Chasing the Water

[crazycarl]

It's been raining here for weeks but today is a hot, dry day so I raised the mast and opened the boat up.  What I found was a bilge full of water and the carpeting in the quarter berth areas damp.  I rebedded all the deck hardware with butyl rubber tape a couple years ago, and ground out and filled in the hull/deck joint with 5200 and then applied Gorilla Tape before installing a new rub rail. Now it looks like I'll be chasing water to find the new leak.  From what I've seen, I believe it's coming through the genoa tracks. 

Our daughter finished the new bimini top, I think she did a great job on it.  We're going to have her add some pockets on the underside for sunglasses, sunscreen, and what nots.  I hoping to install the Boom Kicker and maybe raise the mast a bit so it doesn't come in contact with the bimini.  In the meantime, she will also add some velcro to the top so we can have a sacrificial strip if the boom does rub on the bimini.

[brackish]

I used butyl rubber tape for the first time three years ago after taking off all my wood to do a complete refinish.  When I put it back all was well for about two years then I had a few very minor leaks.  I went around and did a quarter turn or so on all fasteners and they stopped.  Don't know if that is typical or maybe I did not set them properly to begin with.

[crazycarl]

Good to know, I'll go that route first.  Thnaks!