Even with a tarp over the cabin and the boat still out of the water I am getting a lot of rain in the bilge and spill over that I cannot trace. Deck in good shape; no core damage or surface cracks. Any leak detection ideas ? Boat is 1990 and may need some re-setting of deck mounted hardware but it is an Abbott 22 and most of that hardware is under a tarp.
Mystery Leakage
- Thread starter DockH
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Start at the bilge and figure out if it is coming from forward or stern.
Talc powder is a good tool for some areas where water runs over but does not pool. sprinkle it on and wait. The water will leave a clear trace so you can tell which direction it came from.
Talc powder is a good tool for some areas where water runs over but does not pool. sprinkle it on and wait. The water will leave a clear trace so you can tell which direction it came from.
If you mean just the cabin house is covered that still leaves a lot of options for water ingress. I assume your cockpit has locker lids and scuppers. Then there are the stanchions, pulpit, and pushpit. What about the deck to hull joint, how is that done? Unfortunately the smallest cracks can let in an amazing amount of water.
I had a chip in the coping. Nothing big, Smaller than that little green square at the bottom of each post. Bit it was deep enough to reach the glass. On a rainy day, it would bring a drip every 10 seconds into the cabin. Luckily it is over one of the 1/4 births. As a temporary fix, I slathered the inside with silicone. It's way up underneath were light never get so looks isn't an issue. So check for something like that. Another thing would be the hardware bedding.
How about the old water-soluble marker trick? I steal them from my grandkids. Talcum powder works well but the marker is easier to get into tight spots. Same effect - if water passes over the horizontal line, you can tell. Mark up what you can see and then wash your deck with lot's of water and wait. If you see nothing - then wash and wait some more. And/or wait until it rains hard. If you still see nothing then at least you have eliminated the obvious. At that point it might be useful to consider the effects of your climate and condensation before you tear into the deck. This is the kind of thing where self-inflicted wounds can end up costing a lot of time and money when one starts guessing at the source.
What a great idea!We used our digital camera to photo areas and items that we couldn't see on our boat. It was a nasty leak. It was an improperly tightened clamp on a cockpit drain by the PO. we displayed the pic's on the comp and were able to find it. The only way to check our work was again with the camera.
Ray
Ray
How about condensation.My 23.5 Hunter gets water during winter storage even tho it,s in my barn ,
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