Rain Gutters and Silicone
Dreamboat is already put to bed for the winter and the full enclosure has been removed so I cannot provide pictures until next spring. I had full enclosure made for our 2011 winter trip to the keys. I reduced drips from the traveler to a to a minimum by two methods.
First, I built up ridges of silicone caulk on the metal top of the traveler to divert water from getting under the bimini parts that are attached to the front and back edges of the traveler plate and arch, to make water flow towards the rain gutters I describe in the next paragraph. Specifically, I figured out where they needed to be, put silicone ridges on the arch and traveler plate and let them dry before putting the canvas on, so they are under but not adhered to the canvas that attaches the front and back sections of the bimini to the arch and traveler plate.
Second, I cut up a white flexible plastic trash can and made basically flat plastic rain gutters that I could silicone in between the two arch tubes. They go from under the edge of where the flat traveler plate ends, between the two tubes of the arch under the roller that the traveler line goes around and through a grommet and down under the bimini to the jam cleat. The gutter pieces come out, outboard of that roller, above the bimini canvas that connects to the arch. I was able to get enough downhill slope that rain water goes down the outside of the bimini and the sides of enclosure.
It was definitely a trial and error job needing several tweaks to get it pretty good. The only real drip I get is from the grommet where the traveler lines come down under the bimini. I know this is hard to picture from a word description. Dreamboat will go back in the water in the second half of April 2015. If you haven't solved your problem by late April 2015, email me and I will take pictures for you.
mulf(at)live(dot)com
