First let me thank all the Hunter owners who have answered my previous questions so dilligently. I have an 84' H31 and still have two mystery leaks. One is on the starboard side of the v-berth, it runs down the upholstery and it fills the fiberglass formed storage pocket on that side just below the bed; it appears to be coming from the rail of the bow rail. It also has a similar leak on the port side, in the aft berth,and it also appears to be coming from a rail of the stern rail. Is it actually coming from the rails or the deck-hull joint or the toe rail? Thank you. Ed
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Good friend and a torque wrench!
Ed: I suggest that you get yourself a large screwdriver (industrial sized) that can be held with a wrench. Then get a torque wrench and torque down each and every bolt on the toe rail. This will take two people to do this (one on the screw head, one on the nut). The other alternative is not going to be fun. You will have to remove the toe rail and recaulk it. Then you will have to redo every bolt anyway. You will need to ask someone else about the torque setting. This will give you even tension on all the bolts. I must tell you, that I have had my 1985 Hunter 31 #501 since new and have not had any leaks on the toe rail. We did have to have the compression post replaced. We had a small leak (when the boat was brand new) where the forward running light run through the deck. We have also had problems with the companionway. Water accumulates on the hatch and flows forward and leaks onto the floor and cabinet in the galley area.
Ed: I suggest that you get yourself a large screwdriver (industrial sized) that can be held with a wrench. Then get a torque wrench and torque down each and every bolt on the toe rail. This will take two people to do this (one on the screw head, one on the nut). The other alternative is not going to be fun. You will have to remove the toe rail and recaulk it. Then you will have to redo every bolt anyway. You will need to ask someone else about the torque setting. This will give you even tension on all the bolts. I must tell you, that I have had my 1985 Hunter 31 #501 since new and have not had any leaks on the toe rail. We did have to have the compression post replaced. We had a small leak (when the boat was brand new) where the forward running light run through the deck. We have also had problems with the companionway. Water accumulates on the hatch and flows forward and leaks onto the floor and cabinet in the galley area.
T
Tim Schaaf
Leaky thinking
Have you checked that your stanchions are not leaking? It is worth noting that water sometimes seems to appear a little way away from the actual leak, having run along some fiberglass, or whatever. Stanchions are always suspect, partly because people insist on either pulling on them, or tieing the boat up with them. There is a lot of leverage, and it is easy to start them leaking. I would amend Steve's caution about the toerail....there is an intermediate step between tightening the bolts and re-bedding the whole rail. If tightening does not work, and if you can identify the troublesome bolts, you can simply re-bed them, without removing the rail, or re-bed them all. Wait a second! This may be bad advice. Don't you have a toerail flange that projects outward, with the bolts outside the hull? If so, the bolts should not be able to leak into the hull, although, if the flange opens up you could have a problem. Check the stanchions!!
Have you checked that your stanchions are not leaking? It is worth noting that water sometimes seems to appear a little way away from the actual leak, having run along some fiberglass, or whatever. Stanchions are always suspect, partly because people insist on either pulling on them, or tieing the boat up with them. There is a lot of leverage, and it is easy to start them leaking. I would amend Steve's caution about the toerail....there is an intermediate step between tightening the bolts and re-bedding the whole rail. If tightening does not work, and if you can identify the troublesome bolts, you can simply re-bed them, without removing the rail, or re-bed them all. Wait a second! This may be bad advice. Don't you have a toerail flange that projects outward, with the bolts outside the hull? If so, the bolts should not be able to leak into the hull, although, if the flange opens up you could have a problem. Check the stanchions!!
Correct Tim.
Tim: The flange is outward on these models. There is also no penetration of the hull for the stanchions on these models. They are attached to the toe rail with a cast piece that is attached to the toe rail. The major disadvantage to this setup is the fact that the stachions are slightly outboard. Normally this is not a problem, but if you are up against a sea wall or a pier this can be a big problem (just another compromise).
Tim: The flange is outward on these models. There is also no penetration of the hull for the stanchions on these models. They are attached to the toe rail with a cast piece that is attached to the toe rail. The major disadvantage to this setup is the fact that the stachions are slightly outboard. Normally this is not a problem, but if you are up against a sea wall or a pier this can be a big problem (just another compromise).
L
Laura Bertran
Outward Flange Can Leak Too
I rebedded all of the bolts on our toe rail. We had some leaks along the hull sides that seemed like they might be coming from the toe rail. As I removed and rebedded the bolts, I found that many of them were loose and had water/moisture sitting in their bolt holes. I think that water can get into these bolt holes and migrate into the hull deck seam. We did this project in October and have found that the boat is staying dry now. Our next leak to fix is the cockpit scupper leaking into the aft cabin. Laura Bertran 1985 H31, Rising Tide
I rebedded all of the bolts on our toe rail. We had some leaks along the hull sides that seemed like they might be coming from the toe rail. As I removed and rebedded the bolts, I found that many of them were loose and had water/moisture sitting in their bolt holes. I think that water can get into these bolt holes and migrate into the hull deck seam. We did this project in October and have found that the boat is staying dry now. Our next leak to fix is the cockpit scupper leaking into the aft cabin. Laura Bertran 1985 H31, Rising Tide
J
Jim
Starboard V-Berth leak
I had a similar leak in the v-berth starboard side. I found out it was the latch on the anchor locker. Where the dead bolt slides into the hole. The hole actually was threw the deck and the water was running down the side of the v-berth. Solution! I cleaned out the hole and filled it partially with 3m 5200 and put Saran wrap over it and slide the dead bolt in to create a new cavity. When set, I cut away the Saran wrap and no more leak.
I had a similar leak in the v-berth starboard side. I found out it was the latch on the anchor locker. Where the dead bolt slides into the hole. The hole actually was threw the deck and the water was running down the side of the v-berth. Solution! I cleaned out the hole and filled it partially with 3m 5200 and put Saran wrap over it and slide the dead bolt in to create a new cavity. When set, I cut away the Saran wrap and no more leak.
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