need any info on cost to fix deck and window leaks

[laurericcharlie]

aqaurius 21 is very wet in cabin some wood trim is wet, window and deck/roof bolts are leaking. What does this usually cost to fix, ballpark est.

 

[higgs]

Hard to say. It depends on what is damaged. If the cabin is wood cored - that is if wood is used in between the outer layer of glass and the cabin interior-it may be damaged by the water. that repair is a big job. Otherwise, rebedding deck fittings and windows is not costly.

Down below it depends what is damaged. If it is chainplates, that's a big job. If it is interior trim - no big deal.

 

[kenn]

aqaurius 21 is very wet in cabin some wood trim is wet, window and deck/roof bolts are leaking. What does this usually cost to fix, ballpark est.

If you haven't yet purchased this boat, get a surveyor or a knowledgeable friend to assess the extent of damage and supply the estimate.

For boats our size, (mine's similar at 19 ft) the cost of having a shop do all the repairs professionally could run to a quarter or more of the usual used price (~$4000?) for these boats.

The good news is that these little boats are easy to work on yourself. So the cost to fix could be:

approx $300 to $600 for:
- books on hull repair,
- epoxy or polyester resin, glass cloth, gel coat, paint
- tools

and several weekends.

When we bought our boat, she had leaky hardware, some wet in the bottom, and some rotted wood bulkheads and a slightly soft cockpit floor. I used this info to drive down the price.

But the boat was perfectly sailable, and we sailed her, while making repairs slowly. Four years later, just about everything is fixed up (or even improved).

 

[Barnacle Bill]

An Aquarius 21 probably isn't worth enough to justify a surveyor, but have at it if you cannot figure out the source of the leaks yourself. The forward hatch on an A21 (Peter Barrett design, BTW), is fiberglass. If it leaks, it either has to be where the hinge bolts go through the deck (needs recaulking), or the rubber seal tape needs to be replaced. If it is the side windows, they are made of a plastic pane with an aluminum frame. These can be removed and recaulked and put back in place. If it is the rub rail, then you have to remove the vinyl insert, which will expose the fasteners, then pull off the rub rail and recaulk it and put it back on again.
Other areas to look are any deck fittings, winches, lifeline stanchions, hinges, etc. where fasteners pass through the deck and they might need to be removed, recaulked with silicone and put back in place. Other places where water can get in might be from underwater through hulls, which might need to be pulled, recaulked (not silicone, but a polysulfide like Life Calk) and put back. Same with perhaps a lower gudgeon, or the cockpit drain (scuppers). The pin for the swing keel might leak and so that needs to be recaulked. You just have to rule out all the areas where water might gain access inside your boat from either rain, spray or the lake.

 

[mark_swart]

I'd say sealing the leaks won't cost any more than marine silicone and acetone. Find the fittings that leak, take them off, clean with acetone and reseal.
As was mentioned above, you have to look at what else is going on below. Wooden bulkheads could very well be rotten (they will be soft and/or squishy). And if you have cored decks that can also be an issue (although it's not unheard of to just pull the fittings, tape the interior holes with duck tape, refill from the top with epoxy and then drill new holes.)

 

[csavage]

recent rains showed a leak at one of the screws that attaches port hand rail.
is best course to remove rail- all screws, then fill holes with marine-grade silicon and reattach?
informed replies appreciated.