Leaking Hull, 27 Catalina #CTLY17651274

[Wayne Miscisin]

Have a leak in the forward portion of the bielge. It seems to be trickling down the face of the wooden step. Boat has been sitting in her cradle for four years and is in excellant shape and could pass for new. Two years proir to her sit, four coats of tar were appied with VC-17 as a top coat. Aprox. 1.5 ft. from the bielge are three thru hull fittings.Need help in Michigan.

 

[rsn48]

Another URL and a suggestion

Also post your question in this forum, dedicated to Catalina owners. There are some issues with Catalina's and leaking, mine does. But then, other manufactures boats leak as well.If you don't have a companionway cover made from canvas or whatever that snaps over the companionway hatches, you might try that - it isn't that expensive.

 

[Grace L. Schmidt]

Leaking Catalina

First you need to find the source of the leak, which can be quite challenging.Once you find the source, and it may not be where you think it is, then applying a good sealant to the area should stop it. The key to success, however, is surface preparation. You must make certain the surface is clean, free of any oil, contamination or debris. A good solvent to use is Life Calk Solvent & Cleaner (and it will not harm fiberglass). Most acetone on the market today has been recycled and has already been contaminated with oil. We no longer recommend it for surface prep for that reason.

 

[Jim]

Water through the deck

Wayne, When you said the step and forward in the bilge, am I correct in assuming you meant the compression post step, and that water is coming down the face of the compression post step (or support block as Catalina calls it)? You don't say if the mast is up or not, but you could have water entering at the deck, around the mast step (the deck fitting at the bottom of the mast at the deck), or coming down inside the mast and running inside the compression post. If the boat has been out of the water for years, then your bottom paint and thru hulls have nothing to do with your problem.  You might also see if the deck is collapsing around the mast step. Freshwater intrusion can cause dry rot to set in the wood around your mast step, and cause a "birdbath" effect as the wood collapses and the fiberglass skin gets pinched by the compression post and mast. There should be a convex shape to the cabin top. If any of this is true, then first step is to stop the water intrusion with a tarp or plastic,and step two is figure out whats damaged.