Mystery Bulkhead Leak

[Tim Dranttel]

Just thought I'd hit you fine people up and see if anyone else has come across this problem.I have an '86 Cat 30 TR. After a rain I have noticed that the port bulkhead between the cabin and the head compartment appears damp along the entire bottom edge where it meets the fiberglass floor. Inside the head compartment the bulkhead appears dry. I can find no external evidence of a leak at the mast step and the wood compression post also appears dry. It is only along the bottom edge of the wood bulkhead that this water problem appears. There is no damage of the wood yet but I'm sure it is a matter of time so I need to fix this problem. I suspect that water is either comeing down the mast from some point or at the mast step and running down the inside of the compression post (which I think is hollow) and then wicking along the foot of the bulkhead.Anyone else seen this before?ThanksTim

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

What about this?

What if the leak is coming from, say, the genoa track & running down the hull to pool at the base of the bulkhead? Just a thought.LaDonna

 

[Joe]

Leaks.....

...are a pain, aren't they. I would inspect all thru-deck fittings. Though not a Cat 30, my boat showed similar signs of leakage, I was able trace it to water leaking in around the chainplate fittings. I caulked a bead of 3M 4200 around the fitting at deck level as a quick fix. This has appeared to halt the leakage, the water has not reappeared. Other thru deck fittings, such as grab rails, sliding hatch rails, deck mounted blocks and organizers may be the culprits. Good luck.