Wet Boat

[Joe Brown]

I thought that after owning four woods boats I would finally have a dry boat (from spray and rain) when I converted to fiberglass (a Cape Dory 28) but how wrong I was. Even covered with a tarp when hauled for the winter, the boat took many gallons of water into her bilge from an undetermined source. I'm wondering whether any other CD owners have had this experience and what if anything they found as a remedy.
I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, apparently coming in from a hull-to-deck joint, or whatever. This worked its way into ther bilge and in Maine that meant a slab of ice in midwinter. The connection of cabin trunk to deck seems to be well faired and not possible for leaks. Would running a bead of clear silicone where the deck meets the toe rail help perhaps? I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.
What is the best way to test the source of the leak or leaks? (I did finally duct tape over the unprotected hawsepipe hole on the foredeck and this cut the leaking a bit, but not much.)
Suggestions would be truly welcomed. In most respects, my CD28 has made me a cheerleader for fiberglass. Thanks.
--Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine, "Caprice," CD28.



joebrown@mint.net

[Neil Gordon]

>>I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, ...<<

Most likely it's the stanchions and not the hull/deck joint. Do you have streaks on the interior wood? If so, are they right under the stanchions?

>>This worked its way into ther bilge ...<<

I always pour a gallon or so of antifreeze into the bilge when I put the boat away for the winter.

>>I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.<<

It's not easy, but they are all accessible. It's a two person job, though, one on deck and the other below.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Duncan Maio]

Last Winter, Remedy was under a tarp, but with the mast and rigging in place, so there were plenty of opportunities for leaks. The boatyard yahoos blocked her about 6" out of level, with the bow down. This meant that water collected on the deck along the toerail, freezing and thawing and working its way into the boat.

We keep antifreeze in the bilge, so the water did no serious damage other than staining the ceilings and contributing to mildew.

Last summer, we discovered the source of the leaks. The hull-deck joint was assembled initially with a number of self-tapping screws, which were left in place (and glassed over) when the through-bolts were installed. These screws have backed off slightly, and small cracks developed in the gelcoat above the screws. One of this spring's chores, therefore, is to grind out the gelcoat over the screw heads, replace the screws with bolts, and refill the holes with new epoxy and gelcoat (and to epoxy-coat the core around the hawsepipe, where the balsa core is exposed).

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD27 #37
Bristol, RI



dmaio@att.net

[Craig Scott]

I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I bought a CD-28 last Aug (Hull #200) and have been fighting leaks ever since. The boat was neglected for several years to the point of some water damage inside. So far I have rebedded the genoa tracks, and stanchion bases, (not much fun but do-able). Now I am working on my chainplates which need rebedding badly to the point that I may even have to replace them due to corrosion and weakness, be sure to check for this. I had a hatch which was leaking also (the forward hatch) but I rebedded the lexan with silicone and that seems to have stopped that for the time being. I also find inordinate amounts of water in my bilge and have yet to discover all the causes. I went down yesterday after the rain and still found some water on the teak shelf outboard of the stbd settee. One thing that I am considering is drilling more holes in the toe rail as CD only put two small slits in it to act as scuppers or drains overboard. What do you think about that? I have also read here about leaks others have had around the main companionway hatch...they could manifest themselves by dripping from the overhead onto the quarters also. But, if you find any one thing that seems to make a big difference in the amount of leakage you are having....please share the with me. Thanks and good luck.

Craig
"Emerald"

I thought that after owning four woods boats I would finally have a dry boat (from spray and rain) when I converted to fiberglass (a Cape Dory 28) but how wrong I was. Even covered with a tarp when hauled for the winter, the boat took many gallons of water into her bilge from an undetermined source. I'm wondering whether any other CD owners have had this experience and what if anything they found as a remedy.
I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, apparently coming in from a hull-to-deck joint, or whatever. This worked its way into ther bilge and in Maine that meant a slab of ice in midwinter. The connection of cabin trunk to deck seems to be well faired and not possible for leaks. Would running a bead of clear silicone where the deck meets the toe rail help perhaps? I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.
What is the best way to test the source of the leak or leaks? (I did finally duct tape over the unprotected hawsepipe hole on the foredeck and this cut the leaking a bit, but not much.)
Suggestions would be truly welcomed. In most respects, my CD28 has made me a cheerleader for fiberglass. Thanks.
--Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine, "Caprice," CD28.

Rphscott@aol.com

[Tom Young]

Hi Joe, I am in Camden with a CD 28. Our boat takes on the most water during winter layup. It's almost impossible to get it on its lines so deck water pools around fittings that normaly(at mooring) would drain away. I haven't seen any leaks at the hull/deck joint.
Most water comes through the stanchion bases, especially those at the boarding gate. They are hard to rebed. I am usually alone when it comes to doing this work. I use small vise grips clamped on the nuts(use two, it will save time)and turn with a cordless driver from above. Tedious, so this is my quick fix test.
When the boat is thoroughly dried out, run a small bead of clear silicone around the clean dry bases you suspect are leaking, especially the up hill side. After your first rain or beat, you will know if that base is the leaker. Now you can rebed that fitting, but if you don't get to it for a while, your boat will stay dryer till you do. The silicone can be pulled off after a season.



fish@mint.net

[J Partington]

Two thoughts, one which may be a bit strange, but may help you isolate the problem. First, you may wish to divide the boat into 4 quarters with plumbers putty set on the outside deck amidships as dams to not allow water to travel fore and aft. Next, use food coloring to heavily color water which you pour over all four quarters (one color for each quarter) and let sit for a day. If the bilge is one color the following day, you have one leak, if it is multi colored you have several, but the streaks on the liner should dry in color so you can more easily see the leaks. Using different colors may also show if water "travels" down from one area in the boat to another before the leak shows up. Bizarre as it sounds, it works. Second, if the boarding gate has a separate brace, the bolts are not part of the stanchion system and are simply a hole in the deck which must be sealed with silicone. However, I have a method to make a permanent solution if that is your problem. E-Mail me for the answer. Good Luck!!

I thought that after owning four woods boats I would finally have a dry boat (from spray and rain) when I converted to fiberglass (a Cape Dory 28) but how wrong I was. Even covered with a tarp when hauled for the winter, the boat took many gallons of water into her bilge from an undetermined source. I'm wondering whether any other CD owners have had this experience and what if anything they found as a remedy.
I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, apparently coming in from a hull-to-deck joint, or whatever. This worked its way into ther bilge and in Maine that meant a slab of ice in midwinter. The connection of cabin trunk to deck seems to be well faired and not possible for leaks. Would running a bead of clear silicone where the deck meets the toe rail help perhaps? I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.
What is the best way to test the source of the leak or leaks? (I did finally duct tape over the unprotected hawsepipe hole on the foredeck and this cut the leaking a bit, but not much.)
Suggestions would be truly welcomed. In most respects, my CD28 has made me a cheerleader for fiberglass. Thanks.
--Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine, "Caprice," CD28.

CaptJester@AOL.com

[Russ Campbell]

Joe, My Cd 28 sits under a tarp all winter and that is the only time she fills with water. I have rebedded all my stantions because there was a leak in one of them. I am slowly rebedding everything on deck. I think that after 20 years some of the sealants they used may be getting worn out and plus they have much better sealants today.
One leak that I had that was hard to find was where the coaming board attaches to the cabin. The screws there go all the way through the liner into the cabin so water would get in behind the coaming and drip off the screws and run all over the place under the liner. Good luck
Russ

I thought that after owning four woods boats I would finally have a dry boat (from spray and rain) when I converted to fiberglass (a Cape Dory 28) but how wrong I was. Even covered with a tarp when hauled for the winter, the boat took many gallons of water into her bilge from an undetermined source. I'm wondering whether any other CD owners have had this experience and what if anything they found as a remedy.
I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, apparently coming in from a hull-to-deck joint, or whatever. This worked its way into ther bilge and in Maine that meant a slab of ice in midwinter. The connection of cabin trunk to deck seems to be well faired and not possible for leaks. Would running a bead of clear silicone where the deck meets the toe rail help perhaps? I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.
What is the best way to test the source of the leak or leaks? (I did finally duct tape over the unprotected hawsepipe hole on the foredeck and this cut the leaking a bit, but not much.)
Suggestions would be truly welcomed. In most respects, my CD28 has made me a cheerleader for fiberglass. Thanks.
--Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine, "Caprice," CD28.

camroll@together.net

[Steve]

One way to track down leaky fittings is to pressurize the boat interior and then pour a little soapy water around each fitting base to look for bubbles (just like a punctured tire). Pressurize the cabin interior by cutting a new, temporary hatch board from ply wood with a hole to fit a hose from the outlet of a shop-vac. Get an airtight seal as best you can...close all ports and install the remaining hatch boards, sealing the cracks between the boards and other hatches with tape (use foam tape under the cockpit locker lids). Then, run the shop vac and check for the source of the leak with the soapy water.

Joe, My Cd 28 sits under a tarp all winter and that is the only time she fills with water. I have rebedded all my stantions because there was a leak in one of them. I am slowly rebedding everything on deck. I think that after 20 years some of the sealants they used may be getting worn out and plus they have much better sealants today.
One leak that I had that was hard to find was where the coaming board attaches to the cabin. The screws there go all the way through the liner into the cabin so water would get in behind the coaming and drip off the screws and run all over the place under the liner. Good luck
Russ

I thought that after owning four woods boats I would finally have a dry boat (from spray and rain) when I converted to fiberglass (a Cape Dory 28) but how wrong I was. Even covered with a tarp when hauled for the winter, the boat took many gallons of water into her bilge from an undetermined source. I'm wondering whether any other CD owners have had this experience and what if anything they found as a remedy.
I have found water on both port and starboard shelves in the main salon, apparently coming in from a hull-to-deck joint, or whatever. This worked its way into ther bilge and in Maine that meant a slab of ice in midwinter. The connection of cabin trunk to deck seems to be well faired and not possible for leaks. Would running a bead of clear silicone where the deck meets the toe rail help perhaps? I hope the problem is not with the stanchions; it would be nearly impossible to reach the nuts under the deck in many places.
What is the best way to test the source of the leak or leaks? (I did finally duct tape over the unprotected hawsepipe hole on the foredeck and this cut the leaking a bit, but not much.)
Suggestions would be truly welcomed. In most respects, my CD28 has made me a cheerleader for fiberglass. Thanks.
--Joe Brown, Rockport, Maine, "Caprice," CD28.