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Post by tedp on Mar 27, 2011 21:37:56 GMT
During winter maintenance we found tiny leaks under the cockpit floor in the compartment behind the stern cabin. There were tiny holes in the GRP below the screws holding down the teak toe rail on the rear edge of the cockpit floor. From one or two of these a few drops of water issued in wet weather.
I found the teak cover was loose up to some inches from the edge, as was one end of the toe rail. So I waited until we had dry spring weather, then lifted the end of the loose teak strips, dried it all and sealed the edge with Saba bedding compound. Then I screwed down the toe rail and hoped for the best.
On the first rainy day (yesterday) I checked and found there was new moisture issuing from below the teak just next to the areas I had sealed! Down below I found the same tiny leakage as before. I now fear there is moisture leaking into the balsa core of the cockpit floor, possibly due to a construction fault as the teak was fitted as a standard option by the yard, only 7 years ago. The screws must have penetrated into the balsa core and they weren't exactly holding very well.
Anyway all I can now do is remove the last 15 inches or so of teak, dry and re-seal the floor with epoxy and glass matting and lay new teak to replace what will have to be removed. This will have to wait until we have a spell of hot and dry weather.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
---> PS I wonder about the way the toe rail should be attached. Should it have been bolted through the cockpit floor or is a screw attachment into the 8mm teak normal practice? Any other SO32 owners experience the same?
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Post by flightdeck on Mar 29, 2011 0:21:11 GMT
It sounds like you are talking about the decks, I only have the option teak on the cockpit floor which looks like being bonded / sika flex on top of the moulded floor, no screws that I can see.
Do you have any pictures for us to have a look at.
Cheers
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Post by tedp on Mar 29, 2011 9:06:56 GMT
Yes, it concerns the cockpit floor which is fitted with the teak option. There are boats without the toe rail on the after edge of the floor and there are boats with the toe rail. The toe rail is a strip of teak about an inch and a half tall. I know of someone who has the toe rail bolted through the cockpit floor with four sunken 6mm bolts and nuts below deck. If you open the small hatch in the rear bulkhead of the stern cabin you can inspect the bottom of the cockpit floor. My boat seems to have tiny pilot holes drilled in the moulding (difficult to see from below) but the toe rail was fitted with wood screws, no bolts, and sealant on to the teak deck. The screws 'hold' in only 8mm of teak and it seems the screws have caused the teak deck to become unstuck from the moulded floor. When it rains the water sucks into the gap under the teak and drips down the pilot holes in the moulding. It may be a construction fault or someone has tampered with the floor. I am having the rearmost 40cms of teak removed so we can inspect and seal the moulding surface and fit new teak. This is being done professionally so it's costing me a packet. They will notify me when the teak is off and I'll try to make some photos then. PS there is a photo of an SO32 cockpit floor with teak fitted here: jeanneauforum.nl/forum/gallery/?sa=view;id=192;PHPSESSID=2d5175767408f787059e69ecf848400e. In this case the toe rail is set rather further inboard. My boat has the rail right at the edge of the cockpit floor. |
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Post by lateron on Mar 30, 2011 8:57:17 GMT
Hi Ted..I can see what you mean. I'm going to inspect mine for leaks although I did have the back off that hatch to feed my AIS antenna through. I installed some beefed up toe rails down the centre of the cockpit using utile wood and through [countersunk] bolts with plenty of brown Sikafleks sealant and have had no problems....so far. I think I might through bolt the rear toerail as well. But will check for leaks. Being non technical I thought the decks were injected and not balsa or is that on the later 32i? I've drilled a few holes for various things and it doesn't look like balsa but I'm probably wrong.
By the way who has legs long enough to reach across the cockpit to brace on a tiller version? And yet I've seen a few examples with no bracing toerails at all in the cockpit of SO32s?
Cheers Ron............ all the best with the new teak.
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Post by tedp on Mar 30, 2011 12:50:58 GMT
Hello Ron
As far as I know the 32i has an injection moulded deck and superstructure, hence the 'i' in the type designation. I'm not sure about the older SO32 - it may have a balsa core so it's best not to take chances. I wouldn't want water in a balsa core. The beefed up toe rail down the centre of the cockpit is what I was thinking of as well, as the cockpit is a bit wide to reach across when you're under 20 degrees of heel... If you have sealed the bolt holes like they should there won't be a problem. They should have done so in my boat in the first place. Anyway I'm taking care of that now - the teak repair is supposed to be ready within a few days as we're going to launch the boat next week.
Best wishes, Ted
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Post by lateron on Mar 30, 2011 15:37:30 GMT
Hi Ted...just further to the balsa core thing. It says in the handbook for my boat [2004] page 21 'the deck is made of resin vacuum injected' so you may not have the problem with the water seepage into a balsa core though obviously it's good to seal all the holes you have found.
Any one else out there who can clear up the deck issue? I cut through my cockpit bulkhead for a chartplotter and it certainly wasn't balsa and also some reviews I've read from 2003 suggest that resin injection was used in the construction. in that case it's a bonus.
Cheers Ron
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Post by tedp on Mar 30, 2011 19:51:23 GMT
I read the passage in the manual and if it is correct it would be a relief, although there is at least one test of the SO32 that explicitly mentions a balsa core deck, and the floor seems to be quite thick. The bulkheads are solid anyway - just look at the cabin sides. Anyway all will come to light soon when they have a go at the cockpit floor! Thanks anyway, Ron. I'll keep you posted.
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Post by tedp on Apr 1, 2011 20:09:15 GMT
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Post by tedp on Apr 5, 2011 19:41:01 GMT
The teak was removed today and you have to see what it's like to believe it. The bedding compound hasn't attached to the surface below in several places and the bolt holes for the eye bolt to lash the removable bridge deck to hadn't been used at all. All had been attached to the teak by wood screws, some protruding through the teak and lifting it up, causing leakage through the bolt holes underneath. This is bad workmanship either by the yard or by someone who installed the teak afterwards. Repair cost is over 600 euros and it leaves me with doubts regarding the quality of the remainder of the teak floor. In addition I found almost all the nuts of the rudder stock gland where it passes through the floor were loose, causing even more leakage. Rear 40cms of the floor after removing the teak. Note patches where the bedding compound didn't leave a trace - evidence of bad keying to the surface:  www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_05_04_11_9_01_09.jpegA bolt hole 'plugged' with sealant:  www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_05_04_11_9_03_27.jpegBolt hole with a screw hole beside it:  www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_05_04_11_9_04_53.jpegRemoving the sealant 'plug' reveals a neatly countersunk bolt hole. The light from below is a torch.  www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_05_04_11_9_06_13.jpeg |
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Post by lateron on Apr 6, 2011 13:22:41 GMT
Hi Ted ........looks a bit of a nightmare. Seem to be holes in strange places. Did you find out if the cockpit floor was balsa core? The holes look like maybe not, so was that at least a little bit of good news? I'm checking my rudder stock gland bolts tomorrow.
All the best Ron
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Post by tedp on Apr 7, 2011 9:45:44 GMT
After a phone call to the Dutch representatives of Jeanneau (Krijgsman) it seems this particular boat was delivered with teak on the seats but not on the cockpit floor. The teak floor has been added later and not very professionally. It would explain all the trouble we found. I'm not yet certain about the core of the deck mould, whether it's balsa or foam. This will be investigated by Krijgsman and reported back to me. The 32i according to them has a completely different deck mould with injected resin instead of a core.
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Post by flightdeck on Apr 10, 2011 20:59:40 GMT
nothing like finding issue's with a "professional" job  Our 32 had the option teak floor fitted and it stops around where yours has been cut back to + no screws are used only say Sika flex or what ever they use, hope they did a better bonding job. Re the 4 bolt and nuts around the rudder stock, I drilled ours out for the size's up bolts as I found them small ones were difficult to keep tight, for over 12 months I have not had to tighten up these bolts. Cheers |
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Post by tedp on Apr 10, 2011 21:25:18 GMT
Thanks for your reply and the info on the bolts around the rudder stock. It seems there are more than one teak options! They have now put in the new teak. Tomorrow it's going to be sanded smooth. As you say, they only used Sikaflex and they claim they won't need to bolt through a toerail as the bond is good enough to keep the holes sealed. They put in two cartridges of the stuff and they will put in two short toerails each side of the rudder stock. Anyway if it proves to be no good I can find them as they're just the other side of town. Let's hope for the best... Today by the way I completed most of the rigging work and I did a trial run down the canal to test the engine and the new prop bearing. It sounded quite OK, no unnecessary vibration. A few more evenings work and I'll be off on the passage north this weekend. |
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Post by tedp on Apr 27, 2011 7:17:39 GMT
Here finally is a photo of the repairs made to the teak of the cockpit in my SO32. The new toe rails are stuck on to the join between the old and the new teak and they left a narrow centre channel to drain the area around the rudder stock, as well as a bit of space next to the cockpit seats. It looks much better than it did, don't you think? ;D  www.009dutch.nl/jeanneau/569_26_04_11_9_36_44.jpeg |
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Our 32 had the option teak floor fitted and it stops around where yours has been cut back to + no screws are used only say Sika flex or what ever they use, hope they did a better bonding job.