The handrail on my oday 25 is leaking in only the forward t3 bolt holes out of 10 bolt holes. I tried slightly prying them up and putting butyl tape in there but it didn't seal. I would prefer not to take the whole railing off and increase the chances other bolt holes will leak in future. Thought I'd try same prying up method but use a caulk like 3m 4200 or lifecaulk. Any suggestions?
Handrail leaking
- Thread starter jsachetti
- Start date
If you don't make the repair correctly the first time, leaks will continue. I'd take the entire handrail off and rebed with butyl.
Take them off and properly prep the holes. If the handrails are leaking, there is a good chance the core in the cabin top has become wet. If the core isn't rotten, some fo the damp wood can be removed and the epoxy will seal the core. See the article below.
While I generally use butyl tape to bed hardware, on handrails I prefer 4200 for hand rails. And I don't have a really good reason, one of those idiosyncratic personal preferences. Either good butyl tape or 4200 will work.
Bedding Deck Hardware With Bed-IT Tape - Marine How To
Originally published December 2003 *Moved & Edited September 2017 Bedding With Bed-It Tape 5/20/2022 IMPORTANT UPDATE BED-IT TAPE IS BACK PURCHASE BED-IT TAPE Countersunk/Beveled Hole Over the years,
marinehowto.com
While I generally use butyl tape to bed hardware, on handrails I prefer 4200 for hand rails. And I don't have a really good reason, one of those idiosyncratic personal preferences. Either good butyl tape or 4200 will work.
It’s your boat, of course, but if it were mine, I would rebed the entire rail. I would be uncomfortable not knowing the condition of the other pads. If they were in bad shape, I would do the other side also, and never have to worry about rail leaks again.