tiny leak

[Shoaldrafter]

I have an O'Day 26 and have developed a tiny leak. I have seen leaks all over boats and have fixed same. But this one is a new challange and I am looking for additional comments. This leak is above water line. Apparently where the rub rail is attached. It appears to be aft of the cabin and before the first stern rail attachment. By climbing into the area under the starboard gunnel, I can visually inspect all thru hull screw, bolts, etc. The leak is apparently at the joining line between deck and hull at the rub rail. This tells me that water may be migrating from some other point along the joining line to lowest point, sitting there until it migrates thru. Any suggestions on how to definitatley locate leak and what material will stop leak?Right now, my opinion is I have to remove starboard middle part of rub rail, loosen screws, add cauking and retighten screws then reinstall middle part of rub rail. But how far to continue this to get leak. What are other possibilites of leak.Boat is in water. There is electricity and water available. Boat is at dock about one hour away.Appreicate all suggestions.Ed KO'Day 26

 

[Joe11688]

Gunwale molding leak

Hi Ed! Where the boat is in the water, and you know that the leak is in the Starboard gunwale,I would remove that gunwale strip and re caulk that whole area. You probably have about two and possibly three moldings which are butted up together on your boat. I had three on my boat. Hopefully, the Starboard molding is one piece that doesn't butt up to the next molding on the other side of the bow. If so, you may want to think of doing the whole sha-bang which is going to be a pain in the butt to do with the boat in the water. I don't know if I'd even want to do this job while the boat is in the water, but you're a better judge on that. However, if you think you can do it with no problem, I say, "go for it." Anyway, there's a screw that holds that rubber in the track in the stern. If you remove that screw, you should be able to take the rubber out of the gunwale as far as where the gunwales come together. Then it's a matter of removing that gunwale, cleaning the area, and caulking it. I'd stay away from silicone. I like 3-M Polysulfide caulking. It seems to have a better shelf life than the other brand which I won't mention. According to Rudy; the caulking on your boat is only good for about 12 years. So if you never did it before, it might be a good time to do it now. Actually, this is a very easy job and if you should decide to do the whole thing, mark each place where you removed a screw. They don't use all the holes in the molding. Then, when you're through with that side, put the molding and rubber back in, and do the same procedure to the Port side. That way, everything goes back the same way in which it was removed. I try to stay away from hull cleaning solutions that can eat out caulking. If "good ole' soap and water" can't clean my deck, then let stay dirty.Joe

 

[Mike8088]

You're probably on the right track

When's the last time you've rebedded the rub rail fasteners? If you're like me, the answer would be never. They're easy to overlook. Is the rub rail material in good shape? A crack may have developed near one of the screw holes. If you've inspected the rest of the deck hardware, the culprit probably is the rub rail. Since new rub rail material is fairly expensive, the best idea would be to remove just a small area of rub rail in the area of the leak. Get a friend to hose down the area while you check it out from below. If the problem is a screw, remove it a make sure the hole is not threaded. If it is, epoxy the hole and redrill. As far as sealant goes, I like Boatlife products. When you replace the rub rail, use a clear sealant, possibly silicone, to join the seams that you cut in the rubber. Make sure the product will not eat the rubber.

 

[Shoaldrafter]

Thanks guys

Thanks guys. If anyone else wants to comment, join in. 3 pieces of insert, not evenly around the boat. I expect to try to repair just the probem area on the water. Standing on ladders is not much easier. The issue is where, the leaking is at about the lowest point on the sheer, so I am not convinced that is where the leak is. The idea of trowing water on that side may not prove where the leak is. Maybe I will be lucky. I think this is a recently developed leak. Oh well, thanks again. Ed K