leaking

[Paul Schabel]

Does anyone have any experience fixing a deck/hull joint leak without separating and rebedding?

[Craig]

Yep!  I had to fix just such leakage on my 16.  If you have a 16 I will tell you one (actually two) place(s) where the joint leaks - where the chainplates pass through the hull to deck joint.  The cut actually goes through the hull. As the bedding compound ages it dries and gets brittle. Since it no longer flexes it has seperated from the metal and allows water in.  Depending on the age you may also have dried sealant in the joint.

The fix is to remove the rub rail, which is not hard - getting it back on takes heating it up with hot water or laying it in the sun. Remove and rebed the chainplates. Remove the white duct tape and remove any dried sealant between the hull and deck. When you're done, clean with acetone and then recaulk with 3M 5200.  I used a marine caulk, not 5200 as a bedding compound for the chainplates.  You can also run a bead of caulk on the inside of the joint near the chainpltes. The white duct tape is optional, but I put it back on. So far so good.  No leaks since.

Craig