Bulkhead leak

[Markos83898]

Last night in a driving rainstorm, I noticed this crack that had a slow but steady drip... The only thing directly above is the exterior handrail. The Staysail track is about a foot forward. Any ideas? Any knowledgeable advise is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig

 

[Jim Legere]

The dorade boxes are a common source of leaks. Gene Gruender is a former H37C owner who did a lot of repair and upgrade work to his Rainbow Chaser. You can find info on the dorades and much more here

You might want to check out the staysail track too. Some owners have reported that it is just screwed into a piece of wood that is glassed into the deck - a possible source of leaks too.
http://austinsailor.net/upgrades.html

 

[Tim M]

Craig - I have the same crack on our 37c. I asked the PO about it before purchase last summer and he said that yes it had leaked there but he 'fixed' it. The surveyor wasn't too concerned but said that was the only spot of dampness under the decks after his meticulous inspection. When it leaked the first time it rained - a couple months after we bought it - I realized it was coming from the chain plate thru-deck fitting after running down the stays. the PO's 'fix' had been to squirt some silicone under the deck plate. After digging out all the old crud and re-bedding with butyl it's made it through the winter without leaking a drop - and we had some real precipitation this winter. It also will make the shelf above the lavatory sink wet because the end of that shelf is the plywood that the chain plate is bolted to. I guess filling the crack is on the 'to do' but it's one of those things that is out of sight anyway and it's a 'flexing caused' problem that will probably continue to crack anything that is just a cosmetic fix. It does let you know when the chain plates need re-bedding. Good luck.
Tim

 

[ggrizzard]

Water migrates from hidden sources. It also goes up hill sometimes (wicking).
Vegetable dye can help locate source if you can isolate the areas of concern on the deck with tape dams and a lot of patience.

 

[Markos83898]

Thanks everyone. I've removed the staysail track and am going to service it and the teak and rebed it. I'm also going to seal everything from chainplates to ports; I figure, if they aren't leaking now, they will eventually. So, 3M4200 UV it is for all deck hardware!
Cheers,
Craig & Dana
S/V Hypatia (Please "Like" our new Facebook page, we are in for a hell of an adventure... once she's in the water)

 

[Jim Legere]

Thanks everyone. I've removed the staysail track and am going to service it and the teak and rebed it. I'm also going to seal everything from chainplates to ports; I figure, if they aren't leaking now, they will eventually. So, 3M4200 UV it is for all deck hardware!
Cheers,
Craig & Dana
S/V Hypatia (Please "Like" our new Facebook page, we are in for a hell of an adventure... once she's in the water)

You might want to look at butyl tape. Mainesail is a moderator and contributor here and has a lot of info (about just about everything!) on his website, HERE. Butyl is much more user friendly and removable than 3M4200.

 

[Markos83898]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

Dana & Craig
S/V Hypatia