Leaks

[lil toot]

I HAVE been chasing leaks on my 30ft. sundowner, it appears to be coming in around the handrails, have clauked around them dozen of times but just keeps leaking. I now have black stains on the teak from water damage, any ideas where the leaks are coming from.

 

[Comodave]

If the leaks are indeed coming from the handrails, you need to remove them and start from fresh. Caulking around the base won’t work. Go to Compass Marine website. For hand rails I would use buytl tape to bed them. There is a very in depth article on CM website on exactly how to do it. BTW, welcome aboard.

 

[ben2go]

I've moved to Sikaflex 291 for bedding hardware and rails. The screws or bolts may be where the water is getting in. I would strip them off, clean everything very well, and start over.


https://usa.sika.com/industry/en/in...ts_Yachts/01a401/01a401sa02/01a401sa0206.html


https://www.amazon.com/Sikaflex-291...ff1fd2e0bdb1724cce5614251c4ac2&language=en_US

 

[Comodave]

The problem in bedding rails is that people hang onto them and they rock back and forth ever so slightly. Regular caulking does not stretch with the movement of the stanchion base so the seal is compromised. Butyl tape does stretch, up to 400% I believe is quoted, so it’s seal is not compromised with the stanchion bases movement. Also it is best practice to countersink the bolt holes so an O ring of sealant is formed by the bedding compound around the bolt or screw. I keep a countersink in my drill bit box so whenever I drill a hole that needs bedding I can countersink the hole.

 

[Comodave]

I've moved to Sikaflex 291 for bedding hardware and rails. The screws or bolts may be where the water is getting in. I would strip them off, clean everything very well, and start over.


https://usa.sika.com/industry/en/in...ts_Yachts/01a401/01a401sa02/01a401sa0206.html


https://www.amazon.com/Sikaflex-291...ff1fd2e0bdb1724cce5614251c4ac2&language=en_US

I do like Sika 291 for bedding most things that are screwed in but not rails that should be through bolted.

 

[lil toot]

leaks

Thanks to all that replied, winter is closing in fast, i'm afraid i'm going to have to tarp it this winter, then repair. The teak damage is going to be challenge. Ideas??

 

[ben2go]

Thanks to all that replied, winter is closing in fast, i'm afraid i'm going to have to tarp it this winter, then repair. The teak damage is going to be challenge. Ideas??

Replace if you're going for a bright finish. Cpes in soft areas. If there's rot and it's not to bad, it can be chiseled out and filled with thickened epoxy. Of course, any filling would have to be primed and painted.

 

[kwmeyer13]

Going second the butyl tape suggestion as well as visiting https://marinehowto.com compass marine.
Watch the videos and read the articles on bedding deck hardware. There are also many many more excellent topics. Good luck with the repairs.

 

[Comodave]

Thanks to all that replied, winter is closing in fast, i'm afraid i'm going to have to tarp it this winter, then repair. The teak damage is going to be challenge. Ideas??

Tarp it and then keep working under the tarp... Have a good off season.