Advice ?

[cdkell]

I have a leak at the base of the port side stanchion about mid boat. After a rain water collects in the compartment behind the cushion back. I have been told to remove the stanchion and bracket, drill several 1/4" holes where the bracket bolts to the deck through the deck, balsa wood and partially into the next layer of fiberglass. Dry with a shop vac and a heat lamp until all of the moisture is removed then fill the drilled holes with epoxy, let cure and replace bracket using 3M 5200 as a sealer under the bracket. Is this a good way to fix this leak? Any other suggestions? The boat is an 83.

Thanks

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

There are a number of ways to effectively repair this type damage, one of which you just described. If it were mine, I'd remove the glass and thoroughly inspect the area suspected of having core rot, remove the core where necessary and replace it with balsa and re-glass/paint the repair but there are lots of effective equivalent alternatives. About the only thing I might change if I were doing it as you describe is to not use 5200 but rather epoxy filler.

 

[Maine Sail]

The stanchion base may also not be the source of the leak, it may just be the exit. The C-30 is plywood cored and water travels through it quite easily and then exits where ever it can. Being that this stanchion is at a low point water could be leaking into the deck further up and just exiting at the penetrations for that stanchion.

Have you determined that there is water dripping off those particular stanchion nuts?

You may also want to check your anchor locker as they are often inadequately sealed by the factory.

Follow me here:

Water drips around the lip of the anchor locker then travels/wicks along the underside of the deck to the gap where the wiring comes into the anchor locker. Once past this bulkhead it can then track its way along the top of the hull liner, behind the trim board, and tends to drip out at the low point, as it won't go back up hill.

To rule out the anchor locker you can simply rim the anchor locker with duct tape hanging down to make a drip skirt so the water can't track on the underside of the deck. All you need is to leave it hanging down a quarter inch below the deck all the way around the locker flange. This way when water runs off the deck and into the anchor locker it tracks down the tape and falls off the bottom edge into the abyss of the anchor locker instead of tracking along the underside of the deck..

With the C-30 there are many possibilities of where that leak could be from. Oh and NEVER seal the underside of the deck only the surface side. If water does get in you want to know about it..

As Don said avoid 5200 (AKA Devil Glue). Sikaflex 291 or 3M 101 are other great alternatives with significantly lower adhesion.

Don't forget to bevel/chamfer/countersink the bolt holes when putting it all back together as this will keep the water out by giving you a nice o-ring and sufficient thickness for any movement of the fittings so as not to break the seal. The link below explains a lot about countersinking..

Drying a deck is next to impossible unless it is very localized. Usually by the time it starts to drip out, the core can't physically hold any more moisture. Eventually it will start to drip brown, like coffee, and then you have a real problem of decaying and rotting deck core..

If you find you have lots of moisture I would not "pot" the holes with epoxy as that will just seal the moisture in with no room for any to drip out. If you have a dry deck then potting the holes is a great idea but not so much with a wet one. Wet decks, to a degree, can still be structurally sound but you need to stop any further water ingress as soon as possible..

Sealing Deck Core Penetrations (LINK)

 

[cdkell]

Thank you. This is really great information.

Dan

 

[Bob S]

Maine,

Interesting observation, if the source is the anchor locker what is the solution?

Bob

 

[Maine Sail]

Maine,

Interesting observation, if the source is the anchor locker what is the solution?

Bob

Hang upside down on the anchor locker, with a caulking gun and some 4200, and fill the voids, both port & stbd, with copious amounts of goop. Takes about five minutes to fix..

 

[Moody Buccaneer]

Hang upside down on the anchor locker, with a caulking gun and some 4200, and fill the voids, both port & stbd, with copious amounts of goop. Takes about five minutes to fix..

The man speaks truth.

The anchor locker fit is the first place to look for leaks that show up at stanchions or behind the interior trim. I would not chase any leaks until after that area is inspected and sealed ... it used to rain in my hanging locker until I traced it to the anchor well.

Randy

 

[Anonymous 121765]

CD,
The guys posted some good advice on leaks. When I first got my boat(thought I'd get a boat cheaper as a fixer upper). I'll never go that route again. By the time you get things right on all the priority items, the other maintenance items overlooked need fixing. You keep finding yourself playing catch up.

Leaks being the pain in the A--!. I'm in the middle of a topside painting project. I've stripped all the thru deck stuff off the top. My friends say's it now looks more like a submarine.

As I removed items, I discovered something about the sealing chaulks. Main Sail is correct about the leak source not being the origin of the leak. I've done mast sterp repair & was surprised how poorly fit the coring was laid. From what i've seen, you can have all kinds of gaps & such that will allow water to travel in the coring.

While removing deck items I saw all different chaulks used over the years. I was the 3rd owner so my predecessors did different methods of chaulking.

When built, my catalina had RTV chaulk which was popular at the time & a bitch to get off as it hardens over time. Everywhere silicon chaulk was used as an edge sealing, I saw that exposed to sunlight, it shrinks and pulls away from surfaces.

So about 10 years ago I started using the 20 year latex chaulks. Easy application and cleanup.

As I removed items, This is what to my surprise I found:

1. the latex chaulk didn't work well. Noticed leak points at alot of areas around bolt holes even in compressed or "sandwitched" applications.

2. Where simple silicon chaulk was used, (not as an edge but sandwiched) I found no leaks. The chaulk was still pliable, rubber like and in place. Some items I had sealed with this 15 or more years ago.

So now all the areas where the deck fittings are in compression I will use simple silicon. Another tip is that when rebedding a fitting etc. prep the area, chaulk the fitting or deck or both with approx. 3/32" thick chaulk. re-attach the fitting but not tighten all the way. People have a tendency of tightening right away and squeezing most of the chaulk out. Also cleanup is a drag.

Take it down until you see an equal amount on all sides start to squeeze out. Try to do a little edge cleanup with mineral spirits & simply walk away for 2 days. This gives time for the silicon to set up. Simply tighten after that point and you'll will find +/- 1/32-1/6" or so gasket.

Now you have a seal that will last making sure the bolting holes, screws, nuts and washers are sized properly to allow sealing also. Even if the seal pulls away from deck & fitting at the edges, if the seal is continuous underneath, water will not make it's way to the holes. I am using GE premium waterproof silicon chaulk. It's sun/freeze proof and rain ready in 3 hours. I only use 5200 below the waterline or in places I will never have to take apart again. I had it on my stanchions, but because of grabbing & flexing with use it allowed for leakage as the stanchion base plates are flimsy at best.

Your boat is flexible, so should your chaulk be. Hope this helps........

C' ron