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Post by hoppy on Dec 23, 2014 16:36:25 GMT
I'm now in Greece on board Jessabbé and decided to take my old genoa out of the forward locker under the berth and the sail was soaking wet A couple of years ago I had water getting in there when water came up from under the headstem when crashing through waves. That leak was fixed but now it seems it's back Like the last time, I'll get the hose up there confirming that is where the water is coming in again this time. I don't care about the sail as I was getting it out to throw away anyway, but normally I keep the gennaker in there as well (safe on top of the genoa) Now I'm starting to wonder if I should just assume that it will leak again and again and use the locker accordingly. I might get some marine ply and cut it in a V shape to keep the gennaker off the locker floor away from any water.
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Post by On y va on Dec 23, 2014 17:27:42 GMT
Hoppy, I know the problem. Same boat, same problem.
You could re-bed the 3 plastic hole covers in the anchor locker. They tend to start leaking after so many years, especially if they have been removed once (or more).
Where my boat was leaking, was on the fwd fairleads. I have used crack-cure first and then resealed the fairleads with a marine silicone. End of leaking problem.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 25, 2014 13:42:21 GMT
The centre plastic cover was buckled and cracked. I made i worse trying to remove it. I turned it around so the crack is at the bottom which will hopefully lessen the leak until I can source a replacement.
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Post by tedp on Dec 25, 2014 21:38:42 GMT
I've had the same problem on my SO32. I sealed and repaired the plastic covers in the anchor well with Sikaflex. Dry ever since.
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Post by On y va on Dec 26, 2014 10:54:55 GMT
tedp, the problem with sikaflex is that you will now never remove the plug again without breaking it. Better to use a marine grade silicon. Similar sealing properties, but easier to remove in case needed. I have seen on another SO40 that they just siliconed polywood plate over the holes, with 4 little screws. If I ever break one, that's what I will do too.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 26, 2014 11:10:26 GMT
I was thinking of getting one of those screw in hatches they use on dingys, but the plywood plate seems simpler.
For now I will fill the cracks in the existing one with sikaflex (if it does not fall apart when I remove it) and use sikaflex to seal it. The other tow look ok but I might just run sikaflex around the edge.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 26, 2014 12:04:05 GMT
Before After
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Post by dbostrom on Dec 26, 2014 19:12:08 GMT
Timely; I'd noticed a little bit of water in the forward locker of our boat as described here. Dollars to donuts it's the same problem.
Yet another demonstration of why a brand-specific forum is good, especially not having to read the "you should have bought a boat built by [brand X]" part. Remedy, not rubbish...
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Post by hoppy on Dec 26, 2014 20:20:34 GMT
An hour after fitted it back it started raining like crazy. No chance of the sikaflex drying in time, but at least was on the inside. I'll check the locker on sunday when I pack to go home and see if it worked.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 28, 2014 6:50:25 GMT
Bugger...
Packing up to leave, I stripped my bed and checked the locker and found an inch of water in it. It's currently pissing down rain so I can't add more sikaflex. I think the best I can do is just put some masking tape and plastic for now. Might ask the guys who look after Jessabbé to at least check her after big rains.
I should have checked it after the first big post fix rain
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Post by On y va on Dec 28, 2014 14:24:21 GMT
The water is not coming from there. It most likely comes from under your fairleads. You have to (re)seal them. That stopped most of the water coming in on my SO40. Another leak I had in that area was that one of the pushpit underdeck nuts was loose. Also worth checking.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 28, 2014 16:53:53 GMT
The weather in Corfu that today I had 2 flights cancelled on me and knowing the weather was only going to get worse I decided to not wait in hope for the evening flight and booked the flight for the morning and went back to Jessabbé. Whilst at the airport it rained so much that the carpark at the marina was buried under 4 inches of water. On board I checked the locker and the water height did not seem to have changed. So I dried it out and now two hours later it still seems dry. I know it was couple of days between first finding that it was filling with water (and drying it) and when I silkaflexed it just before rain. What I for the life of me can't remember is, did it rain between those two events. just maybe it is actually ok.
Fingers crossed
The forward fairleads should hopefully not be a problem as it was only 2 years ago that they would have been removed or at least loosened along with the stemhead to fix the original leak and they would hopefully have been smart enough to reinstall them with plenty of silkaflex as well (I hope)
I did not add silkalex to the other 2 covers, that could have been a mistake. As it is raining like crazy and I am not seeing a worrying in flow, I'm more relaxed about it nowthan when I thought I was leaving here.
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Post by hoppy on Jan 9, 2015 12:28:32 GMT
The stupid leak was not fixed... I'm not convinced that I can yet rule out those covers as being the source of the leak as I only did a quick bodge job on one cover and never got to do a "controlled" test and I suspect the other two are not properly sealed. Given the recent headstem fix, I am hopeful that it is not the fairlead that is the problem, but maybe the cleats could be a problem. Anyway I noticed on a photo I have of the covers that I could easily make out the part number Kapsto GPN 300 F 44 and found them online www.poeppelmann.com/en/kapsto/products/product-details/kapsto-serie/gpn-300-f/It does not look like a site for ordering 3 items from I needed a price from Jeanneau for a new bow roller, so I have asked about the covers as well.
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Post by dbostrom on Jan 9, 2015 18:22:44 GMT
Those covers do not look as though they were intended to be even raintight, let alone waterproof. Plus they appear to be polyethylene, which is basically food for UV rays. It seems as though any little divot or other irregularity of the aperture the cover sits in would make it fairly hopeless as a means to keep water at bay. I continue to forget to check the situation on our boat which last time I looked had a small amount of water standing in the foreward vberth locker, so I'm not sure of the size of the plug you're dealing with. I wonder if a small, proper inspection plate would fit? Something like this: www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|7504|2290180|2290183&id=47488or this one is about 1" smaller: www.atlanticriggingsupply.com/roinpo10op1.html
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Post by hoppy on Jan 9, 2015 18:36:18 GMT
Those covers do not look as though they were intended to be even raintight, let alone waterproof. Plus they appear to be polyethylene, which is basically food for UV rays. It seems as though any little divot or other irregularity of the aperture the cover sits in would make it fairly hopeless as a means to keep water at bay. I continue to forget to check the situation on our boat which last time I looked had a small amount of water standing in the foreward vberth locker, so I'm not sure of the size of the plug you're dealing with. I wonder if a small, proper inspection plate would fit? Something like this: www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|7504|2290180|2290183&id=47488or this one is about 1" smaller: www.atlanticriggingsupply.com/roinpo10op1.htmlThat's what I initially thought I could get, which is something I had on my Mirror dinghy about a million years ago. The hole size is 100mm
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Post by dbostrom on Jan 9, 2015 19:00:01 GMT
Here's a cover which seems to be 4" or 100mm: www.marinesupplydock.com/Attwood-Marine-12791-3-4-Inch-Inspection-Deck-Plates-Black-AWD-12791-3.htmI've really got to take a look at this on our own boat. 4" polyethylene plugs on the weather side of the world just seem pretty crazy (and crazed, too, after a short while). Yuck: the original plugs are indeed low density polyethylene, the very bottom of the polymer ecology. Suitable for plastic bags, disposable water jugs, other temporary applications, surely not for keeping water out of a boat for decades. As the manufacturer's data sheet specifies: "KAPSTO® plastic protective caps and plugs protect your component from damage and soiling during transport, storage and production."
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Post by sailingsouth on Jan 13, 2015 13:00:23 GMT
For all the 43DS owners who have a leak into the forward V-birth locker. My leak was coming from both sides of the bow pulpit aft posts where they go thru the deck. The bottom of these posts are threaded with a large nut and washer. You can gain access through the windlass motor panel in the v-birth. Both nuts were finger tight. I backed them off to the end of the threads (don't take the nuts all the way off) went back up on deck, pulled up on the pulpit to expose the threads. I spend a bunch of 4200 sealant around the threaded posts and pushed it back to the deck. On the inside I spread 4200 between the washer and deck. Tightened the nuts best I could as access is real tight! After it cured awhile I checked for water leaks with a hose for 15 minutes. No water in v-birth!!!!!!! Woohoo. This might sound simple but this job was a pain in the a$$. Took about 4 hours and my forearms still itch from fiberglass. Good luck all Scott
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Post by sailingsouth on Jan 13, 2015 13:06:26 GMT
To add to the above post. If you had a 26 or 27mm crows foot wrench this would help a lot! The space is too tight for a regular wrench and a socket won't work because the wires to the nav lights go through his post.
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Post by Don Reaves on Jan 13, 2015 14:31:58 GMT
Often, when applying a sealant to fitting, it is good to avoid tightening the fitting all the way until the sealant has cured. Once it's cured, tighten fully. This prevents all (or nearly all) of the sealant from being squeezed out of the joint.
Don
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Post by rxc on Jan 14, 2015 13:47:34 GMT
I wrestled with those nuts for 2 years before I bit the bullet and installed access plates in the anchor locker. Now, I think I have the leaks stopped, but I haven't checked in a while, so this thread is a reminder to me to do the maintenance.
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Post by On y va on Jan 14, 2015 17:05:05 GMT
Often, when applying a sealant to fitting, it is good to avoid tightening the fitting all the way until the sealant has cured. Once it's cured, tighten fully. This prevents all (or nearly all) of the sealant from being squeezed out of the joint. Don Excellent tip Don . A lot of people tighten the crap out of the nut/bolt when the sealant is still wet. Especially with Sikaflex it is important to initially just hand tighten. Let it dry for at least 4 to 5 hours or pref till the next day and then tighten properly.
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Post by tessellate on Dec 18, 2022 21:58:19 GMT
This was a helpful thread, I did the same fix for the leaking aft bow pulpits on our new-to-us 43DS this week. A few notes / additions to things people said:
- A crows foot wrench was helpful, but I found 26 or 27mm didn't fit (too small). 30mm fit just right and 32mm would work as well, but a little loose.
- I wasn't able to operate the wrench on a socket wrench handle, I just attached it to a 3" socket extension and used brute force to tighten.
- I added a 4.5" Attwood circular hatch for the port bolt, which was harder to access from the v-berth than the stbd bolt. This took a good 2 hours though, which is why I didn't drill a stbd hatch as well. One problem was the fiberglass wall of the anchor locker is thicker towards the top (where it builds up approaching the 90 degree corner) and this caused the 4.5" hole saw to drill slower at the top and eventually get askew which caused terrible binding making it nearly impossible to finish drilling the hole. 4.5" is a big hole saw.
I'm worried the stanchions will start leaking again before long. The problem is the design of the bow pulpit is just bad. Without a real stanchion base for the aft legs, the bow pulpit flexes those stanchions anytime the lifelines are pressed on or the bow pulpit leaned on. Also our headsail furling line block is attached to the pulpit, as is typical with side deck furling lines, and that probably puts a lot of side load on the stanchion when the headsail is reefed.
I considered cutting off the stanchion base screws and switching to a Sea-Dog rectangular stanchion base, thrubolted into the deck. There's room for it on top of the deck but the problem is under deck is very tight - the inboard thru-bolt holes might not fit because they might collide with the vertical wall of the anchor locker. And the outboard holes would have to be drilled through the deck-hull joint.
For the stanchion sealant I did a combo of BoatLife Caulk and a ring of butyl around the perimeter. I feel butyl has more resilience to the constant flexing these stanchions will undergo, so hopefully it will last longer. I may still move the furler lead to the toerail, but that will require a different angle and different type of block.
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