Check out these leaks...pics

Recommend white or clear?


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Once again, I just have to express my appreciation for this forum. Ive learned a ton and am loving getting dirty in the DIY world of boating.


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I have the same boat and had the same leak locations, I can tell you that the portlights are definitely the first place to start. They resolved most of my problems. Do them all and see what happens.
 
Thompsdw...how did you know it was the portlight? I was able to recreate the exact leak path with a hose today via the rub rail. But, perhaps I should also look at the portlights. The gaskets looked solid to me today, but I guess I'm not sure what red flags to look for?
 
Just wanted to bump this to the top again. Many have helped me solve the leak problem, so thank you. But, Im still interested in those who are calling Portlights as the culprit. Not leaking inside, but rather behind the walls and down to the floor. As I said, no visible evidence of window leaks. For those who have experienced this, how did you discover it was the portlights, and what did you do to fix. As I can see, my gaskets look solid and uncracked...but, I know how common this leak is in the DA's.
 
The leak on your carpet in front of the stairs is maybe an overflowing sump pump in a box under the garbage can under your stairs. It handles the water from your shower and air conditioner if equipped.


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Thanks for the tip. But this has been resolved. It was a small gap in the rub rail. Removed and Resealed and havent seen a drop of moisture since, with either hose flooding or extended rain.
 
This is one of my pet peeves as I have diagnosed and resolved several leaks associated with the top/bottom overlap hidden by the rub rail. First off, rub rails themselves do not leak. They are both a functional item (absorb impact, sometimes sacrificial, to protect the boat - ask me how I know) and a cosmetic item (hide the overlap between the top half of the boat and the bottom half of the boat). The top of the boat overlaps the bottom of the boat like a box top. The factory sealed the overlap with sealant. They also screwed the overlap to the bottom half all the way around the boat. Then they put a base rubrail over that cosmetically covering both the screws and the boxtops seam. This base rub rail is screwed into the boxtop overlap with about 2" long #10 screws every 6 inches or so. Sealant is applied to the screws as they are inserted to seal off the screw hole. As a result, there is really no need to caulk the top of the rub rail. If you are getting a leak it is because (1) the seal between the overlap has degraded (or had defects from the factory) and water is being damed up causing it to back up into the gap, or (2) the screws holding the rub rail in place are leaking. In my case it was (1). I removed the rub rail, cleaned out and resealed the boxtop overlap seal, and removed the dam (which was the fact that the butt end of the rub rail was all caulked up not allowing water to drain away).

Also, the stainless steel insert has 3/4" #8 screws and they screw into the base rub rail stopping short of the hull. So those screws can't cause any leaks.

It seems some think they should try to completely seal up the rubrail so no water can get in there at all. I think this is a mistake. Water is going to get into the hollow channel formed by the base rub rail. I think the better approach is to not seal it at all so water can run through it. And to make sure your boxtop overlap seal is sound and your rub rail screw holes are all sealed.

I can't speak for your specific condition as to why caulking the rub rail seems to have solved your problem. If you removed and re-inserted any screws then maybe those screws were the leak source.
 
I removed the whole thing resealed and rescrewed everything. If you just apply a seal to the top, it wont be a long-term fix, as I was told.


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Craigalan said:
I removed the whole thing resealed and rescrewed everything. If you just apply a seal to the top, it wont be a long-term fix, as I was told.


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Excellent. Good job finding the spot where it was leaking - that's the hardest part.
 
Do you have a shower in head? If so check shower sump pump under stairs. Shower drains into box that houses pump. When pump goes thisis where water spills out to.
 
Just had the same leak on the starboard side of v-birth. Was the portlight on that side. I'd tape them off and see if that's the culprit before the stanchions.
 
Craigalan said:
Once again, I just have to express my appreciation for this forum. Ive learned a ton and am loving getting dirty in the DIY world of boating.


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as well I
come here to just read and find fixed for potential problems,,,,, THANKS GUYS
 
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