After winter storage along Lake Michigan I noticed when it rained water came in through the anchor locker on my 1997 Hunter 340 and I uncovered as was listed in a much earlier post that the pan that fits into the locker to form the well has a gap into the V berth the prior owner had put duct tape that had came loose and allowed water to enter the V birth the gap is large enough to put my fingers in and I can feel that the plywood was quite wet. From the prior posts I have found out use silcone instead of duct tape and continue to check it for leaks, but what do I do about the wet plywood? How do I do that and if I don't will mold form or will it cause any other risks to my boat. This is my first boat and I have found this forum great.
Anchor locker leaking Hunter 340
- Thread starter sbeach
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Sbeach:
I'm having a hard time picturing what you are talking about in terms of plywood. I was not aware there was any wood in the bottom of the anchor locker of our 99 340. I had a small seepage from that area that ended up running under the forward berth and down into the bilge (which is normally dry on our boat). After removing all the rode and cleaning the area, I found what appeared to be some small cracks/crevices in the very bottom forward corner. Rainwater was staying there as the bottom of the anchor locker was slightly lower than the drain hole. After letting it dry a few days, I just roughed up the area and dribbled in some epoxy to cover that 2 sq in area at the very bottom of the locker, which did the trick.
I'm having a hard time picturing what you are talking about in terms of plywood. I was not aware there was any wood in the bottom of the anchor locker of our 99 340. I had a small seepage from that area that ended up running under the forward berth and down into the bilge (which is normally dry on our boat). After removing all the rode and cleaning the area, I found what appeared to be some small cracks/crevices in the very bottom forward corner. Rainwater was staying there as the bottom of the anchor locker was slightly lower than the drain hole. After letting it dry a few days, I just roughed up the area and dribbled in some epoxy to cover that 2 sq in area at the very bottom of the locker, which did the trick.
I got up to the boat yesterday and used your question as an excuse to pull the rode out of the anchor locker and clean it out. As you can see in the first picture I don't have any problems in the area shown in your diagram, and in the second picture, you can see the darker area down at the very bottom of the locker where I did my repair. I also looked inside the boat in the v-berth, it looks like you can remove a cosmetic inner liner to get at the underside of the locker. Beyond that, sorry but I don't have any advice other than to ensure the plywood is completely dry before attempting a repair.
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I have had a similar leak in my 22' Hunter for years. Since mine is a trailer sailer and is stored on the trailer, rain water would get into the anchor locker and leak through cracks into the V berth below. Attempts by the previous owner and myself to seal it with silicone did not work.
This spring I decided to try something different. I bought spray cans of truck bed liner material. I cleaned out the locker and roughed up the fiberglass with some 320 grit sandpaper and sprayed away. Took 3 cans to do the locker to my satisfaction. I put it on very thick over the seams that had been leaking.
So far ( about a month ) with lots of rain water getting into the locker, NO LEAKS.:dance:
Craig
This spring I decided to try something different. I bought spray cans of truck bed liner material. I cleaned out the locker and roughed up the fiberglass with some 320 grit sandpaper and sprayed away. Took 3 cans to do the locker to my satisfaction. I put it on very thick over the seams that had been leaking.
So far ( about a month ) with lots of rain water getting into the locker, NO LEAKS.:dance:
Craig
I have the same model and year and had the same problem. I started on the project because the boat smelled of mold after it was in storage. I solved the problem a few years ago by fiberglassing over the joint between the deck and the anchor locker. Since joint is covered by the anchor locker lid, it doesn't have to look the greatest. I think the problem is worse in storage because it is blocked with the bow up higher then when it is in the water. I used resin and fiberglass matting (not just body filler) and tried to make a pretty secure joint.
When I did this I also removed all the foam and vinyl wall coverings. Water was coming in the anchor locker/deck joint and running down behind the vinyl wall covering in the V-berth. When I removed the vinyl covering, the foam backing was soaked with water. Replace the vinyl covering (which couldn't breath) with the cheapest, thinest nylon carpet I could find (Walmart) so any water or condensation could dry out. Most of the edges push in behind the existing trim, etc., plus a few dots of silican caulk to hold in place. I started in the v-berth, but ended up doing the entire boat. Not as much work as I expected, and very happy with the results. The changes really changed the way the boat smells.
While I was doing fiberglassing, I also took care of the standing water in the bottom of the chain locker. On our boat the drain hole was about 1/4" to 1/2" above the bottom of the locker. I took the left over fiberglass and poured in the bottom of the chain locker to built it up higher than the drain. You have to stand on your head and hold your breath, but you can smooth out the fiberglass and make a drain channel for the water.
When I did this I also removed all the foam and vinyl wall coverings. Water was coming in the anchor locker/deck joint and running down behind the vinyl wall covering in the V-berth. When I removed the vinyl covering, the foam backing was soaked with water. Replace the vinyl covering (which couldn't breath) with the cheapest, thinest nylon carpet I could find (Walmart) so any water or condensation could dry out. Most of the edges push in behind the existing trim, etc., plus a few dots of silican caulk to hold in place. I started in the v-berth, but ended up doing the entire boat. Not as much work as I expected, and very happy with the results. The changes really changed the way the boat smells.
While I was doing fiberglassing, I also took care of the standing water in the bottom of the chain locker. On our boat the drain hole was about 1/4" to 1/2" above the bottom of the locker. I took the left over fiberglass and poured in the bottom of the chain locker to built it up higher than the drain. You have to stand on your head and hold your breath, but you can smooth out the fiberglass and make a drain channel for the water.
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