to have deteriorated at the edges so water was making its way down the hull, into the vberth front locker and then run across the berth until it reached the hatch and dripped onto the water tank...eventually along the floor of the head and down to the bilge.

I'm working on a solution to refit the drain.

 

[Rick Webb]

A good source of information would be another guy at the club.

Look up Emerald Coast Sailing Association and get in touch with George.

Come on back by when you get closer to heading south and we'll put you in touch with folks who can give you first hand info on your route and destinations.

 

[jssailem]

tooo cold for buytl so I put some 791

Les. I just looked the 791 stuff up and got this response from Dow.

DOW CORNING® 791 SILICONE WEATHERPROOFING SEALANT (AMERICAS)

This product is not available in the country United States.​

You got a connection?