Porthole leaking

[steve brown]

I have found the source of the cabin leak on Nunki. The starboard porthole appears to be letting water in via the cabin liner. Has anyone had this problem and would care to reond to my dilema? Thank you. Steve

[skip1930]

So loosen up the 4" port's bolts, Tap it out, rubber hammer, may need a little heat. Hair dryer, paint stripping gun.

Clean it up, after scraping and scaring, smoothing the working side of the ring with a wire brush on a bench grinder works well.

Heat and clean the fiberglass.

Goop it up with your favorite space filler material, mine is 3-M 5200 slow set.

Squish the port back in and rebolt. Use the space filler on the bolts too.

Is this an XL Com-Pac modle with a fiberglass cabin liner?

Then not too much of the port will be sticking out from the outside of the cabin over the deck.

The job may then be harder to do. But it's the same job.

skip.

[steve brown]

Skip, I think you are describing a CP-19 porthole if I am not mistaken. My port hole on the Suncat is elliptical and has a SS rim held on by 6-8 screws. There is sealant under this trim piece which is the total barrier against water entry. I am caulking gaps around the perimeter of the trim to see if I can stop the leak. Thanks for your response. Steve

[skip1930]

Steve: " My port hole on the Suncat is elliptical and has a SS rim held on by 6-8 screws. There is sealant under this trim piece which is the total barrier against water entry. I am caulking gaps around the [ OUTSIDE ? ]  perimeter of the trim to see if I can stop the leak. Thanks for your response. Steve "

Most likely your port came out of a West Marine catalog from 2010 page 552. I'm guessing either Bomar--> 'Flagship Series Stainless Steel Elliptical Portlight' , they make the same port in plastic too. Or Lewmar--> 'Stainless Portlight'.

Lewmar has an outer frame....just like a CP-19, only elliptical. And my sealing advice stands as in above post. 7-11/16" x 17-13/16" x 1/16" $269.99

Bomar has an outer frame....just like the CP-19, only elliptical. May have an additional ring, that the port is fitted into. two sizes to pick from. $254.99 and $369.99.

What ever....since a leak cannot be fixed from the outside, by caulking, I pull everything out from the cabin bulkhead and follow my advise.
That's my best guess without being there.

skip.

[mainesailor]

I have found the source of the cabin leak on Nunki. The starboard porthole appears to be letting water in via the cabin liner. Has anyone had this problem and would care to reond to my dilema? Thank you. Steve

Had the same problem, both sides. I called Hutchins for advice. They said, "if you're handy", use a putty knife to pry up the stainless steel outer ring after removing the screws (talk about a harrowing, hand-cramping experience). Cut away loose sealant (more hand cramps), then re-seal and reinstall the outer ring. I used 3M 4200, in case I needed to revisit the issue. Took about a roll of paper towels to wipe up the squeeze-out (I used a lot). A thorough hose test proved success. It took about a week for all the black stains to disappear from my hands.

[steve brown]

In my quest to find the source of water entry on the starboard side of the cabin under the port, I concluded that the port itself leaked. To be sure, I caulked all the seams with Life-caulk. I even removed the screws from the trim ring and reset them in caulk. I wanted to be dead sure this was the leak source before removing and resetting the trim ring. It still leaked. After checking and adding more Life-Caulk it still leaked. Then I read the fine print on the tube and it stated that the caulk was not compatible with polycarbonate. I assumed that the port assembly was of this material so I removed all the Life-Caulk at the joint between the polycarbonate and the trim ring. I then ran a small bead of clear 3M Marine silicone sealant completely around the joint and the leak stopped. Nunki is in the lake now so the port removal will have to wait until next year. I also use a bit of Vaseline on the gaskets. Wishing you all Good Wind. Steve

[M3]

Hi!
    I took possession of my 2010 Sun Cat 3 weeks ago to find it leaked pretty badly. The source was both ports. A friend of mine took the outside plate off and re caulked around the port and re-bedded the covering and scres  and Whalla it's not leaking!! He also caulked around the mast as an extra precaution.
    Not sure of the type of caulk (he is in Europe now) but I am certain it wasn't 5200 or 4200. Good luck with the project.
Mary