bi-lateral rub rail leak?

[Brian]

We had close to 2" of rain over the weekend (no BBQ) but this non-event enabled me to check for any new leaks, and yeah I found some. It seems to be coming from the hull/deck joint at the center of the deck on either side in the area underneath the windows(windows not the source of the leak) and pooled in the shelves that run adjacent to the hull underneath the windows. I thought that the seal may have been broken while the boat was up on a travel lift or on jack stands for maintanence over this past year...rationale being that the hull may have flexed slightly with the weight of the keel at the fulcrum in turn separating the hull/deck joint. Maybe, maybe not, but either way I'd like to remain bone dry for another season so I need to tend to this matter. My questions to the forum are: a) does my cause of leak sound probable, b) if so has serious damage resulted, and c) do I need to pull the rub rail assembly to reseal the hull/deck joint, or can I just run a new bead of sealant along the outside of deck where the rub rail and deck meet. My main concern is stagnant water in contact with parts of the deck that are not water proof. I noticed the archives touched on this issue and seemed like rub rail replacement would be a relatively inexpensive job compared to dealing with deck rot...Hopefully this isn't a serious job, as I would like to cruise this weekend but another day in the driveway with kickin' back is another day well spent! Any takers?Brianh23 kickin' back

 

[John]

UNUSUAL

There are 2 possible places where such a leak could originate. One is that the leak is coming from your jib sheet blocks. The second would be chin plates for the upper and lower stays. I think that a leak in the areas that you are investigating will manifest itself when the boat heals. By and large, leaks on that boat comes from the plexiglass at the top hatch. Interested in hearing from others.

 

[Ernie]

Exact same leak

I have the exact same leak on my '85 H23. My Bow pulpit leaks where the screws fit and this seems to be where my water is coming from. It must run down the hull/deck joint. The reason I think this is that I sealed the screw holes very well and didn't get any water on the bulkheads until a friend broke the seal by grabbing on to the pulpit. (It's loose, obviously) After I repair the pulpit, I'll know for sure.

 

[Ernie Rogers]

Been there, done that! Not fun!!

I solved my leak problem by re-doing the hull/deck joint and completely replacing the rub rail. Caulking the rub rail is not a solution. It's a major job.....probably can be done in one weekend with a good helper, if you have the new rub rail on hand. Weather needs to be above 80 so you can stretch the rub rail.However, from your description, I tend to agree with John that the chain plates are leaking. Before doing all this other work, remove the cover plates on deck and dig out all old caulk around the chain plates and replace it, as well as caulking the cover plate. With any luck, this will fix your leak.Ernie Rogers