Water leaks from Fixed Portals... help

[John]

I have a 1985 Hunter 31 that has developed a problem with water leaking from the fixed portals on both sides. The water is not leaking from the fixed portals themselves. I removed both of them and re-caulked them several times to no avail. Then, with the portal frames removed, I observed that the water is actually coming through the wood core above the portal and gravity is just using the portals as an exit point. I thought of removing the hood, but, can't visualize how the hood or the screws that hold it could be bringing the water in. Has anyone had a similar experience or have any ideas as to where this water begins it's journey down to the portals ?

 

[Mac Lindsay]

Leak

John;If you mean the large fixed portals or windows on both sidesthen it might be a possibility that the hand rails are leaking and possibly the wood trim that runs along the cabin top above the ports. Mac. 1984 H31

 

[Steve Dion]

Can be coming from anywhere!

John:Mac is right, the water can be coming from almost anywhere. You can have water infitration from the mast step, hand rails, deck hardware etc. You need to figure out where the water is coming from before you try to fix any leaks. If you have the fixed ports out of the boat, you may want to seal the edges of the plywood with epoxy and caulk them very good before re-install the ports.

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Steve is right

Water could be coming from anyplace. We all suffer this problem in greater or lesser degrees. Just be glad the water isn't coming in from below the waterline, which would give you an even greater (and literal) sinking feeling.

 

[John]

Bill, while I do appreciate....

Bill, while I do appreciate that the water is getting in above the waterline(and not below it), my fear is that this water is sloshing around in and rotting the wood core between the inner and outer glass. It seems like a simple problem, but, I have not been able to isolate it's source. I'm thinking of using food dye to color a bucket of water and slowly spill the bucket at one place and then use a different color somewhere else and then see which color shows up at the portals. Any other ideas ?

 

[Mike]

absitively

John, You are absolutely correct to be concerned about rot in the core. On my surveyors advice, I have rebedded almost every piece of hardware mounted to the deck on my '85 28.5. The rest will be done next season. The food coloring route will help as long as you can control where the colored water goes. You may not need to color the water if you have someone above deck spraying a spot while you watch the ports from inside/below.Basicly, any hardware mounted above the portals is suspect. You will have to go at them one at a time if possible. On my boat I found that the screws holding down the deck hatches had lost their seal and were letting water seep in to the core. I removed each screw, cleaned them and pumped in 4200 and re-screwed. My surveyor recommended that deck fittings be re-bedded every 15 years give or take. It's a big job. But not as big as replacing/reglassing a rotten deck core!