Water dripping from salon lights

[SVFinally]

We have an H376. When it rains, hard, we have water coming in through the 3 center lights in the salon and port light closest to the nav station.
anyone else experience this and if so where was it coming from. We have exhausted options!

 

[duck21]

I believe the water is coming in through the hole in the mast-step for the mast wiring. We saw that with our (new to us) 376 as well. We had ice issues this winter (the marina had the boat stern down in the cradle, which lead to pooling water, ice blocking the mast bottom drain holes, and leaking)(the haul out was with the previous owner--I'll be present and adamant that the boat is level when we haul out this season). A couple of solutions:

• There are drain holes at the base of the mast where water that enters the mast can drain out. Be sure those aren't plugged. They are small, you may need to stick a little wire in there to try and unclog things.
• If you remove the cover on the cabin ceiling around the compression post you can see where the wires enter the cabin. could try blasting some silicone/sealant around the wires. This probably won't be a permanent fix, but could get you through a few seasons. You'll likely need a lot of sealant, it will be messy.
• A permanent fix can be made by stepping the mast and glassing in a pipe extension to raise the pipe up 2-3 inches and/or adding a small elbow to ensure the wiring has a drip loop.

I had luck on my old Catalina 30 with adding sealant for a similar issue, but chances are that vibration in the boat will break that seal eventually. If the conduit is quite full it CAN be hard to get the whole area filled.

Good luck!

 

[SVFinally]

Thank you! We re did our rigging season before last, hooped it up pretty good because yes, that did leak. We’ve plugged screw holes under the covers on deck with butyl tape, still leaking. I understand this is a common problem on the 376. We’ve had her for 15 years now, problem only gotten worse with age.

 

[DSqr]

We had the same problem with our 1998 H376. The final solution was re-bedding the screws in the hood that covers the lines running under the deck. No more leaks after 2 years.

 

[sail sfbay]

We had the same problem with our 1998 H376. The final solution was re-bedding the screws in the hood that covers the lines running under the deck. No more leaks after 2 years.

Great catch!!. Never had a leak from the screw holes in the hood that covers the lines running under the deck on my Hunter 386. Always disliked the hood because it trapped dirt, and promoted algae growth which damaged the lines and was an annual maintenance item to clean inside it......issue went away when the boat was sold.

 

[duck21]

I don't think the cover plates are a point of water ingress on our 376 (yet), but I need to remove the cover to run some new lines from the mast back to the cockpit. I noticed that the top panel seems to be wood cored, as is the deck. I was planning on over-drilling both, filling with epoxy, and drilling/tapping the deck side for the screws (trying to be careful not to drill all the way through the deck portion). Hopefully they will both avoid water ingress and protect against any chance of wet decks.

That said, someone floated the idea of just filling with epoxyband not putting any screws back in. Has anyone else done that? Any issue with the cover plates slipping or moving?

 

[SVFinally]

Yes, we have not screwed ours back down and the large one slides in towards the companion way. We were in pretty rough water last week and realized not a good thing to leave unsecured

 

[DayDreamer41]

Yes, we have not screwed ours back down and the large one slides in towards the companion way. We were in pretty rough water last week and realized not a good thing to leave unsecured

How about securing with (2) sided 3M tape they make some really strong stuff.

 

[SVFinally]

That was hubby’s thought too, still deciding what he wants to do

 

[SVFinally]

I don't think the cover plates are a point of water ingress on our 376 (yet), but I need to remove the cover to run some new lines from the mast back to the cockpit. I noticed that the top panel seems to be wood cored, as is the deck. I was planning on over-drilling both, filling with epoxy, and drilling/tapping the deck side for the screws (trying to be careful not to drill all the way through the deck portion). Hopefully they will both avoid water ingress and protect against any chance of wet decks.

That said, someone floated the idea of just filling with epoxyband not putting any screws back in. Has anyone else done that? Any issue with the cover plates slipping or moving?

Husband read somewhere that someone had epoxied dowels in the holes and screwed cover back down. He is still mulling that one over

 

[Velella]

Just stopped the salon light leak on our 376 this past month by sealing the cover plate screw holes using butyl tape as others have suggested. Using sealant isn't what you want as others point out you need to take the covers off to clear the algae and gunk in there