Leaking and soft wood help

[Jack75]

I am a new owner of a 1989 Catalina 22. I removed the bow cushions and found a bad water problem. I need to find the leak and repair the wood rot. On the wood repair after drying out what is the best way to repair? Any likely leak sources for this part of the boat. Please review the attached photo and any help or insights is much appreciated. Is this a bad structural problem due to the rot or spongy wood? Thanks much!

 

[greg_m]

looks like the classic bulkhead water damage from leaking shroud deck fittings!

 

[rpludwig]

Welcome, and congrats on your new boat! Yup, common as Greg sez, many here have addressed it, leaky chainplates from your deck fittings above, others will chime in with their fixes, and do a search here for bulkhead rot, leaking chainplates, rebedding deck hardware, etc. You've come to the right place!!

 

[Jack75]

Thanks for the quick response will review other posts and recommendations on repairs. Really appreciate the help and insights.

 

[Gene Neill]

Welcome aboard, Jack!

That bulkhead miiight not have to be replaced. Depends on whether it has gotten spongy in the places that matter, or just stained. It is structurally critical though, so don't gamble if you aren't sure. A new one can't be bought ready-made, but you can trace the pattern onto a new piece of wood and make one yourself.

Post more pics if you get the chance. We love pics.

 

[Jack75]

Gene, will get a few more photos. The base of the bulkhead that bottom 2 inches is wet and spongy. So given that once my mast comes down would it be safe to remove the bulkhead and cut a new one out of marine plywood or can I just place an additional strip of wood over the base of the bulkhead. Will trace the leak and repair. Thanks much.

 

[JRT]

I'm not a C22 person but if the wood is still mostly intact I would dry it out with a space heater after stopping the leak and use git-rot penetrating epoxy

Boat Life Git-Rot Penetrating Epoxy Kit, 4-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XBBFK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bAU2Bb9EYQK4B

 

[Gene Neill]

The base of the bulkhead that bottom 2 inches is wet and spongy.

I'd replace it for sure then. It's too important to take chances with. Once the mast is down you are 100% safe to go to work on it.

 

[Leeward Rail]

I'd replace it for sure then. It's too important to take chances with.

+1

Relatively easy if you can do some basic woodworking.

Remove the bulkheads
Gently tap the bullnose trim off with a block of wood and a mallet
Trace the old bulkhead onto some new marine grade playwood
Cut the new bulkhead out
Finish the bulkhead (stain/varnish or oil etc)
Install the old trim on the new bulkhead
re-install bulkhead

THEN the BOAT specific repair fun come into play...

inspect the deck around the chainplates for any additional damage to the wood coring in the deck (repair as needed. I have some photos in my rebuild thread that show the basic procedure)
reseal the chainplates so that water doesn't leak inside again for a while.

 

[Jack75]

Thanks again will be heading down to the boat tomorrow and work the leak and begin the dry out process. Will assess the struct

 

[Hardhead]

I had the same issue, and the really safest way to go is to trace, pattern, and replace the bulkheads. If I were a betting man, I'd say almost everyone on this forum has done it at one time or another. There's quite a few posts on this forum regarding how people have done it. Feel free to ask questions. It takes about a weekend, but it isn't a difficult project at all if you have some basic woodworking skills. Once done, you should be good for another 30 years - just be sure to use some butyl tape to seal the chainplates at the deck level, and check the seal every so often. I don't believe marine plywood is needed by any means, but after drilling the new chainplate holes, I removed the new bulkheads and put on 2 coats of alcohol thinned epoxy, and then spar varnished.

It's probably the unofficial initiation ritual to the venerable C22 club. Congratulations and welcome!

 

[Jack75]

Thanks again for the detailed response will keep you posted on what I find and how I resolve the issue. Great source of info and everyone’s expertise has been great! Will review posts to see how to remove bulkhead and locate the leak. Thanks everyone!

 

[Hardhead]

Judging from the vertical stain pattern on the wood, it looks like it's probably coming in from the chainplate strap that cuts through the deck, and then down the chainplate to the wood, and saturating the bottom of the bulkhead. It's a common but fixable issue, and that's likely the source.

If you lower the mast, unbolt the chainplate from the bulkhead, and pull it out. Try eyeballing and putting an angled pick into the chainplate deck hole, and see if there is any black rot or crumbling plywood in the plywood deck laminate under the deck fiberglass. The bigger fix is if there is serious rot in the plywood deck laminate - but it's still fixable. I was lucky and mine was still okay, so it's not necessarily a given there is rot there. If you do this, be sure to close up the chainplate slot in the deck with some butyl tape and good duct tape in the meantime. You don't want any rain or moisture getting in there while you're deciding what to do. That chainplate strap carries a lot of load, and basically is the biggest factor in keeping the mast up, so it's structural. It's all fixable though, and this is a well traveled path. C22's are good boats, but this is a common issue if there has been leakage over the years, coming through the chainplate deck slot. Good luck, and post-up what you find when you get a chance.

 

[pclarksurf]

my .02-- you can fix the bulkhead with CPES first followed by epoxy, you'll lose the aesthetics but once fully epoxied you'll be structurally sound.

 

[Jack75]

Thanks again will be removing the bulkhead this week and fixing the leaks. Will post updates and photos. All help appreciated

 

[Captain Bucknut]

Jack, have you been able to determine the cause of the leak?

Your leak could be coming from a number of different locations. You can try to narrow down the leak to one particular spot and address that.

There are plenty of resources here for repotting the holes and rebedding hardware (Maine Sail has many a post on the subject). Last year I was able to remove the stanshions and chain plates and allow them to dry out for a couple months. Using a dremel to ream out the material between he layers of gelcoat and then fill that back in with 2 part epoxy. As I was filling (repotting) the holes, the epoxy wicked its way into the plywood core. Allow for a lot of time to let that epoxy find its way into the voids that you may have. Once it stops and the hole stays filled and stabilized, you may have eliminated other future concerns as well. Do yourself a favor and take the time to do it right the first time so as you will inevitably be revisiting a poorly done job again. And its about sailing not fixing.

https://marinehowto.com/ this is a great resource for what you are going to tackle. I use the Bed-it Butyl Tape and System 3 for the two part epoxy.

 

[Jack75]

I have not located source of the issue going to the boat Wednesday, boat May be shrink wrapped for the winter but will have access. I was planning on removing the bulk head that will need repaired or replaced and finding the leaking chainplate issue. Anxious to see what I find.

 

[ambler]

Last week I bedded that chainplate after seeing water stains on the top of the bulkhead. You can do it with the mast up. I tied the main and jib halyards off to the stanchion to support the mast while the upper shroud was disconnected. The chainplate was sealed to the deck with a very thin layer of silicone that had to be removed for the butyl tape to seal. For more information about butyl tape and removing silicone see:

https://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/63554-bedding-deck-hardware-butyl-tape.html

Fortunately my plywood deck core was dry and not rotted. If it is the rotted wood needs to be picked out and the void filled with epoxy (you can find detailed instructions elsewhere on this forum). My bulkhead had not yet rotted either. Take a close look at the top of the bulkhead, that's the most important structural part. When that chainplate is upwind the upper shroud pulls hard on the chainplate and a solid deck keeps it from pulling out. It also depends on that metal strap bolted to the bulkhead to hold it in place. The top of the bulkhead will pull up against the cabin roof and hold everything in place. So the top of the bulkhead needs to be solid as well.

Might rebed the other chainplates while the mast is down.

This is all fixable; the C-22 is a fun boat.

 

[Jack75]

Thanks for the tip. It is cool here in CT. 50-55 degrees high, 35 degree lows. Is it too cold to reseat chainplates or should I wait till spring. The boat will be shrink wrapped this week. Thanks

 

[ambler]

The West System epoxy guide shows temps down to 40 degrees for the fast hardener; it just takes longer to cure. The butyl tape would be firmer. I did mine on a 62 degree day here in NE TN.