Trouble keeping the rain out!

[HeelBoy]

I can’t be the only one with this issue. Have any of you struggled with this and solved it? I have run the hose over this area while sitting inside and can't replicate the leak.

I’ve been chasing it since I took the boat out of storage this spring. Every time I think I have it solved, I’m proven wrong. I think the hatch itself now keeps the rain out, there were a couple thru-holes for the hard stop that were wide open. Now it appears that the pop top’s forward edge is dripping. This despite some pretty decent weather stripping running the full perimeter and all the fittings being rebedded with butyl tape.

Last thing I can think of is, maybe water is pooling? Rising up under the weather strip and dribbling in?

 

[RoyS]

Butyl tape may not be the best sealant for all of your bedding issues. It remains pliable and can be squished out from under deck fittings that are placed under loads. In particular, stanchion bases will loosen up as dock "helpers" use them as levers to pull your boat in. Stanchions also get forced sideways when under shrinkwrap over the winter.

 

[HeelBoy]

In particular, stanchion bases will loosen up as dock "helpers" use them as levers to pull your boat in. Stanchions also get forced sideways when under shrinkwrap over the winter.

Hadn't thought about flexure over time. None of them leak now, but the bedding is only a summer old. What do you seal with?

 

[RoyS]

Mostly I use Lifecaulk (polysulfide) sealant for deck fittings that I might want to remove in the future. I did try butyl on some of my stanchion bases but they eventually loosened and leaked from people applying bending forces to them. You might try just tightening them if they start to leak as the butyl will squish and fill the gaps if there is enough of it in there. Chasing leaks is a never-ending task. I had a leak at a shroud chain plate that exited in the cabin about 6 feet away. Took me years to find that one. Boat fun.

 

[HeelBoy]

I'll definitely check that stuff out as the boat ages and the fittings shart leaking.

This leak, however, is definitely coming through the seam between the pop top and the deck. I can see where the water has run down after a rain storm, my hose/sprinkler just can replicate the flow rate of a downpour I guess.

 

[Seadoc]

I can’t be the only one with this issue. Have any of you struggled with this and solved it? I have run the hose over this area while sitting inside and can't replicate the leak.

I’ve been chasing it since I took the boat out of storage this spring. Every time I think I have it solved, I’m proven wrong. I think the hatch itself now keeps the rain out, there were a couple thru-holes for the hard stop that were wide open. Now it appears that the pop top’s forward edge is dripping. This despite some pretty decent weather stripping running the full perimeter and all the fittings being rebedded with butyl tape.

Last thing I can think of is, maybe water is pooling? Rising up under the weather strip and dribbling in?

Hey, are you sure you're not on my '85 Mac 25? Yeah, I've had problems with leakage around the poptop. I greatly improved it with weather stripping I got from Blue Water Yachts. If you want, PM me and I'll send you some pix of the area. I also had some dripping from a few of the bolts which hold down the sliding hatch tracks. Solved this with a re-bed with butyl tape.
Since we're on the subject of leaks, I have a chronic problem with water accumulation along the centerline beneath the head floor. After a moderate rain, about a gallon of H20 is usually present. I installed a round inspection port in the head floor which allows assessment and removal of any accumulation. I also find a small amount of water under the vee berth about midway between the after bulkhead of the berth and the forward-most point under the berth. Like most leaks, the source(s) are ellusive. When I shine a strong light into these spaces I can see no telltale water streaks/drips on the inner hull. Perhaps they are Neptune's way of reminding me who is Ruler of the Seas!

 

[HeelBoy]

water accumulation along the centerline beneath the head floor. After a moderate rain, about a gallon of H20 is usually present. ... I also find a small amount of water under the vee berth .

Well, these areas are connected, despite the glassing efforts at the factory. It's possible that it's the same leak. I bet if you raise the nose of the tailer a foot higher, your water would move aft.

Getting water under the floor without going over the liner where you can see it "sort of" narrows it down. I would suspect the hull-deck seem. I hear tale of those leaking, and I found that my boat had fresh caulk along there when I bought it, implying the previous owner chased this too.

The V can probably have water snuck in via leaks way up at the bow, like the anchor chain guides, but the amount of water you're talking about implies a lot of leak area. This brings me to the hull-deck seam, think of 50 small leaks with the rub rail acting like a mini gutter funneling water into them.

 

[Eclectic]

We had a similar problem with our M26C Ecletic .
Eventually I resolved it by making a seal from closed cell foam pipe insulation.
I used double stick tape and formed a gasket
to the underside of the pop top hatch.
Worked for years and was still fine when we sold.
Best Luck!