Rain leaking via companionway hatch

[rsotomayor]

Hi. This is on a Benetau Oceanis 321, 1999. Boat has recently developed rainwater leak from companionway hatch. Seems that the water falls on the acrylic top, and finds its way forward and into the cabin. this did not happen before and seems to be that it would require to take a lot of stuff down to fix it.
I am sure someone has had this problem and perhaps a solution?
Thanks
Ramon Sotomayor

 

[rsotomayor]

Hi. Have been trying to figure out the design of the companionway hatch and how it is built so it does not leak. Does anyone know if there is a part that sits beneath the hatch and pushes it up so that there is an angle to drain the water towards the cabin? Or does the water drain through the sides ?

 

[centerline]

Hi. Have been trying to figure out the design of the companionway hatch and how it is built so it does not leak. Does anyone know if there is a part that sits beneath the hatch and pushes it up so that there is an angle to drain the water towards the cabin? Or does the water drain through the sides ?

Post some photos.... it will give us an idea of what you have. We dont know what hatches you have installed...

 

[arf145]

I believe he's not talking about an installed 3rd party hatch but the main Beneteau-built companionway hatch.

 

[centerline]

if its the companionway slider, is there a sea hood installed? its possible that debris has gotten into the track or scuppers and plugging them up so the water cant drain away like it is supposed to..
there should be a raised coaming under the slider around the hatch opening that helps shed the water from coming down the hatch, but if it has nowhere to drain away to, it will flood over and run inside the boat...

 

[rsotomayor]

Thank you all for your answers.
Will get some pictures over the weekend.
It is indeed the original Beneteau hatch. No, there is no rain hood.
When looking down along the hatch(parallel to hatch) I got the impression that there were some side holes- and that there was a piece of a square block-like a piece of wood deep inside the middle of the track- so that the hatch when closed would have a slight inclination and the water was able to drain back towards the cockpit. This piece of wood seemed to be loose, so I don't know if it lost the inclination angle and that is what is causing the problem.
For now the area is covered as we have had a lot of rain lately.
Will do some exploration get back w photos. Thanks for the help.

 

[DougM]

The Fiberglas frame around the hatch is removable (at least on the 323). The hatch itself sits on a rubber weather seal of sorts. Once the frame is removed, the acrylic can be lifted out. Its possible that the seal has deteriorated due to age and needs replacement.
There is no doubt that the drain depressions at the forward corners are clogged with debris as well. Before taking everything apart, you could try to back flush those forward corners.

 

[rsotomayor]

Good thank you.
Will also look into removing the frame and f/u during weekend.
RSotomayor

 

[rsotomayor]

Hi. Found the answer to the leak. The wooden block in the forward end of the hatch became loose- one of the screws came out leaving a hole in the acrylic hatch. So, I filled the hole w silicone to temporarily stop the problem.

 

[cymeyer]

Hi. Found the answer to the leak. The wooden block in the forward end of the hatch became loose- one of the screws came out leaving a hole in the acrylic hatch. So, I filled the hole w silicone to temporarily stop the problem.

Did you take the spray cover off? I was curious what it looks like underneath.

Chris

 

[rsotomayor]

I really did not take anything apart right now, just silicone on the holes. Next will be to take the wood side rails out without breaking them, so I can remove the acrylic hatch and fix it.