Oday 25 Portlight Forensics

Joe11688 · Jun 24, 2011

It might help if you took some pics of it and post them here.

RAD · Jun 25, 2011

All I can say is good luck.......I've been battling with one port for years and I removed the whole window last year and re-bed it and it still leaks:cussing:
this year I very carefully applied caulk where the window meets the flange pulling it out a bit with my fingernail on the out side and that didn't work

What has to be done is to remove the window and the frame from the glass and re-bed the area where the glass meets the frame but I/m sure my 33 year old frame won't survive the operation so one more option is to remove the inside frame and try to get some caulk around there, looks like a few new windows are in my future

Joe11688 · Jun 25, 2011

Water leaks can sometimes fool you. You guys may be looking in the wrong place. This happened to me a couple of months ago when I was tracing a leak. I removed part of my Port gunwale molding and caulked under it where the screws were, thinking that I solved the problem then after running a garden hose over my deck, I discovered that the leak was coming from a screw hole in the toe rail on the bow. I'm still trying to look ashamed for not seeing the first bung missing in the toe rail. If I had studied it a little closer, I would have seen a tiny bit of daylight under the end of the toe rail and got the clue.

Last Wednesday during a rain, I found a tiny leak coming around the threads of a bolt that holds my Tabernacle and that one is really bothering me right now. I just had that Tabernacle off this past spring and I took pains in making sure it was caulked good. Who'da thunk it?
My tabernacle has a utility plate under it, and a 1-1/8" Teak block under that with four bolts going through it into the cabin. My friend Wayne says that I should put washers under the bolt heads because the under side of the heads have ridges where water can get in. Sounds plausible to me. Maybe I'll do that this Tuesday at the club. Of course, that means I'll need to take my mast down. Woe is me!:cry:

RAD · Jun 25, 2011

Been there and done that with looking for water leaks.....many moons ago before women and children I owned and restored a 1961 Chris Craft Constellation and I can tell you about water entering at the bow and leaking in the head 20 ft away, that was one of many but I got them all
I once had to leave the sprinkler on the cabin top for about 3 hours and saturate till the leak found its way
On my window I know for sure where its coming in now.....Been there and done that

ebsail · Jun 25, 2011

Re the tabernackle leak. I just did mine. Removed it and then repalced it, caulking librally with silicone. particularly around the bolt heads and holes. The trick is to have some one on the outside hold the bolt steady while some one on the inside. (tightens )rotating only the nuts. This retains the seal around the bolt head. Enie

Joe11688 · Jun 25, 2011

ebsail said:
Re the tabernackle leak. I just did mine. Removed it and then repalced it, caulking librally with silicone. particularly around the bolt heads and holes. The trick is to have some one on the outside hold the bolt steady while some one on the inside. (tightens )rotating only the nuts. This retains the seal around the bolt head. Enie

I had someone holding the bolt heads so they wouldn't turn after I first applied the caulking and I only got the nuts and bolts snug. Then I waited two days for the caulking to set up and I had someone hold them again while I tightened them down good. I used 3-M Polyurethane adhesive caulking and that should work perfect for wood, metal, and fiberglass. I think the problem lies in bolting through two steel plates and a piece of wood before going through the top of the cabin. Evidently, there's water getting in around one of the bolts. I'm going to do it over again. I can't take the chance of having water get entrapped in there. If that happens, I'll have real problems.
I used to use silicone for plastics until I started using Dow Corning 795 which sticks better than silicone. I've had that tube of DC 795 for a few years now and it's still good. I just used it recently when I installed a 4'' Beckson deck plate in my fuel compartment to gain access to a new jam cleat that I installed for my roller furler control line.

Joe11688 · Jun 26, 2011

Mad Dog said:
You know, I spent all day on the boat and forgot to take pics... Oh well, I'll be back there tomorrow and will snap a few and post them. Sounds like from what you guys are telling me the source could be anywhere....this should be fun...NOT!

If there is a hand rail above that port light or any type of hardware, check it out good because water can travel. That screw hole in my toe rail near the bow was leaking like a sieve. I couldn't believe it when I reached into the bow cubby hole for my pull-over sweatshirt and found that in was soaking wet. Hey I hate leaks as much as you do and when I find them, I'm going to address the problem right away if I can.
I'd like to go down to the club today and work on that, but it's been "clousy" and misty all week long. :cussing:

emergpa1 · Jun 26, 2011

Joe,
Remember this spring when I was trying to raise my mast but it went sideways, I had to replace the mast tabernacle.. When I did I used butyl rubber. So far dry as a bone.

Joe11688 · Jun 26, 2011

emergpa1 said:
Joe,
Remember this spring when I was trying to raise my mast but it went sideways, I had to replace the mast tabernacle.. When I did I used butyl rubber. So far dry as a bone.

Keith,
Maybe I'll give it a try too. Thanks for the tip.
Smooth Sailing my friend.

Joe

Joe11688 · Jun 27, 2011

Mad Dog said:
Joe -- could be the handrails above the port lights, but here are a couple of pics of the immediate culprits -- one port-side, the other starboard. I hear you guys that the source could be anywhere, but these guys look awfully suspicious. I've circled the area where I've found water. This is the sill or flange that I'm referring to.

Last week I applied silicone on the exterior plexi to trim ring joints. Looks unsightly, but I was troubleshooting. Didn't stop the leak, so I suspect it might be at the hull joint. Or is there some other path on these port lights?

Matt

You're right Matt. They do look like the culprits all right but I wouldn't use silicone for it. Silicone has the right ingredients that is kind to plastic but it doesn't stick all that great. It acts more like a gasket than a caulking. I would use Dow Corning 795 because it has the sticking qualities of the polysulfides, yet it is not harmful to plastics. It's what a lot of boat manufacturers are using for plastic hatches and port lights like yours, according to what Rudy Nickerson of D&R Marine told me. It comes in different colors too.

I just ordered some Grey Butyl Tape last night from Sportsman's Guide. I'm going to try that for my mast step. I read Mainsail's post on the MacGregor Forum on bedding hardware and I think I'm starting to come along with his way of thinking. It could be that Don Casey needs to take a few lessons from him. http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=117172

48dodge · Jun 27, 2011

The only leaks I have from my assembly process is the port windows. They both separated in the same place. I used 795 but I'm going to redo them with butyl rubber. The only con with butyl is it seems to squeeze out even after everything is tightened down. I've used it on everything on the deck including the front hatch. I haven't even bolted the front hatch in, just bedded it and put bolts through it. It is still bone dry.

RAD · Jun 27, 2011

Mad Dog,
read my post # 3........When I tried to get some caulk where the window meets the flange on the outside I used silicone thinking it would be stickier but after reading Joe's post (Trinnka) I'm sorry I didn't use the Dow 795 which I have and I know thats where my leak is from

RAD · Jun 27, 2011

BTW Mad Dog,
Do you know about our annual Oday owners get together? The famous rOnDAYvous are you coming?

Joe11688 · Jun 27, 2011

Mad Dog said:
So do you guys recommend removing the port lights and re bedding? Looks like maybe the leak might be at the frame to hull joint. From what I've heard, I don't think the plexi to frame joint should be leaking as it's all cast as one piece.

As far as the second question -- are there any nicer looking port lights out there that will fit the main ports on this model Oday 25 (1976)? Re bedding is the cheaper and quicker option for now, but long-term it would be nice to update this little girl. Everything I've seen is a rectangular shaped port. I know Rudy carries the OEM ports, but then again, that's what I'm trying to get away from. I've seen a few boats with frame less lexan or acrylic bolted directly to the hull. Am I looking at a custom upgrade?

Matt

Yes. I recommend removing them and re bedding them. I did that years ago to my boat.
I talked to a girl in Columbus OH who was able to have some guy make up some port lights for her boat. So you may be able to do the same thing in your area.
Years ago when I cracked the lens on my forward hatch, I was able to have a guy at a plastics factory in my area cut me a piece of Lexan for it that was a little thicker and better than the stuff that came with the hatch. Just a few years ago, I was able to use that same lens over again on a used Gray Marine hatch cover that I bought off Rudy when I rebuilt my old hatch. The lens on the hatch that I bought from him had a slight crack in it. I would have replaced it with my lens even if it wasn't cracked.

I have those frame less port lights on my boat. They are bedded and screwed to the cabin. If you happen to go that route, make the screw holes a shade wider than the diameter of the screws or temperature changes can cause them to crack at the holes. I've actually seen this on my friend's boat.

RAD · Jun 27, 2011

Be careful if you decide to do the whole operation cause when I pulled mine for the rebed I looked to see if I could pull the frame out of the glass and it didn't look to promising.....plastic looked very brittle
maybe next year for the rOnDAYvous.....there's a whole bunch coming from your next of the woods and we do have a great time.....stay tuned for the after party pics

Oday 25 Portlight Forensics

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