Weather stripping for cockpit lockers?

[Joe Myerson]

I've been thinking for many years about sealing my rattling, and probably leaking, cockpit lockers with weather stripping. I've taken measurements, and total needed for both lockers on a 25D is 16' 4". But I've got two questions:
1) Has anybody tried this?
2) What's the best way to get the foam to adhere? I'm not sure how well the standard peel-off adhesive will work, but I hesitate to use something like contact cement, in case the stripping deteriorates or I decider it isn't working.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
--Joe

[sgbernd]

After getting pooped with a wave breaking into the cockpit, filling the cockpit with sea water until it could drain out, I was dismayed by the large quantity of water which entered the closed and secured cockpit lockers. The contents of the lockers was pretty well soaked. So I determined to make them more water resistant exactly as you describe. First I measured the gap between the locker door and the base upon which it sits, then ordered EDPM half round in that size plus 1/16 inch to allow for some compression from Master-Carr. So far, so good.

Upon installation with contact cement, I discovered the gap around the lid was not consistent and was considerably less at the side with the hinges than at the side with the catch. To make matters worse, at the edge with the hinges, upon closing or opening, the lip scrapes along which tries (and quickly succeeds) to remove the adhered seal. So I was only able to seal along the sides with the latch and not the sides with the hinges. This is better than nothing, and am happy with how they now close with a solid thump rather than a bang if dropped, don't rattle or buzz at certain engine harmonics, and are more water resistant than they were, as tested with the hose. Now a few drops make it in, if any.

So yes, I've tried and been partially successful. I'd be happier if I could call them water tight but sometimes 80% good enough.

Steve

[Jim Walsh]

Orion also has an inconsistent gap between the top of the coamings and the underside of the hatches of all three cockpit lockers. My locker coamings are teak, so the ideal solution would be to replace them with coamings which have a consistent gap all around. Then it would be practical to add a piece of weatherstripping to the underside of the hatches and attain a true waterproof seal.
I lack the carpentry skills to fashion replacement coamings, plain and simple. What I did several years ago was add weatherstripping to the hatches which is effective for all but a small portion of the sealing surface. It seals the gap over most of the surface and minimizes the gap for the remainder. Effectively it is a compromise solution.

[Cathy Monaghan]

This won’t help with the leaks but it will eliminate the rattling. I used small diameter clear plastic tubing, which I slit lengthwise, and slipped over the edge of the cockpit locker lids on our CD32. It was cheap and worked quite well. When they no longer stayed in place I just replaced them.

[Matt Cawthorne]

If you shut off all air flow, mold and mildew can easily become an issue. It would be really nice to have seals when in a storm, but open the rest of the time.

[Typhoon4Fun]

The cockpit locker coamings in our 25D are punky and leak a fair amount. Wish that had been part of the fiberglass mold. I have been mulling over buying some fiberglass angle pieces from McMaster carr and setting them in thickened epoxy to create a waterproof frame for the opening. Then I could set new teak in that. Would be much easier if the opening was square so all cuts would be 45 degrees. Probably overkill; simply rebuilding new coaming would probably be fine and watertight for years..

https://www.mcmaster.com/product/8542K19

[JD-MDR]

I’m surprised there is not more discussion on this. I noticed when heeled over, it doesn’t take much for water to spill over the hinge side. Every splash was sending a lot of water inside Im looking for a way to seal mine with waterproof lids and maybe dogs to secure them. I’m not worried about mold etc since there are vents and I open and close them so often. I also scrub inside often.
On a 1000 mi close reach with the rail mostly submerged. I saw a steady stream flowing along my engine stringers from the laz. To the bilge. I’m sure most of that was from the locker hatch covers. There was a constant puddle on top of the wood sole that couldn’t get down to the bilge

[Jim Walsh]

When offshore I see a trickle coming from the stuffing box which my rudder shaft passes through. Easy solution is remove the old packing and replace with new. The problem is, there’s always a problem, that I lack the clearance to loosen the lock ring and retaining nut sufficiently to perform the job. I would have to loosen my steering cables and move my steering quadrant up an inch to gain access. It’s been on my list of things to do for a few years now. One of these days…
I mention this because you may have a leaky rudder stuffing box also.

[hilbert]

The distance between the lids and the lip is inconsistent.

I purchased strips of neoprene EPDM rubber on Ebay and applied them in layers to account for the gap.
When you get it right, the rubber keeps water out, prevents rattling and exerts a satisfying resistance against the latches that secure the lid.
Both the EPDM rubber and 3M'S 1300 neoprene adhesive have stood the test of time.

[keneasley]

That's a great idea.
Could you tell us the dimensions of the foam you used - thickness and width?
I'd like to try the same thing.
Thanks for posting that.

[John Stone]

Many of the Cape Dory models seem to have different hatch designs. I think the hatches on the Far Reach are same as on Orion. Mine have a very close fit but I have considered adding a gasket at some point. I'd have to take measurements from inside the locker then use hand planes and/or a router to even everything up. I'd use an EPDM rubber gasket similar to what I used on the icebox I think. I don't worry about air flow as I drilled several 4" diameter holes through the bulkheads so air can move through the boat into the aft lazaretto and out the dorades or vise versa off the wind.

IMG_1764.JPG

[Jim Walsh]

Many of the Cape Dory models seem to have different hatch designs. I think the hatches on the Far Reach are same as on Orion. Mine have a very close fit but I have considered adding a gasket at some point. I'd have to take measurements from inside the locker then use hand planes and/or a router to even everything up. I'd use an EPDM rubber gasket similar to what I used on the icebox I think. I don't worry about air flow as I drilled several 4" diameter holes through the bulkheads so air can move through the boat into the aft lazaretto and out the dorades or vise versa off the wind.

IMG_1764.JPG

Yes, that’s how the coamings for my cockpit lockers are constructed. Never considered making the gap consistent to facilitate adding a proper gasket. Good idea.

[hilbert]

Could you tell us the dimensions of the foam you used - thickness and width?

This project dates back to 2011 and I don't have a record of the dimensions.
I took some measurements today and the width is 1" and the thickness ranges from 3/8" to 3/4".

I found it interesting that the stepped layers have melded together over the years to form a nearly seamless transition.

[keneasley]

Thank you for the dimensions. Much appreciated. I'll give this a try sometime this summer.

[tmcclarren]

I had my first 25D back in 2001 and replaced the teak/mahogany cockpit locker water dam with a new one. My carpentry skills are not that great and it took some time to make, but worked well. Here is a photo of the old one next to the new one. This was for the port side locker.

locker coaming board.jpg