RAIN WATER LEAKS INTO AFT CABIN

J3ff

ps. mine didn't look as bad as others here, but on the inside plywood the bottom front and side front were wet..

skennelly

@J3ff I launched the boat today and fought some nasty waves...got to my slip and found the carpet wet still even after doing the window .

Now I don't know if I didn't seal it good enough or if water is from somewhere else.

J3ff

skennelly said:

@J3ff I launched the boat today and fought some nasty waves...got to my slip and found the carpet wet still even after doing the window .

Now I don't know if I didn't seal it good enough or if water is from somewhere else.

ahhh man! How annoying.. I'm sure the same thing will happen to me.  The boat was painted about 4 years ago, so all windows had been removed and I found a LOT of caulk around them.. making me think the source is somewhere else.  I've got it coming from the stbd side too.. have no clue what to really do.. guess it's time to get someone down here to spay her down and use a boroscope to see if it's possible to see leaking in action.. 

Michael T

Remember guys water can run down the insides of the hull and puddle away from the entry points. We have discussed this extensively on the forum before with some great checklists and trouble shooting ideas. IMO start with the easiest first then work your way up. I used a construction camera with a four foot gooseneck to check for leak entry. I have found leaks where the railings are secured to deck (butyl tape) the windshield screws and the shore power entry points. As well, loose fittings on the HVAC, sinks, dock water entry connection and hot water tank. Good luck.

aero3113

I had some water coming into my forward birth. I re-bedded all of the rail screws and windshield screws. I haven't seen any wet areas since I sealed those points.

randy56

Last year no leaks, this year leaks on both sides. Gerrrr...........

J3ff

aero3113 said:

I had some water coming into my forward birth. I re-bedded all of the rail screws and windshield screws. I haven't seen any wet areas since I sealed those points.

this is my next move.. might even just go do it today... but hoping that the window was it. 

J3ff

randy56 said:

Last year no leaks, this year leaks on both sides. Gerrrr...........

where specifically are you seeing wet carpet? 

New for me this year is under the steps down to the cabin... 

randy56

Port side, between sink and steps , starboard, under door that is your storage cabinet.  a little left of the door. setting on the trailer with slight angle to the rear. water can run down till it comes out somewhere. I'm going to start with the railing remove and rebed screws. then cleats, then windshield. then windows.  the hatch also. just going to do all of it. Damm Rinker LOL

Handymans342

I worked on uncovering all my railing bases all day. Good luck. It aint fun

randy56

Just ordered a tube of 3m 4000, Did you jack up all the rail at one time then reset. 

Handymans342

There are locknuts underneath. I have to flaten my bases first, clean, then I am resealing with butyl tape

J3ff

well after re-sealing the window and some rain last night, I came back to an even more wet carpet - guess it's not the window!!

Michael T

@J3ff, I have found it takes a lot od water to make a window leak but far less water to enter the cabin from windshields, railing , shore power etc. Of course after checking HVAC and all water connections from sinks etc..... did I already say that?

J3ff

Yeah, 100% no leaks on the hvac and sinks, already tackled that. Looks like next weekend will be spent resealing Windshields, railing and shore power.. i hate caulk. 

THe good news is though, that there was NO water in the midship bilge today... just wet carpet on the port side.. 

Handymans342

J3ff said:

Yeah, 100% no leaks on the hvac and sinks, already tackled that. Looks like next weekend will be spent resealing Windshields, railing and shore power.. i hate caulk. 

THe good news is though, that there was NO water in the midship bilge today... just wet carpet on the port side.. 

Use Butyl tape

skennelly

@J3ff - bought one of these today to further help diagnose.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT1AAL1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

J3ff

Handymans342 said:

J3ff said:

Yeah, 100% no leaks on the hvac and sinks, already tackled that. Looks like next weekend will be spent resealing Windshields, railing and shore power.. i hate caulk. 

THe good news is though, that there was NO water in the midship bilge today... just wet carpet on the port side.. 

Use Butyl tape

yeah? so just take the rub rail off and stick this stuff behind it and screw down..

Handymans342

In my opinion there is no way any rub rail can leak unless your screws are all loose

Handymans342

In the RV industry, they pressurize the vehicle with a fan and spray soap over all the seams to see where the leaks are. Just a thought

Handymans342

See how the upper hull drops down over the lower hull? Not very likely to leak

J3ff

So I probably made the window leak worse... lol. great. 

Handymans342

Get a fan and some plastic and pressurize that boat!!!

skennelly

Please please please let that not be the case for both of us @J3ff

skennelly

My wife thinks our window leak was due to the gasket around the window that seals the part that opens to let air in.  Fingers crossed.

J3ff

skennelly said:

My wife thinks our window leak was due to the gasket around the window that seals the part that opens to let air in.  Fingers crossed.

I actually noticed that too... but at the same time when I removed the window, the ply wood was wet. There was absolutely a leak...now I may have not sealed it up any better than it was! I have to admit after f'ing around with the chalk and the black painted boat that I buffed to a mirrored finish I was very worried about all the various white things on the paint!! Luckily it turned out okay, but there were some horrific moments where I thought I had F'd up the entire side of the boat!!

  pics:


What is very interesting and I have no explanation for it is that since I re did this window there has been ZERO water in the mid ship bilge.  Where for the past few weeks when I came down to the boat there was at least a gallon of water in there.  

So now after re-sealing the window, there seems to be NO water in the midship bilge, but as of Monday the carpet was still wet.  I have been using "air dryers" (google it) to dry the carpets that are wet so that no mold shows up..and they've been doing good... it's just such a guessing game that it's hard to figure it out.. if the carpet is still wet after this Saturday (raining) I'm going to seal the cabin up and use a high speed fan and some soapy water as suggested to find where it's leaking.  This problem will be dealt with by Memorial day weekend. 

summerx

I remember hearing of folks sprinkling baby powder along the inside of the hull so that they could see where the leak was.  most would stay dry, but you could follow the trail of wet powder back to the source.  bonus is the baby fresh scent....lol.

rasbury

I keep a cover on my boat now so don't have that issue but before, it always kept up. I assume your boat is in the water? On my trailer all the way up the water stays to the back of the helm and the drain has always kept up unless I had leaves...also, while parked on the street the slope of the road favored the drain as well.  I suppose you could attaché a sump pump of sorts and hook up to that drain and make sure you pump it out quicker than it comes in? I would do something to stop that intrusion, that's for sure.

skennelly

Broke out the hose today and sprayed the window as if rain was falling...sure enough water coming in around the inside gasket.

Anyone know where I can get a new gasket?

J3ff

You mean the black gasket that you don't have to remove the window to get at?  How is it possible rain water is getting up in there??