Leaking Boat Stanchions
- Thread starter sunlover
- Start date
I would guess that it is digging in because it’s been tightened before and the core is failing letting it sink into the deck. Again. a guess
Unbolt it from underneath, one big nut per stanchon. Some one most likely pushed on it with it loose
I got out my endoscope to look behind a wall (bulkhead?). There's about a 1/2 inch crack to allow insertion. I see the bolt, but how does one access it? It's on the port side behind the galley, but it appears that the easiest access is from the rear cabin. I'm surprised that there is no base plate as just bolted into the fiberglass with a washer doesn't seem very sound.
I regret to report that after I replaced the furling line clutch on an '06 Bene the owner was unsure about my use of bedding material, so I told him to look inside and I'll run a hose on deck. Water poured in the aft cabin but not from MY work, the gate stanchion had no sealant, no washer, no nut from the factory, and was only held in place because the deck holes were misaligned and it was wedged into place. Whole thing hidden in the overhead such that the owner knew of excess moisture in area but couldn't track it.
I can get at some of mine , if they are behind a cabinet ... you may have to remove cabinet to access. Other manufacturers are the same , my buddy has a Catalina 310 stantions bent from winter winds . Basically he has to rip apart all the cabinets to gain access.
Using a flex shaft , universal joint with a socket may let you get at it
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I was afraid of that. Maybe I can just pop a small hole in the galley cabinet if can locate the right spot with a nail or screw. Either that or cut through the bulkhead from the rear cabin. It's living up to my mantra that "nothing is easy".
The starboard side also needs TLC. It looks like I can access from under some of the plastic panels, so I'll start on that one.
I'm sort of shocked that there is a single bolt with a washer. I would think it would have a back plate to handle some torquing as obviously the previous owner used it to heft his bulk out of the cockpit on a regular basis.
Always hate to see that kind of shoddy engineering where one has to tear stuff apart to get to a component or fitting. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN, stanchions are going to require servicing. At some point in time they will need to be resealed, tightened, straightened, or possibly replaced. Builders should incorporated provisions for accessing without tearing the boat apart. I am not having problems with mine at this time; however, I dread having to deal with it when the time comes!
Sounds like cutting a proper access hole and fabbing up a hatch for future access might be in order
I have a suggestion that may work…The Beneteau stanchions are cross bolted at the deck. Remove the allen bolt and pull the tubular stanchion straight up. It will come off the peg. Then with an assistant, get a wrench on the nut below the deck just to hold it. You should be able to unscrew it from above, being careful not to damage the peg that holds the stanchion. Don’t lose the nut and washer, if its there.
You will probably have to get creative in order to put it back together.
You will probably have to get creative in order to put it back together.
completely agree. I suspect the hull and interior engineers did coordinate. it gets worse as one moves forward as everything is sealed.
I was able to get the nuts off. I removed the medicine cabinet in the head and that provided me assess with a deep socket and extender. I was ready to drill a large enough hole through the galley cabinet but when I reached in, I realized that it was open. Lucky break. Tomorrow, I'll see about getting off the gunwale rail off so I can repair the fiberglass.
I'm still not impressed with these Stanchions. They seem to be for light use only, so I'll try to think up a better solution. If you have a bene, I recommend not using them except, maybe, for drying towels and clothes.
I'm still not impressed with these Stanchions. They seem to be for light use only, so I'll try to think up a better solution. If you have a bene, I recommend not using them except, maybe, for drying towels and clothes.
Hi there, I had a leak when I bought my B331 3 years ago. I took that base off like you did by a socket extender and a wrench. Was very difficult to do. I went to order a new base and they are not made anymore! Beneteau only makes the one with out the little flange that goes over the inward side of the rail onto the deck.
So what I did was order the one without the flange and I put one or two quarters in lieu of the flange, sealed it with butyl (not silicone) and it has not leaked yet.
So what I did was order the one without the flange and I put one or two quarters in lieu of the flange, sealed it with butyl (not silicone) and it has not leaked yet.
Appreciate more photos of the stanchion base that you removed and damaged fiberglass.
I'm going to get out my heat gun, drink my coffee and have a think. I'm thinking of embedding a stainless steel sheet piece in the top layer of resin to disperse any weight on it.
Great photos...much thanks! And, nice prep work too. Do you suspect any cracks beneath the toe rail? Is there enough space to glass a 1/4” SS backing plate from inside surface of deck? That would really stiffen the area. Also, what are you going to use to reseal the stanchion, butyl tape, 4200....? Sorry about all the questions!!
Is that an end grain balsa cored deck or plywood? Strange design for the stanchion base, appears that most of the sealing surface is on top of the toe rail. Don’t think that the lip does much with regards to enhancing the seal.
toe rail, thank you, I didn't know what it was called. I was planning to take it off but when I started with oscillating tool I realized that it was really sealed on there and just getting it off would take many hours. I decided to just go after the first stanchion. Here's the fiberglass now. A pop up storm is blowing over, so I covered it with wax paper.
