Given the terrible weather we have been experiencing over the last few weeks here in the UK and following a long hard bash into a F6-7 lumpy, steep and sometimes breaking 10-12ft swell with spry contstantly flying over the whole of the boat (thank god for the spray hood)and some serious nose burying, I noticed when I finally got back to berth (around 2am) that there was a considerable amount of water ingress into the cabin. I have been trying unsuccessfully for a number of months now to track down an irrating leak that manifests itself by water dripping from the headliner onto the starboard shelf directly in front of the chart table. I had suspected the mast for a long time but all my inspections had revealed nothing. Owing to time constraints I had to leave the boat the following morning after having cleared up the water and re-stowed the various bits and pieces that had come adrift during the 14 hour pounding. I did however place a medium sized pot under the leaking area and funneled the water to it with a small piece of plastic placed between the headliner and hull. The next weekend when I got down to the boat the pot was overflowing and there was also water dripping through the mast/compression post cover which confirmed my suspicions. I removed the cover and was pretty shocked to see that I could see daylight. What it looks like has happened over the years is that the 2 rear fixing screws that secure the mast baseplate had sawed from side to side thereby elongating the holes (rather neatly I might add) and the water was flowing in through them. (I had previously suspected the through hull where the mast cables enter the cabin). On removing these two self tapping screws I noticed that the starboard one was nearly smooth from the sawing action. Has anyone else experienced this and if not I would suggest you check to make sure. Hope to have it all fixed soon. Happy Xmas and sailing all
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No but
I have a 1990 35.5 and had a leak in the same spot (nav. stat). It took me forever to determine it was leaking at the wire penetration within the mast. Took the mast off and have only been able to slow the leak with new sealant. Good luck.
I have a 1990 35.5 and had a leak in the same spot (nav. stat). It took me forever to determine it was leaking at the wire penetration within the mast. Took the mast off and have only been able to slow the leak with new sealant. Good luck.
John, I'm curious..
.. if your 35.5 layout in the UK is the same as mine in the States. I've been having a bit of a leak problem in the same spot just forward of the nav table. It turned out to be the skylight seal. I've been keeping a bucket under it till I get time to fix it but it's not a large leak. I'm gonna check that mast base bolt though just to be sure, thanks
.. if your 35.5 layout in the UK is the same as mine in the States. I've been having a bit of a leak problem in the same spot just forward of the nav table. It turned out to be the skylight seal. I've been keeping a bucket under it till I get time to fix it but it's not a large leak. I'm gonna check that mast base bolt though just to be sure, thanks
No Mention of a Leak in the V-Berth???
Regarding the Hunter 35.5 - With all this bashing into head seas I'm surprised nobody mentioned anything about water leaks in the forward portion of the V-berth area. With regard to the situation at the base of the mast, I'm currious how tight the rigging was. Perhaps if the mast was pumping this could accentuate any movement at the base. Geting a good seal at the base of the mast seems to be a weak-link sometimes. Perhaps it depends on the yard and the detail they put forth in geting the seal properly done when they're stepping the mast.
Regarding the Hunter 35.5 - With all this bashing into head seas I'm surprised nobody mentioned anything about water leaks in the forward portion of the V-berth area. With regard to the situation at the base of the mast, I'm currious how tight the rigging was. Perhaps if the mast was pumping this could accentuate any movement at the base. Geting a good seal at the base of the mast seems to be a weak-link sometimes. Perhaps it depends on the yard and the detail they put forth in geting the seal properly done when they're stepping the mast.
Re: V berth leak
Yep, got one of them too. I thought it might be the hull/deck joint but don't know for sure. You have any ideas?
Yep, got one of them too. I thought it might be the hull/deck joint but don't know for sure. You have any ideas?
Look at Anchor Locker Pan to Underside Deck Joint
The anchor locker pan is not sealed to the underside of the deck and when beating to weather water can get into the anchor locker and slosh up and over the edge of the locker pan. When this happens the salt water goes all over the place such as down the hull liner, soaks the V-berth plywood, or goes under the water tank into the bilge. The solution to stoping the leaks is to seal the locker pan to the underside of the deck.
The anchor locker pan is not sealed to the underside of the deck and when beating to weather water can get into the anchor locker and slosh up and over the edge of the locker pan. When this happens the salt water goes all over the place such as down the hull liner, soaks the V-berth plywood, or goes under the water tank into the bilge. The solution to stoping the leaks is to seal the locker pan to the underside of the deck.
Thanks, John for
... the heads up on the anchor locker. I'll have to check it out and fix that mating surface seal. Do you think that a tube of silicone sealer will do the trick?
... the heads up on the anchor locker. I'll have to check it out and fix that mating surface seal. Do you think that a tube of silicone sealer will do the trick?
Rigging Tension
Checking the rigging tension is something I am going to do next. Seems okay though from a sea trial perspecitve i.e the wires slackening when the ought to on different tacks in a 10-12 Kt breeze.
Checking the rigging tension is something I am going to do next. Seems okay though from a sea trial perspecitve i.e the wires slackening when the ought to on different tacks in a 10-12 Kt breeze.
Less tight ok, but not slack.
According to Brion Toss, the lee-shrouds should still be under tension, even during moderate wind. If they're slack, they should be tightened. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
According to Brion Toss, the lee-shrouds should still be under tension, even during moderate wind. If they're slack, they should be tightened. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
Alan - Sealant Could Seal It
It's possible sealant could seal it; however, when I tried sealant on my anchor locker pan/coachroof joint it was a tad too liquid to stay up there and wanted to "drip" down before I could get my finger on it to get a good looking joint seal. Fiberglass: Thought of using fiberglass mat but after an experience on another project there was difficulties geting the fiberglass to stick on a vertical surface before the hardener would kick-in. Besides, the pan surface would need to be roughened up as it is smooth gel coat. Foam: This is a posibility but would look un-professional. It's unlikely anyone would look up under but, nevertheless, I wouldn't want something looking tacky even if it isn't readily visible. Currently I've got a messy sealant job but I want to re-do it.
It's possible sealant could seal it; however, when I tried sealant on my anchor locker pan/coachroof joint it was a tad too liquid to stay up there and wanted to "drip" down before I could get my finger on it to get a good looking joint seal. Fiberglass: Thought of using fiberglass mat but after an experience on another project there was difficulties geting the fiberglass to stick on a vertical surface before the hardener would kick-in. Besides, the pan surface would need to be roughened up as it is smooth gel coat. Foam: This is a posibility but would look un-professional. It's unlikely anyone would look up under but, nevertheless, I wouldn't want something looking tacky even if it isn't readily visible. Currently I've got a messy sealant job but I want to re-do it.
Sounds like..
..we're not dealing with anything structural, but just need a watertight seal at the pan joint, yes? So a tube of silicone sealant, which will stay put upon application seems to me to be the answer. Also I should point out that I've heard from more than one source that the hole in the deck where the furling control line passes through is a notorious water entry point and has been known to get into the deck core and delaminate it.
..we're not dealing with anything structural, but just need a watertight seal at the pan joint, yes? So a tube of silicone sealant, which will stay put upon application seems to me to be the answer. Also I should point out that I've heard from more than one source that the hole in the deck where the furling control line passes through is a notorious water entry point and has been known to get into the deck core and delaminate it.
Correct - totally Non-Structural
Correct Alan - this is totally non-sturctural. This is an ugly job so I know why it wasn't done by the factory. Working with your head down inside the chain locker looking up at the corners and trying to get both hands and arms inside to do the work (if sealant is used) is DIFFICULT! With regard to the furler fairleads - yes- be sure to epoxy them at your earliest opportunity. Rattail file the holes smooth, dig out a bit of the exposed wood in the deck, and heatlamp for a long time to dry it all out. Apply several coats of epoxy to get a good seal, dry, file smooth so it doesn't abrade the line, and you're good to go. Started on mine one day and heatlamped it for a weekend. Picture shows it after it was epoxied but before being smooth-filed. Oh, I almost forgot, I did clean up everything (dirty deck) when I was finished. Didn't clean things before starting the project because I didn't want to add any more water to my work area.
Correct Alan - this is totally non-sturctural. This is an ugly job so I know why it wasn't done by the factory. Working with your head down inside the chain locker looking up at the corners and trying to get both hands and arms inside to do the work (if sealant is used) is DIFFICULT! With regard to the furler fairleads - yes- be sure to epoxy them at your earliest opportunity. Rattail file the holes smooth, dig out a bit of the exposed wood in the deck, and heatlamp for a long time to dry it all out. Apply several coats of epoxy to get a good seal, dry, file smooth so it doesn't abrade the line, and you're good to go. Started on mine one day and heatlamped it for a weekend. Picture shows it after it was epoxied but before being smooth-filed. Oh, I almost forgot, I did clean up everything (dirty deck) when I was finished. Didn't clean things before starting the project because I didn't want to add any more water to my work area.
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John
From your pics it looks like you have the continuous furling line setup. Mine has only one hole to deal with. I had a surveyor go over the area with a moisture meter and it came up dry, but I'm going to reseal it anyway. Here's another question. Do the side windows of the main cabin that are set with the same sealent as the skylights ever leak??
From your pics it looks like you have the continuous furling line setup. Mine has only one hole to deal with. I had a surveyor go over the area with a moisture meter and it came up dry, but I'm going to reseal it anyway. Here's another question. Do the side windows of the main cabin that are set with the same sealent as the skylights ever leak??
Alan - the Ports Used to Leak but....
Ports: my ports are Beckson ('88 H35) and used to leak bad. The dealer tried to fix the leaks but never did. Part of the problem was we didn't know where the leak was coming from. After several years I figured out what the problem with the ports was and haven't had a (port) leak since. I've posted the details here several times in years past but the long and the short of it is to have as much of a sealant bead on the outside of the hull as possible. Where the port goes through the hull I ground the edge of the opening back at about 45 degrees. The trim ring on the port has about a 45 degree chamfer where it abuts the port. Between the two I got significantly more sealant and contact area with the port and a tad more with the coachroof. (don't know if this shortened account makes sense). My ports were black plastic and I used black Dow 995 sealant, the same as I used for the skylights/deadlights. Have never had a port leak (either the rectangle or the oval ports) for several years now (about 7 or 8??). Only put sealant on the outside of the coachroof. It doesn't do any good to put sealant on the inside as it's too late and the water is already inside the liner somewhere. Plus it just makes it more difficult to remove the port. Skylights: It's been several years but I finally got two small leaks last month (just in time for the rainy season) in my skylights for the first time (since I fixed them around '96 or?), one on port and the other on starboard. The tricks for leak-free skylights are: 1. having the sealant act as a rubber-band between the butt-edge of the skylight and the coachroof and not as a "bedding compound". 2. More gap (between the but end of the skylight and the coach roof) is better! Not less. I had to grind and file the edges of the lexan to increase the gap spacing. 3. The sealant acts as a rubber band and has to expand and contract. Hence more gap is better. The furler used to have a continuous line but it now has a single line. I did the epoxy work when I made the changeover.
Ports: my ports are Beckson ('88 H35) and used to leak bad. The dealer tried to fix the leaks but never did. Part of the problem was we didn't know where the leak was coming from. After several years I figured out what the problem with the ports was and haven't had a (port) leak since. I've posted the details here several times in years past but the long and the short of it is to have as much of a sealant bead on the outside of the hull as possible. Where the port goes through the hull I ground the edge of the opening back at about 45 degrees. The trim ring on the port has about a 45 degree chamfer where it abuts the port. Between the two I got significantly more sealant and contact area with the port and a tad more with the coachroof. (don't know if this shortened account makes sense). My ports were black plastic and I used black Dow 995 sealant, the same as I used for the skylights/deadlights. Have never had a port leak (either the rectangle or the oval ports) for several years now (about 7 or 8??). Only put sealant on the outside of the coachroof. It doesn't do any good to put sealant on the inside as it's too late and the water is already inside the liner somewhere. Plus it just makes it more difficult to remove the port. Skylights: It's been several years but I finally got two small leaks last month (just in time for the rainy season) in my skylights for the first time (since I fixed them around '96 or?), one on port and the other on starboard. The tricks for leak-free skylights are: 1. having the sealant act as a rubber-band between the butt-edge of the skylight and the coachroof and not as a "bedding compound". 2. More gap (between the but end of the skylight and the coach roof) is better! Not less. I had to grind and file the edges of the lexan to increase the gap spacing. 3. The sealant acts as a rubber band and has to expand and contract. Hence more gap is better. The furler used to have a continuous line but it now has a single line. I did the epoxy work when I made the changeover.
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John,
I understand about the new ports, but what I was refering to was the black lexan that the ports are set in. They are set in place like the skylights, and what I was wondering is does the sealant around them leak?
I understand about the new ports, but what I was refering to was the black lexan that the ports are set in. They are set in place like the skylights, and what I was wondering is does the sealant around them leak?
Alan - re Black Lexan Skylights
Ummmm.... I think our boats are different in this regard. On the H-35s there are no ports set in Lexan. The side ports are all set in the sloped coach roof and the skylights in the overhead are just set in a resessed area in the coach roof (latter part of my previous post). On the H-35 the skylights were a translucent milky-white Lexan. Some 35 owners I've seen have changed these out to smoke Lexan as they are difficult to remove without breaking them. The last time I rebedded the skylights was, say, six years ago or more. It's been quite a while and they have been leak-free until last month when, as I mentioned, I have two very small leaks, one in the aft port and the other in the aft stb'd skylight. However, it's too cold and wet to do a repair now and I plan to wait until spring. If I get really industrious I might do a vaccuum cleaner trick on them to find the spot where the leak is and take a stab at fixing it using a heat lamp. Let me know if I'm still not answering the question.
Ummmm.... I think our boats are different in this regard. On the H-35s there are no ports set in Lexan. The side ports are all set in the sloped coach roof and the skylights in the overhead are just set in a resessed area in the coach roof (latter part of my previous post). On the H-35 the skylights were a translucent milky-white Lexan. Some 35 owners I've seen have changed these out to smoke Lexan as they are difficult to remove without breaking them. The last time I rebedded the skylights was, say, six years ago or more. It's been quite a while and they have been leak-free until last month when, as I mentioned, I have two very small leaks, one in the aft port and the other in the aft stb'd skylight. However, it's too cold and wet to do a repair now and I plan to wait until spring. If I get really industrious I might do a vaccuum cleaner trick on them to find the spot where the leak is and take a stab at fixing it using a heat lamp. Let me know if I'm still not answering the question.
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