I have C25 #448, with original windows. I get a small puddle of water on my dinette table after a storm. I checked windows by removing inner aluminum frame and there was a small amount of water in the two rear port side windows (windward side to prevailing storms), but not starboard side. I taped windows on the outside with packing tape to seal them temporarily, but the next storm produced the same puddle and leaking around windows. I covered the cabin and windows with blue tarp (10X20) which stopped all leaks. Now the question: Any suggestions on other sources for leaks, since the tape around windows didn't stop the leaks, but the tarp did? Old Timer
cabin leaks
- Thread starter Old Timer
- Start date
Sit inside it and have someone spray water over the cabin. Thats the best way to find your leaks. When I first purchased my boat, I was cleaning out the inside when a big storm hit. Drip Drip Drip.... Every screw/bolt/window needed to be resealed...
Heavy duty Silicone caulk will work for the windows, but the screws will most likely require some fiberglass/epoxy work.
Good luck!
Heavy duty Silicone caulk will work for the windows, but the screws will most likely require some fiberglass/epoxy work.
Good luck!
Good idea! Now I have to decide if I want to fix everything that leaks, or just keep the tarp over the cabin when in the dock.
I had a lot of leaks from deck hardware and a small hatch. Had to rebed all of them as they would leak and it would run down the liner and our the window frame. Still have one or two small ones I have to chase down.
I think this is what is happening to my boat. One sign of the leaks is the delamination of the wall between the two larger window toward the stern of my C25. I drilled a couple of test holes to check if the wood is rotten underneath, but it appears to be solid. Can I use "rot fix" to reattach the liner, or do I need to use some other product? I also get the water around the lower windows frame and dripping on the table.
Do not use stoprot. It is nothing but a horror show. I redid my cockpit floor after a PO had poured stoprot in the hole. The stuff made a moderate job a fiasco as it only fills in a small area and the rest continues to rot.
I would suggest stopping the leaks at the source by rebedding the hardware. If the deck/ top of the house is too punky to walk on after it dries then worry about cutting out the area and recore with balsa.
Hopefully once it dries out it will be fine.
My experience with stoprot.
http://svknotaclew.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/fiberglass-work-just-a-bit-delayed/
I would suggest stopping the leaks at the source by rebedding the hardware. If the deck/ top of the house is too punky to walk on after it dries then worry about cutting out the area and recore with balsa.
Hopefully once it dries out it will be fine.
My experience with stoprot.
http://svknotaclew.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/fiberglass-work-just-a-bit-delayed/
It is an accepted repair method to use butyl tape, because it is the only waterproof seal that is really permanent. Butyl tape does not dry out or crack. I have used many silicone caulks over the years, & non of 'em last for more then about a year before their seal breaks. When I pulled my forward original port lights out to replace them with operable type, they were sealed with butyl tape & were still bone dry. I made the mistake of using a "good quality" silicone marine caulk & wherever I did it leaked again within a year. So live & learn from our mistakes.
Wow, I am impressed with your work and your skills, of which I have little. I did not want to buy a boat that needed a lot repairs, but I guess that comes with any old boat. Mine had been used pretty consistently and had been cared for, but still came with the leaks, which weren't evident until after the storms. Should have had a survey, but got caught up in the excitement of the purchase, fortunately I can still enjoy the sailing, since nothing major is evident. Deck and cabin roof seem solid, since I walk on them all the time with no evident spongy feeling. I will have to check under the cockpit floor, by crawling into the quarter berth and looking around. I'm not sure if the fiberglass is thin, or if is a problem with the core, but it feels fairly flexible.
Oh, our cockpit had a hole in the middle for I would guess a pedestal ( there is no quadrant on the rudder shaft so I really do not know) and when removed the cap and stepped on the cockpit floor brown sludge would come out.
Rebedding the deck hardware is pretty standard and expected. No big thing.
Rebedding the deck hardware is pretty standard and expected. No big thing.
Sounds like you knew what you were getting into before your bought the boat. For me it was a big surprise. I hope to do some of the rebedding work over the winter when she is high and dry on her trailer and only five minutes away from my home in storage.