Hunter 34 cabin leak

Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
I looked at the genoa track yesterday and could see small spots of caulking - white and still somewhat flexible - along the edge of the track to deck joint. This leads me to believe the factory used something like 3M 4000 or similar product and not a hard set caulk or butyl tape.

Can anyone tell me definitively what type of product was used by the factory?

Butyl tape may be the easier and least messy way to rebed the track but will it be the “correct” method?

Thanks again!
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
I recaulked the toe rail/deck joint. Several days later we had a good rain and I checked the hull to find all but one of the weeping spots had abated. This past weekend I tightened all the toe rail bolts. Almost all of the bolts were loose. Some were very loose. Some required only a little to snug them and perhaps five or six were still tight. One was missing.

I’m hoping I’ve corrected the problem but won’t know for sure until we get another heavy rain.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
Weeping spots have nearly stopped. I rebedded the port “T” track (jib track) today. More rain is predicted and I’ll keep an eye on it to see if the weeping stops.
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
Colibri, regarding rebedding toe rail and tracks, what did you use? Butyl or 3M 4200? Did you completely remove the toe rail to rebed or did you just loosen bolts, clean out with it still attached, squirt in sealant, and retighten?
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
Hi Artey,

I didn’t remove anything. I just tightened the bolts.

I just replaced two bent stanchions and getting the stainless screws and bolts apart from the stanchion bases was tedious but not too bad. I suspect taking all the toe rail bolts out would be about the same. Tedious, but not too bad. The toe rail could be lifted off and cleaned up. The bolt holes could be reamed and then rebed the toe rail and the bolts with 4200. I decided to just tighten them to see if it would stop the leak. I see no real way to separate the deck from the hull to reseal that joint.

I just removed and rebed the T track. The nuts on the inside came off easily. I used a medium stroke air hammer (Husky model 4630 from Home Depot) to drive the bolts up and out of the T track. That tool made short work of a tedious job. I cleaned up all the hardware, reamed the bolts holes clean and rebed the track with 4000 UV. I’m sure 4200 would be as good or better. I’m hopeful I got a good seal.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
Also, when I tightened all the toe rail bolts, I cleaned out all the old caulk along the toe rail to deck joint and recaulked it.

I guess the best thing to do would be to remove all the stanchions and the toe rail, clean everything and rebed. That would be a big job. And I wouldn’t want to do it with the boat in the water. You’d almost certainly lose nuts, washers, bolts and possibly even tools overboard.
 
Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
At one point I remember taking out the screws, putting a little silicon into the hole and replacing the screws. On Sail Life, he bored out all the holes well over sized, then filled the new whole with epoxy and redrilled the hole in order to prevent any water from going from the hole into the hull.
 

Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
At one point I remember taking out the screws, putting a little silicon into the hole and replacing the screws. On Sail Life, he bored out all the holes well over sized, then filled the new whole with epoxy and redrilled the hole in order to prevent any water from going from the hole into the hull.
Yep that would require pulling the toe rail, I'm not sure I'm up for that, hell I'm not even sure its my toe rail leaking but I have pretty good leak in my v berth. Hoping its all from the chain locker as its running down the walls/carpet of vberth, not sure what else it would be besides toe rail or chain locker.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
Artey,

I’m pretty sure the source is the toe rail in my v-berth. That and the navigation light wires at the bow penetrate the deck on my port bow. The grommet was gone so I just caulked the wires at the deck penetration.

I checked to make sure my chain locker drain hose was clear and still connected and that the hinges and latch weren’t allowing water in.

I think I’ve stopped the “weeping” along the hull in the v-berth.

My primary leak up there was the hatch. Which also may have allowed water to migrate from around the hatch, through the deck core and to the deck-to-hull joint where it finds a way to weep out of the “walls” soaking the hull liner, the v-berth deck and cushions.
 
Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
Yep that would require pulling the toe rail, I'm not sure I'm up for that, hell I'm not even sure its my toe rail leaking but I have pretty good leak in my v berth. Hoping its all from the chain locker as its running down the walls/carpet of vberth, not sure what else it would be besides toe rail or chain locker.
I didn't remove the entire toe rail, just one screw at a time.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
I was talking with a local rigger about the toe rail leak and he said he knew a guy that pulled the toe rail off just as we are discussing. He said the guy simply adjusted his dock lines to pull the bow/stern over to the pier as he removed the screws and nuts, making the job easier and much less likely to drop something in the water. The toe rail and aluminum rub rail were lifted off, cleaned up and recaulked.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
Well, it’s been over four years since my last post. How time flies. The caulking I did along the toerail eventually washed out and the leak in the quarter berth returned. Just as before. Looked like The Amityville Horror with water weeping out of several spots in the hull in the quarter berth.
I finally pulled the port toerail. Boy was it filthy and corroded under there. I did the job with the boat in the water. Sorry, no photos. But it was relatively simple.
1. Pulled the bow nav light wires from the bow rail. Tied a witness string to them.
2. Loosened the port side standing rigging about three turns. Marked the turnbuckles with tape.
3. Removed the stanchions and lifelines. Pulled the bow and stern rails out of the way.
4. Removed all the nuts from the toerail screws. Used my harbor freight air ratchet.
5. Drove to screws up and out with my harbor freight air hammer.
6. Had the spinnaker and mainsail halyards attached to the toerail to prevent dropping it. It came off easily.
7. Thoroughly cleaned the deck mating surface and countersunk the screw holes.
8. Cleaned all the corrosion from the toerail with muriatic acid. It didn’t harm the anodizing. Rinsed it well with water and let it dry.
9. Filled the worst of the pitting and holes with JB Weld Quick Set and sanded smooth.
10. Painted the bottom side with zinc chromate. Masked off and touched up the corroded spots where the stanchion bases attach to the toerail with rattle can cold galvanize.
11. Used three rolls of “Bed-It” butyl tape and put an extra small piece over every countersunk hole.
12. Used the halyards to position the toerail and had help from my boat neighbor to get it back on, starting at the stern putting one screw in and just starting each washer/nut. Put a ring of butyl around the head of each screw.
13. Used a ratchet strap at the bow end to pull the toerail into position.
14. Went back and snugged them all down. Used a huge flathead screwdriver in a slot near each screw to force/lever the toerail flat against the deck While snugging each screw.
15. Cleaned each stanchion base with muriatic and touched them up with cold galvanize. Chased the screw threads clean and used thread compound to prevent further corrosion.
Now for the starboard side.
 

danm1

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Oct 5, 2013
164
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
On my old 34 I had dripping from odd points in the headliner in the galley area from heavy rains blowing under the spray hood. If I could turn the boat into the wind it was no problem, but it was a constant issue at a dock or fore and aft mooring with wind astern.
 
Sep 19, 2019
25
Hunter 34 Kemah
I found the screws that hold down the cabin top “cover” (nacelle or whatever they call it) had worked loose and Hunter never put sealant on them. I pulled each screw, applied a liberal amount of sealant into each hole and replaced the screws.
I did the same with the headliner over the galley and the port side. Actually I replaced the headliner as it had rotted.
Granted, there is no doubt rot in the cabin top core. But I’m not gonna worry about it. I have a 38 year old boat that I as designed to last 10 years. We are lucky they still float.