fiberglass arch leaking hunter 410

[stinson]

hi there,
I have a hunter 410 ,1999 and i 've been having water intrusion from the staboard side arch(fiberglass model) leaking thru the aft bedroom from a light fixture on the same side. I just can put my finger exactly where it come from. Any idea???

 

[Tim22]

Not sure if your arch is attached the same as my 1997 Hunter 310 but I am guessing they are. If so it is bolted on with vertical bolts going through the cockpit coaming and horizontally through the outside vertical surface of the coaming. On the 310 access to the bolt heads is through an inspection ports at the bottom of the arch. The nuts on the starboard side are accessed through the cockpit locker and the port one via a panel in the aft cabin liner.

When my boat arrived the arch had been removed for transport so I re caulked when re installing. Three of us were able to re install the arch in about three hours. Some contortions to tighten down the nuts was required. If I were doing it again I would look for a light duty type crane ( our club has one for raising and lowering masts) to take the weight as the arch is quite heavy.

Tim

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

If so it is bolted on with vertical bolts going through the cockpit coaming

Adding to what Tim22 has said, I had occasion to be poking around at the interior base of the arch and the vertical bolts are an ideal place for water to leak through if they are not sealed properly. Pulling and re-caulking them may be a challenge as mine were installed with 5200. Yours may be on with something more forgiving. You can also ensure the drain hole at the outside base of the arch is clear to avoid water build up.

Again, as with Tim22, this is found on the '99 H-310 which may (or may not) be similar to yours.

 

[beardless]

Aaah yes, the leak in the aft cabin headliner. I had a '97 Hunter 450 with the arch. I could not stop the leak in the aft cabin until I stripped off all the silicone sealer under the grey capping which is a pressed fit on the entire fore and aft edges of the arch. Beneath that you will see the sealant. I could see it had pulled away over time. Get it ALL removed then reseal. A job that's a bit tedious but this did the job. Not a drip after that. I think that any spray or especially rain would run into the interior of the arch and eventually into the cabin headliner and appear in various places usually over my laptop or clothing/bedding just to make it an interesting day on the boat..