While I was chasing down a top-side water leak on our Hunter 45DS (found it I think - the forward-most port side stanchion needed to be re-bedded), I needed to gain access to the top and bottom hull joint in the forward cabin. The area I needed to access was underneath a sizeable plastic cover that extends down from the port-side headliner to the beginning of the wall covering on the port side. There were three screws in the lower part of that piece that I removed, which allowed me to pull the plastic piece away from the wall covering enough to gain "marginal" access to the stanchion nuts so that I could remove and re-bed the offending culprit. What I couldn't determine was how to get that whole piece off in order to gain access to the area for a thorough inspection. Has anyone ever removed this piece before, and if so could you let me know how it is attached around the headliner? My guess is either a screw or staple into the headliner frame. Since I've never had to remove the headliner any pointers there would be appreciated as well.
Removal of Top/Bottom hull joint cover in foward cabin
- Thread starter H45DS
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Are you sure you need to remove that piece to rebed that stantions?? On my boat the stantion bolts thread into an alum plate mounted into the deck, there is no need to get to the bottom of them.
Yeah, I'm afraid so. You have to remove trim/cover pieces in the aft cabin, main salon, and forward cabin to get at the joint where the stanchion/cleat bolts come through to the bottom side of the top hull. :cry: I was able to get to what I believe was the leaking stanchion by pulling back the cover in the forward cabin (port side), but it was a pain. Removing the cover(s) to gain full access to the bottom-side of the stanchions and cleats would make it much easier to do...
You may find that it is not the stanchion that is leaking but the deck/hull joint.
It has taken me a month to sort this - see a previous thread on cabin leaks.
The problem comes from not drilling pilot holes for the screws and some heavy-handed Hunter technician just "power driving" into the joint - and most of the time missing it!
Attached is a photo of just one of the 36 leaks or potential leaks I had on my 420 passage hull/deck joints.
It has taken me a month to sort this - see a previous thread on cabin leaks.
The problem comes from not drilling pilot holes for the screws and some heavy-handed Hunter technician just "power driving" into the joint - and most of the time missing it!
Attached is a photo of just one of the 36 leaks or potential leaks I had on my 420 passage hull/deck joints.
Attachments
Thanks! There is just no end to the opportunity for leaks on our boats...
As we went though the removal and replacement of the rubrail (thinking we may have exactly what you described), I took a look at the installation of the stainless fasteners that held the original rubrail in place. It actually looked pretty decent in terms of being sealed with 3M 5200 and being mostly on the joint, but I methodically removed all of the old fasteners, caulked up the old holes with 3M 5200, and then drilled a pilot hole for each of the new #10 stainless fasteners for the rubrail. As you found on your boat, Hunter didn't bother to drill pilot holes for the original rubrail installation on our boat which is a "head scratcher"...
After several rains, our bilge remains dry, so I'm pretty sure the port side forward-most stanchion was the culprit. Whew.
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