1985 Hunter 34 Deck Repair Help

[c07chrisjohnson]

Hello,

Anyone have any clever ideas on how to fix this issue without removing the toe rail? Pretty sure water from the deck is leaking into the galley.

 

[fred1diver]

Well unfortunately, if you want to be very water will not find a way in, the best is to remove it, sorry I know it is not what you want to hear, but water will follow every space it can to get in, better do it right the first time, will save time and money in the not so short term

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

No one WANTs to remove _________________ [ fill in the blank] to fix a leak but there is no good alternative.

 

[Allan12210]

I would confirm absolutely and with out a doubt that is the path the water is taking. The water we alway found in the galley on our H34 always originated from water getting in via the sliding hatch. Even water had a tendancy to accumulate under that sea hood where the lines are routed and the hatch slides under found a way in over the headliner boards. A Sunbrella cover over the hatch and hatch boards solved that.

I don't see any obvious deformation of the toe rail that would make me suspect that was a cause of any leaks. Maybe a picture from a the side shows something different. Our deck had many hairline cracks along the toerail. That deck to hull joint is pretty robust and outboard. There is also butyl tape in between. Make sure the bolts on either side of that area are sufficiently tight. You may want to try blasting the area with a hose and see if new water migrates inside. I'd probably avoid a pressure washer as you don't really want to erode anything away. Scrub it clean with a brush, mask with painters tape and put a little white caulk down between the toe rail and the deck. Tool it with a gloved finger.

 

[marcham]

Can you confirm that is the source using a hose? Water can travel a long way before it makes itself visible... it's kind of sneaky that way. Have you removed the cabinets to confirm that is the path? Removing a cabinet or two is a lot less work than removing and reinstalling a toe rail...

The other thing that might help to track it down:
On a warm day, spray an area with water for 5-10 minutes (always start at the lowest spot, then work your way up).
use a thermal camera inside the cabin to see where the temps drop first... that will clue you in.
If nothing found, move the hose another foot or two uphill. Just work the way water drains, starting at the lowest spot (decks) and work your way up the deck then the cabin sides.

 

[kloudie1]

I'm with Allan on this one. The toe rail is a design that wouldn't let water in except through the attaching bolts and those bolts are sealed with a big strip of butyl sealant that remains flexible pretty much forever .. The bolts are outboard of the hull . If you see (previous notes for diagnosis) that the water is coming in there you can try snugging up the bolts by holding the top head stationary (to keep from twisting the butyl) and snugging the nut with a socket wrench.. There is no need to make those gorilla tight, just a good snug is great. (maybe 6-8 foot pounds of torque?).
Leak through deck into cabin | Sailboat Owners Forums
and:

 

[jssailem]

In the Hunter Owners feature of SBO is a manual for 198X Hunter 34's.

https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/dl/downloads.php?task=model&mid=31

On one of the pages of the manual is an image of the boat's construction.

This may help you solve your issue.

 

[c07chrisjohnson]

ok I am going to use the hose and see if any water leaks in from that point. I'll clean it and take another picture. Basically it looks like the outmost part of the fiberglass on the deck is cracked, the toe rail itself is fine.

what is underneath the outermost layer of fiberglass on the deck?

 

[dlochner]

ok I am going to use the hose and see if any water leaks in from that point. I'll clean it and take another picture. Basically it looks like the outmost part of the fiberglass on the deck is cracked, the toe rail itself is fine.

what is underneath the outermost layer of fiberglass on the deck?

The crack looks like it is only gel coat. On sharp outside corners gelcoat often cracks because there are voids between the gelcoat and the underlying fiberglass. This is a pretty common issue and is not structural. The void forms during the deck layup because fiberglass does not easily conform to tight 90° corners. After the mold is sprayed with gelcoat the glasswork begins in some places the cloth will lift away from the corner before the resin sets. Fiberglass likes nice gentle curves and will seek those curves unless forced into a tight corner. Since gelcoat is quite brittle and there is nothing backing up, it cracks and eventually the gap is exposed. The fix is to remove the unsupported gelcoat and use fairing compound to restore the shape.

If there is a port near the leak, that would be a likely source of the leak.

 

[BigEasy]

The stanchion mounting bolts are another common location for leaks to occur. I would check the nearest stanchion with a water hose. Could be an easy fix dependent on where the stanchion bolt backing nuts are located.

 

[c07chrisjohnson]

Thank you so much Dave, I really appreciate the info!!

 

[Mike Oldak]

I have the same issues. 1) I pressure washed the deck and then caulked between the deck and the toe rail. 2) made a cabin cover that directs water away from the hatch cover. I leave two bumpers on the lid so that the cover forms a high spot and water runs off to the sides. 3) carefully remover each bolt holding down the toe rail and squeeze in some sealant and retorque.

 

[jk kudera]

i would check the jib track, i found mine to be loose, tightened all 100 bolts most were at least a 1/4 turn loose.

 

[danm1]

Plus 1 for the sliding hatch. Even with a dodger I had this problem on my h34 when at the dock and wind blew rain from astern.

 

[HelloOutThere]

I have cracks up and down both toe rails... My worst leaks were from bad installs of the port lights at the factory, one fixed window and one gray series. For the Gray series, pry the port light trim ring off and check the caulking. For the fixed window check the caulking. I eventually replaced the Gray series on one side of the boat, and had to rebuild all of the fix lights. Not an easy job....