Classic AquaSport
Aquasport Model Rebuilds, Mods, Updates and Refreshes => Express Fisherman/ Walkaround/ Explorer Rebuilds => Explorer Rebuilds => Topic started by: FisherDan on December 10, 2009, 08:26:57 AM
-
Hello Everyone - Just discovered this board, looks like a great resource. I am a rookie boat owner, and my first boat is a 93 Aquasport 250 Explorer, so I have a lot to learn.
I have a problem that I am asking for help on. I am getting water into the cabin after rainstorms, sometimes more on the order of 1-2 gallons after a big storm. This has been happening for a while so I have some mildew and other damage to deal with. I know at least some water is coming in from around the base of the windshield where a couple of the screws were missing (now fixed) and some of the neoprene-like seal over the screws is gone (I can see water stains on the carpet directly under those screws). This will be fixed more permanently this winter by lifting the windshield and resetting the screws and seal, as well as replacing a couple hatches with missing latches and a new rub rail. I have re-sealed the windows and other joints around the cabin. But I am still getting the same amount of water in the cabin, so I don't think these are the primary sources.
Most of the water seems to be coming in through the anchor locker, because when I take the cushions out I can see water stains in the forward section of the cabin that are clearly coming from the wall to the locker, and can find a lot of moisture there after a storm. I look inside the locker box and pull all the rope out, but I do not see any sort of drain into the bilge or out of the boat from inside the locker.
So, where is water that gets into the anchor locker supposed to go, and any suggestions on how to fix this? I understand there may be a forward bilge pump and I seem to have a discharge port on the starboard side forward of the cabin, but I do not see any hatch or other access for a bilge or pump (and no drain from the anchor box, anyway). When I toggle the bilge switch (which is the double, on-off-on type) only the bilge pump in the transom works.
Thanks for any help!
FisherDan
Wall, NJ
-
Welcome aboard FD.
Click on the link and read the last post. Then move to the next page. The boat mentioned is older than yours but the pump situation may be the same.
http://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=4404.0
RickK has the 230 model of your boat and I have the 210.
Water enters my cabin through the mounting points on the bow rail. Like any "roof leak" they can travel a fair distance from the point of penetration.
Water that enters the forward bilge is conveyed to the rear bilge via a 2" pvc pipe into the tank coffin. There it travels under a raised section of floor (that the tank sits on) to another 2" pipe that exits into the rear bilge. I'm not sure that a drain pipe exists on the forward bulkhead. I'll check mine tonight but logic would dictate that it would so as to allow water from the anchor rode an exit. <!-- s:scratch: -->:scratch:<!-- s:scratch: -->
RickK will pipe up on the forward bilge pump. On mine, I have an inspection plate on the bottom floor of the cabin that allows access to the pump. The pump transfers water through a thru-hull fitting on the starboard side.
Post some pics of the cabin area and the whole boat too.
Good luck.
Edit: (http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/r-berlin/97stringergrid0001.jpg)
This is a pretty good representation of the way my stringer system looks. I'd bet yours is close. The forward center bulkhead is the one in question. It's hard to tell if there is a pipe drain on that section though the other two that I mentioned are seen in this pic.
-
Welcome aboard FisherDan :!: :!:
I think you probably have the rare model of the 250 - they were only made for 2 years (93-94) - GREAT boat, lots of room, sharp prow and no strakes. TOTALLY different from the explorers prior or after. With twins and a bracket, it should fly too (well almost :wink: ).
http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2778/sort/1/cat/547/page/1
My buddy Dave has one ( Dave's does 52mph with twin 200s)
(http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery/data/534/682ndGetTogether03.JPG)
and I remember him telling me he had to drill into (or more likely "out" of) the anchor locker and make a drain out the side and cover it with a rear facing stainless cap.
When I first got my 230 I noticed the anchor locker didn't drain anywhere too :scratch: - I drilled a hole in the bottom of the locker so it drained into the bilge. Had I know what Dave did on his I probably would have went that way - out the side.
Is there no cover on the locker up top to divert the rain? How's it getting in? On my 230 I have a covered hawse that the rode goes in - hard for water to get into it unless it comes in with the line. I usually leave the line on the deck, wash it off and let it dry before I stuff it back into the locker.
Show us some pix :salut:
-
Hi Rick and Bob - Thanks for the response, certainly good info.
Here is a picture. The T-top was installed after-market in the late 1990's. She has fairly new (350 hours) twin Yamaha HPDI 200's and yes, she does pretty good although I can't say I have had her over 50 mph. With the waves up here, there are few occasions where I can get to 30 knots without getting beat to death. But I had her over 40 in a back bay, and she definitely has more in her.
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact037.jpg)
Some modifications were made over the years, including pulling out the sink/range and the head and replacing them with tackle storage cabinets. This boat has lived a good fishing life, and that is what I will continue to do with her (my wife refuses to go on the boat since it doesn't have a potty; no way am I putting one in!).
Here is a photo of the base of the windshield, right in the middle:
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact034.jpg)
You will see that some of the black neoprene stuff that fits in the groove over the screws is missing just like in this portion. In some places, screws that hold the windshield down were also missing. There is staining on the carpet inside the cabin under these screws, so I know that at least some water was getting in there. See this photo of one such water stain:
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact033.jpg)
But I struggle to believe that screw holes allow in the volume of water we get. The main source of water in the cabin seems to be coming in from the forward bulkhead, as you can see from the water stains in this picture:
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact032.jpg)
That rececessed area by the counter top also collects water. After a big rain on Wednesday morning, the carpet between it and the bulkhead was wet and there was new water in that recessed pit. But that is not the only place, because after a big rainstorm, I often get upwards of two gallons of water in the bottom of the cabin, well below the level of that pit.
The next photo shows the discharge port on the starboard side of the boat, near the forward part of the cabin. This is NOT the old port for the sink, which is on the port side right where the tank used to be and can be seen in the first photo (I can see this on the inside, it is capped inside the carbin and does not seem to be leaking).
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact036.jpg)
This last photo is inside the anchor locker. Yes I still have the hatch and it is attached, fits well and is not warped or damaged. And the hole for the rope to come out has a raised edge so that very little water could get in there. But there was water inside the box and obvious moisture problems, and there is no drain. I assume water gets in where around the lip of the hatch; there is no gasket or anything, it sits in a groove just like the fish boxes (except it is hinged), and water gets in the fish boxes pretty easily (I usually help the fish boxes drain out after I wash the boat upon returning; water gets in around the lip on the floor). You can see that the piece of wood in the bottom of the photo of the anchor locker is pretty rotten.
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact035.jpg)
So...I can not see any place that the port on the forward starboard side could be draining, and no evidence of a hatch or anything. Any ideas on the water? I will go around and seal the various bow rail screws, T-top screws, etc. The rub rail also is also loose and that will get addressed this winter. But I struggle to believe that loose or even a few missing screws can allow gallons of water in from one rain storm, and the only other thing I see is the anchor box.
Thanks again for all of your help!
FisherDan
-
Yup, the rare version of 250 :thumright:
How about that vent/hatch above the cabin/bed? The staining up front looks like it is right under the molded-in seat up front. Thats' a lot of water to be found and I doubt all of that could get into the anchor locker and then spill out into the cabin. I would definitely drill a drain or 2 in the locker so it drains outboard.
The drain on the starboard side looks too big to be the bilge exhaust. I think Dave has his toilet outlet in the same area - could it be from the head you removed?. The outlet I see on the port side looks to be the size of a bilge drain. Was that the side the sink was on? Is that the old sink drain?
-
Hi Rick
I thought the hatch over the cabin was a good suspect, so I re-sealed it during the summer. I didn't see any evidence that it was leaking, no water stains or obvious wetness inside around it. The rubber seal around the window is still soft and pliable. But the caulk around the frame on the outside was dry so I scraped it out and resealed it. After sealing it there was no difference in the amount of water. So that wasn't it.
Yes the water staining is also under the molded seat, maybe a little in front of it. The screws that originally held the cushion are still there but ripped out of the flap on the cushion itself; we have the cushion and just put it out when we want to use it. I suppose I should remove those screws and seal the holes. But there are no cracks in the fiberglass, and the screws are all in their holes, so again I don't see how very much water could get in there. I will certainly go take another very close look.
The discharge on the port side is located just inside the cabin door, and on the inside it is accessible behind some drawers. It is capped on the inside, and I do not see any evidence of leakage around it. I assume that was for the sink due to location and height. But the sink and the head were removed long ago, so I don't know for sure.
I suppose the discharge on the starboard side could have been for the head (also removed long before I bought the boat). But it is much farther forward. The area that used to be the head is accessible, a chest was built there and I use it to store tools. Inside it is open right down to the fiberglass. I don't see anywhere for a head to discharge to, but there is a wood panel that was added as part of the retrofit to build a storage chest there. I should take that off and take a look. However, this area gets water. It is lower in height than the bunks, and it is the primary route for the water to get to the cabin floor. It somehow seems to run into here before draining into the cabin. I suspect the water moves through the carpeting and that is the low point (water definitely moves directly through the carpet to get to that forward recessed pit).
Another potential route for water, that I re-sealed, was a joint between a fiberglass block on each side of the cockpit, where the throttle control is on the starboard side and where a small storage shelf is on the port side (you can see the hatch in the very first photo, under the captain's seat). I suspected at the time that this was the source of water, because the caulk on the joint on the outside, where you walk around up to the bow, was in bad shape and a moisture was getting into the small storage area under the throttle on the starboard side. That joint is right at the bottom of that walkway, and a lot of water runs past it on the outside. That was fixed by resealing that joint. That is no longer a source of water and that hatch is dry now.
Rick if you could ask your friend Dave about that forward starboard-side outlet, I sure would appreciate it.
-FisherDan
-
Dan,
Three things.
1. IMHO, the water in the anchor locker is coming through the hatch. Could you cut in a newer design hatch? Sure, but a drain hole would be less expensive.
2. Mildew creeps. We're covered up by it in Fla. The windshield looks like one of your suspects for sure but I would not rule out the mounts on the hardtop as well as the bow railing along with the cushion. In a heavy rain, water probably stands in the seat depression and finds its way through those screws. Water, and in large quantities can weep through tiny penetrations. I've seen it in roofs and I have had (due to the wet "winter" we are going through in Tally) plenty of opportunity to pinpoint leaks in my cabin. I think you would be surprised at just how much water can pass through a hole with a screw in it. The best way for a roofer to find a leak is to be inside the structure during the storm with a flashlight. I think you can see what I'm hinting at :idea:
3. Looking at the 250 catalog cut that Rick posted and the one I have for model year 95 of your boat, I notice two things. One, the head shown in both cuts is a portable and both cuts list overboard plumbing as an option. Two, on Rick's cut, the "features" are cut off at the bottom but are very similar to the ones shown in the 95 catalog. In that (95) catalog, it lists two(2) bilge pumps with mercury switch. Does that mean one switch or two, I don't know :scratch: I wish that we could see the remaining features on Rick's sheet since the two cuts are so similar. The thru-hull you show on the starboard side is where my forward bilge drains but... I don't have a sink so who knows? Since you said it was capped off (?) that would be the logical assumption that it was for the sink.
-
Bob and Rick - Thanks again for your thoughts.
Rick, could you copy and snail mail, or scan and e-mail, a complete copy of that cut sheet? My e-mail is danbryant@optonline.net; if you want to snail mail, send me an e-mail and I will respond with my address.
I will be installing a drain in the anchor box, and I am going to go around and seal every screw, screw hole, and post joint.
Thanks again
-Dan
-
One more thing, I do have a double switch for the bilge pump(s). When switched up, the bilge pump in the transom runs. Middle is off. When switched down, nothing happens. I am also going to take a look under the panel and see if there is wiring for a forward bilge. I guess I should have done that first :oops: .
-Dan
-
Dan,
Is there a float switch that you can access in the rear bilge?
If so, place the switch in the "do nothing position" (auto) and see if the float switch activates the rear pump.
Also,
In the 95 catalog, the sink is on the port side of the cabin. That would explain the thu-hull there.
-
Bob - Yes there is an accessible float switch in the rear bilge in the transom, and it works fine on auto (without needing me to flip any switch). But maybe I am not following your question...is there something else I should test? The bilge switch will also operate the rear pump, but nothing happens when I flip the double rocker to the other side. Remember...I am a rookie boat owner so there is a lot that is new to me.
Thanks
-Dan
-
OK then,
The float is wired to the battery.
Let's try something different.
Do you have any storage access through the bunks (under the cushions) on either side or up front?
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e19/rkins/cockpitminuscushions1.jpg)
There has to be some sort of access to the starboard thru-hull, though you may need to hire a contortionist to get at it.
-
Dan,
I've looked at your pics for a while now.
I'm thinking that the back side of your anchor hold is the front side of the forward section of your cabin. :scratch: (http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact035.jpg) (http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boatact032.jpg)
If this is true (and it's a big if)...then,
Since water is getting into the anchor hold, it could be very well migrating into your cabin. One sure way to confirm this would be to fill the anchor hold (simulated rain event) and go below and start feeling around. You may see the water moving into that storage area. :o
The anchor hold appears to have some type of fasteners (?) visible. If so, can you tell what they are attached to?
Filling the anchor hold would at least confirm or eliminate that as an access point. Next step would be to pour water on the bow seat area with the cushion removed and see if it works through the old snaps and into the cabin.
Lastly,and this is a stretch.
You stated that you re-sealed the starboard side panel where the throttle controls are located. You may(?) be able to remove this panel and look back towards the bow with a light and see if the starboard thru-hull is visible and if it is attached to anything or is capped.
Good Luck.
-
Bob - Yes that forward bulkhead wall seen in the cabin, is the aft wall of the anchor box. I am pretty sure that is a major source of water judging just from the water stains in the cabin. It was wet on Wednesday afternoon, after we had a big rain that morning. I will try to check it tomorrow by pouring some water into the anchor box. So I am pretty sure that a new drain is going into the box, and I am thinking about some type of liner.
There is a wood strip on the aft side bottom of the anchor box. Is that the fastener you are referring to? I have no idea what it is for or from. It has 3 bolts or screws holding it, that go down (not back towards the bulkhead). It is heavily rotted. I will take another look at it tomorrow. There is nothing else in the box except the bolts that come in from the bow that hold the ring you hook onto to pull the boat onto a trailer.
I will let you know how the water tests go. Hopefully we don't freeze...it is cold here in NJ! We will be putting the boat into winter storage on Sunday, so I will spend tomorrow trying to sort this out. It goes into a big warehouse for the winter, and I do not have access once it is in there.
-Dan
-
One more thing, Bob - No, there are no access hatches like you show to get into a forward bilge. There might be an access through a wood panel that forms the cabinet installed where the head was.
-Dan
-
Dan,
I think you'll find that is a large part of your cabin water.
Forget the control panel removal idea. There is a bulkhead that blocks the view (on mine anyway).
Do you have carpet on the bunks? Do the cushions set on top of the carpet or do you not have them in the cabin?
After crawling around in my cabin today, access to the starboard thru-hull is via a removable black cover over the starboard bunk (as pictured in an earlier post today).
That was Rick's cabin but mine is about the same.
Hummm? If I'm seeing carpet on the bunk ( :drunken: ) is it removable? Have you removed it and if not, might something be hiding under there :scratch:
-
The pic Bob showed are of my 230s cabin. Your's is much different.
I will see Dave tomorrow and will ask him about his thru-hulls.
I was hoping that you had access to the boat after it is put away. :cry: I would take a water hose to it and have someone inside to see what happens. But if it gets put away wet, that may not be a good thing. Filling the anchor locker without a way to evacuate the water will be a pain - maybe it won't take much water to show a leak?
As for the anchor locker I would think about a couple things: Instead of lining it, maybe re-gelcoating it and drilling a 1/4" hole in both aft corners out through the hull and putting the cap I mentioned earlier on them. They face aft so as you cruise or cut through waves the caps cover the hole. I'm not sure what the caps are called but I can find that out too. Like a vent or something.
Another thing - do you not have a "pie-plate" access to the bilge at the bottom of your steps into the cabin (in the lowest level floor)? I have a drain hole and an access plate there in mine.
-
Hi Guys
The inside of the cabin is pretty much fully carpeted, and the carpet is glued down. If you look at the picture showing the forward part of the cabin, you will see that the carpet is on the ceiling, walls, over the bunk area. Carpet is basically everywhere except the floor and the sides of the bunks that go down to the floor. I have blue cushions that then sit on top of the carpet, but took them out for those photos.
I do not seem to have any hatches through the bunks as shown in your photos. If they are there, then they are under the glued carpet. I knocked around and felt the surface to see if I could feel something through the carpet, but could not feel anything that I thought might be a hatch. I am not sure if the carpet is original or not, but I think it is original because it is worn, looks old and has a lot of water stains.
The floor of the cabin is solid. There is no pie plate or other access hatch. The only thing on the floor inside the cabin is the slot for the table post to go into. It is a round metal slot. I looked around that and it is screwed in, it does not seem to be meant to be removed.
I am going to test the anchor box with water tomorrow. I will just use a little at first, just enough to cover the bottom and then add slowly. I will take a big cup and some towels to bail the water out afterwards. The water won't matter for storage, because the boat will be stored indoors and does not get sealed in shrink wrap. It remains open and can dry, we even open the hatch to let the cabin ventilate. So it would be no different than what happens with rain, in fact it will finally have a chance to really dry out!
New gelcoat and drilled fittings inside the anchor box could definitely be the way. I figure if we do that, as well as fix the windshield, the rub rail, and fill/seal all other screw holes, then I just cannot fathom where else water could get in. But I am still very interested in that starboard side, forward discharge port.
Regarding those caps, are they sort of like clamshells? Or do they have a flap like a scupper? If you could get a picture or two of your buddy's boat, that would be great.
Thanks again
-Dan
-
Hi Guys
I poured about 1 gallon of water into the anchor locker to see what would happen.
First, I do in fact have a drain, on the port side corner, that I hadn't seen in the evening light the other day. It is very small, actually elevated a little above the very bottom, and drains out a small port near the port bow. The direction of the sun was such that it showed up well today:
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat036.jpg)
This is a photo of the discharge port, looking down from the bow
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat037.jpg)
Second, the water drains from the anchor locker into the cabin faster than it pours out the drain! In the time it took me to walk into the cabin after pouring in the water, the forward section of the carpet (right where the water stains are) was completely soaked. It was dry before the test. The water then also runs down along the starboard bunk, right where it edges up to the wall. This leads straight to where it seems to run over the bunk onto the floor and collect. So this seems to be the major part of my water issue. You can see the water coming in from this photo
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat032.jpg)
Third, I took the board off behind the control panel and looked at the wiring. There is a wire on the terminal strip that is labeled "Forward Bilge." Because there is wiring for it, and I have that mystery discharge port forward near the starboard bow, then I assume it is there. But I still cannot find any sort of access hatch. I felt all around on the carpet over the bunks, and cannot feel anything except where there are the round holes used to fill the foam in.
Here is a photo of where the head used to be, now it is a storage chest and we have a cushion that fits on top of it. There is no access hatch inside of there except one that was put in as part of the modification (you can see it up against the wall), that only accesses a different part of the chest and does not access a bilge
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat033.jpg)
This next photo is the chest of drawers that was put in where the sink used to be. The discharge port for the sink is behind there but capped and does not appear to be leaking, although you can see some dark staining behind the top shelf that I am pretty sure is from the missing windshield screws:
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat034.jpg)
So, it appears to me that my biggest issue is the anchor locker. Given the amount and rate of water coming into the cabin, I think what I am going to do is drill a second drain on the starboard side, a little lower than the original one. I am also going to re-seal the walls of this locker somehow. I think Rick suggested gelcoat...I am thinking maybe polyurethane because I can lay on good sealing coat? Any thoughts?
Thanks again for helping me work through this.
-Dan
-
But I still cannot find any sort of access hatch. I felt all around on the carpet over the bunks, and cannot feel anything except where there are the round holes used to fill the foam in.
Round holes? Do you feel a hole similar in size to the finger hole in the hatch cover in the pic below?
Here is a photo of where the head used to be, now it is a storage chest and we have a cushion that fits on top of it. There is no access hatch inside of there except one that was put in as part of the modification (you can see it up against the wall), that only accesses a different part of the chest and does not access a bilge
(http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz130/FisherDan_photos/boat033.jpg)
When you lift out that hatch cover shown in the back (the rectangular one with the finger hole) what do you see?
-Dan
-
I went over to my buddy Dave's house yesterday and talked with him about his thru-hulls and they are identical to yours. He has only one thru-hull on the starboard side and it is large (like yours) and is for the head. His is located in the same place as yours. The reason it is a little farther forward of where the head is, is because the discharge plumbing requires a special loop or hanging so that there is like a "trap" in the line. He also has one thru-hull on the port side for the sink.
Looks like you've solved you mystery leak. Dave also said to check the windshield screws, his leaked there too.
He said that he has no forward bilge pump but also has a switch for both. He has no pie-plate access in the sole in the cabin.
-
He said that he has no forward bilge pump but also has a switch for both. He has no pie-plate access in the sole in the cabin.
Maybe Aquasport originally felt that the "Deltaconic" hull's slope didn't require a forward pump unlike the other EX models. Interesting.
-
Hi Rick and Bob
Bob, the "round holes" that I feel under the carpet are perhaps 3 inches in diameter, and I can feel that they seem to be filled with foam. They are the same size as one that is under the drawers, that I can see is filled with foam. So they don't seem to be hatches.
Inside the hatch installed where the head was, there are wooden bulkheads on both sides. I suspect they were installed as part of the modification; and the bulkhead towards the bow is a prime target for me to remove and take a look. It has a couple screws holding it in place.
Rick - Thanks for talking with your friend, that insight helps a lot. I did a little research last night online about marine heads (remember - first boat for me, so a lot to learn!). It seems they usually have a through-hull discharge as well as a pump-out port and vent that come up on deck somewhere. It would make sense that they needed some space for the plumbing. I also saw drawings of the trap you mention. I have no idea where the pump out port or vent may have been, I looked all over the deck for some evidence of a repair if one was removed and could see nothing. Also good insight about the double rocker switch and wiring on your buddy's boat.
Well I definitely have my work cut out for me for the spring. But I love the boat, it is a great fishing platform so I am going to make the effort and get her in shape. Any of you guys make it up to the Jersey Shore area, make sure to look me up and we'll go fishing. She gets pulled out for the winter on Monday (a sad day, and I hope in Florida you don't have to deal with).
Thanks again! And let me know if you get any more bits of wisdom for me.
-Dan
-
Hi Dan,
Dave just called me and was looking at the topic here - he'd respond himself but he can't remember his login name and password (plus he can't type worth a hoot :wink: ) - check your PMs - I shot you his cell # - call him - it's easier than him typing.
Anyway, he said that the front of your cabin is a fake bulkhead made of wood. Pull that off and you'll see 1) it's rotten and 2) exactly where the leak is. The locker has multiple problems - the glass was laid up by hand and water can get between layers of glass at the bottom so you need to seal that up. The wood there is a temporary block that was used to attach the bulkhead or bottm of the locker or something like that and is not really needed anymore but needs to be sealed. He says to put drains on both sides of the locker and you need to change the type of vent cap they used because the type on there right now will let water in when you go thru waves. He said he 5200'd the heck out of his locker to seal it up.
He also said to pull your windshield and seal it up the right way.
He saw some other issues where leaks might be but it's easier for you to call him. You can talk to him about the head vents and stuff then.
-
Hello Again!
It is finally spring here and we just got the boat back in the water. Not much going on here with respect to fishing so it is a good time to fiddle with things. But before taking the boat out of the warehouse, while it was still nice and dry and stored indoors, we had a few things fixed as we discussed on the board last December:
Anchor box - Cut out the wood bulkhead out of the rear (the back wall that forms the forward bulkhead of the cabin), it was quite soft as I already knew. Replaced wood bulkhead and reglassed the entire box. Also put a few extra layers of glass on the bottom, to raise the bottom up to be very close to the drain hole. We opted not to install a new drain; we decided to try this fix now and see if it works before drilling more holes through the hull.
Windshield - Unscrewed the windshield and lifted it up, cleaned the surfaces, everything looked good there. Placed the windshield back and installed new screws, and then replaced the neoprene-like gasket that sits in the groove where the screws are.
Rub rail - Removed the rub rail, also cleaned up that surface, filled old screw holes, and reinstalled. Replaced the nylon rope insert (which had shrunk and popped out around the anchor pulpit) with a non-shrinking poly rope.
Result - We had a big rainstorm on Thursday night and Friday morning, just two days after putting her back in the water. With great trepidation, I went down to the boat late Thursday morning...and the cabin was completely bone dry! :D :cheers: :sunny:
Now I am ready! Even caught a couple fish on Saturday: winter flounders. Small and boring but it is all we have around here this time of year and it was a great excuse to get out on the water.
-
A bunch of little things can make a big change. :thumright:
-
Sounds like your efforts paid off - congrats :thumright: