Leak under cockpit pedestal on '97 Mac 26X

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Gazmn

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Feb 23, 2006
1
Ollie Gray MacGregor 26X Bayside, NY
Hi All, New used boat owner here. Among the bugs I must address preseason is a leak [oh no!] that stems from beneath the cockpit pedestal. It's the opening that feeds my steering cables and additional wires. It leaks onto my "Pizza oven" aft berth. Is this common and is there a fix? Be patient with me - I'm a newbe :) Regards... -Gaz
 
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Mel E.

My 26X has the same

holes I would imagine, but I haven't had a leak there yet (we had 70 plus inches of rain this winter). How about using Plumbers putty packed around the cables. I've had pretty good luck with it in similar situations. In fact now that I think of it, I'm going to do it on all the thru holes from the pedestal. Last year I had water in the bilge. Mine came from seepage from the anchor locker. Water was coming through the 'pores' of the fiberglass, I used the "As seen on TV" Leak Ender, spraying a few coats on the inside of the locker. No water this year, and the boat has been uncovered all winter.
 
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Paul

Leak Ender Gripes

I was intrigued by your endorsement of Leak Ender (I'm always looking for a good new product to make maintenance more convenient) so I did a google search for more info about Leak Ender. Came across a site called infomercialscams.com. There was nothing good said about the product. Anyone else tried it for leaks??
 
Jun 17, 2005
197
- - Kemah, Texas
a possible leak site...

So far, my 99 Mac X has been water tight. But I was concerned about the "boot" that is laced with a nylon tie that covers the steering linkage. Ive put a new tie, with some 3-M extra silicone inside. Thats a site that looks like a good potential leak eventually. ALSO...I've threaded a strip of A/C foam (l inch wide, 2 inch thick, 3 foot long), between the sliding hatch, and hatch door when theyre closed. This foam strip is easily stored when the hatch is opened. There is a "gap" where rain can blow in if this area isnt covered. Ive noticed that many MAC owners dont secure this hatch gap.
 
Oct 26, 2004
321
Macgregor 26X Denton Co. TX USA
More

In addition to sealing the four through bolts that anchor the console to the floor, you can do the following. Reseal all instruments that are mounted in the console. Steering wheel bezel, tach, light switches, hour meters, etc. See if you can retie all wires from instruments, motor controls, etc. so that they have a downward hanging loop or U shape in them before they enter the pipe that passes through the deck to the berth area. For the engine control cables that enter through the plexiglas side, open the opposite side, use duct tape to seal off as many holes as possible on the inside, then use black silicone to fill in all the holes on the outside, pushing lightly around the cables and against the duct tape to bed it well with no voids. Smooth with a finger dipped in soap solution and it will be not be noticeable but will prevent any water ingress along those control cables. I went a step further. I put a strip of self adhesive 1/8th inch foam tape on the inside of plexiglas panels before screwing them on. And finally, I put a bead of silicone around the bottom edges of the console where it meets the cockpti deck on the front and both sides, but left the rear side open for any possible need to drain if the previous measures fail. Since doing the above about five years ago, I've had no leaks during rains or once per week washings. Hope this helps.
 
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scott bates

leaks

I asked Charles the Mac dealer in Victoria tex and he said another area of a possible leak was the gas tank storage areas where the bottom of the locker meets the inner cockpit wall. He said just resilicon it and should be fine.
 
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Steve Paul

Get out the hose

One of the least invasive methods is to get out that garden hose and have someone spray around until you find (from below) where it's leaking. Steve
 
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Mel E.

Paul from Virginia

we've had 70 plus inches of rain this winter so far, and its raining today, suppose to keep up for another week. After spraying the whole can of Leak Ender inside the anchor locker last year I watched the underside (had the cover and foam removed)for any beads of water, none came thru and the inside of my boat stayed dry, so don't know what to tell you. Don't know if I would use the Leak Ender on the hose/pipe/etc. like the TV ads, and trust the results but it did seal the fiberglass anchor locker for me. I put the foam and cover back over the undeside and haven't taken it off to check, but as I said, no water in the bilge since.
 
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