Leak under the rub rail

[Andy Nugent]

I have a 1973 Mariner that leaks under the rub rail, I think. This is my best guess as there are no other obvious options. When it rains I get water on the inside, on the sides only, from the rail down. It looks like a big job to remove the rub rail and re-chaulk the deck/hull joint. Any suggestions?

 

[Ed]

Caulking the joint

It is a simple job. Hopefully the boat is out of the water. If the rubrail is old, just toss it. On my 25, all of the screws were removed from the lap joint and the old caulk was dug out. Fortunatly, the caulk was so old it mostly fell out by itself. The only hard part was removing the silicone a former owner had applied over the joint, trying to fix the problem. The joint was cleaned well with solvent soaked rags on little plastic sticks (like rag q-tips) then backfilled with a polysulfide sealant.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

What Ed says, only no 5200

I know, I know - I'm the 5200 evangelist but this isn't the place for it. Use 4200 or similar or that rail is permanent but may leak again someday anwway.Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[Gerry]

Make sure before you destroy

Here is a way to make sure of where the leak is before you tear up your toe rail only to find out that wasn't where it was leaking. You take and remove one of your hatch boards and make a cardboard copy of it. Then using a ordinary leaf blower, cut a hole in the cardboard so it can blow into the cabin. Make sure all your ports are closed. Oh yes, unless you like cleaning leaves out of your boat make sure the leaf bah is empty. Then turn on the blower. This will place the cabin under a small positive pressure. You can now take some soapy water and find all your leaks. Just remeber, No bubbles - no troubles! This works great. Ive done it on several boats for friends.