cabin water damage

[Mike]

My  1985 compac 19/2 has some mild water migration onto the paneling next to port holes.  It has wr;inkled some of the wood surface.  I am in the process of rebedding topside handrails with 5200 but cannot determine if the water is coming from the porthole flange gaskets or other penetration.  Any thought based on similar problems.  Don t want to disassemble each port without investigation of all areas.  Could this be caused by old caulk on exterior of the ports...that has been discussed by some of you.

[MacGyver]

In my opinion it is probably from the ports. what you could do is clean the exterior really well, all around the ports, then caulk them with something like LIFE CAULK or DOW795 and then see if the leaks stop. If they do, you know where the leak was!

I know mine leaked for sure, slightly, and when redone, now sit really well. But the issue is the gap to the hull on the ports is pretty small and hard to seal properly. I tested a way recently after resealing them, and hope to be able to report a good fix if it indeed works...... a few more months and I will know for sure!

Mac

[Mike]

Thanks Mac...I will try the 795 and watch for your future comments.  I am ordering a handbook in the event that it is the port itself.  Want to be sure I have removal and reassembly right before dealing with the ports should they be the problem.

[Salty19]

Just a thought. 

3m 5200 is probably not what you want to use to bed the handrails. 

First, it's not a very good sealant..in fact it's a poor one because it's not flexible.
Second, it's a very strong adhesive.  So strong that it will pull the gelcoat away from the boat, or break off some the wood when you go to remove it. There is a product that will loosen it up, but why bother in the first place?

Eventually, it will need to come off again, and when that time comes, you'll not want to fight with the 5200.

Friends don't let friends use 5200 except for the hull to deck joint, IMO.

As for sealing, your boat is almost 30 years old.  Why not re-seal everything over the course of the season?  All the fittings are likely in need of it anyway.
Removing the ports is not that big of a deal, really. Now removing the swim ladder or engine mount...that's real work.

[captrank]

A neat trick to stop leaking portholes is to glue a oil lantern wick piece to the outside of the port on the bottom. extend the piece beyond the lip of the port on the outside. This stops the ports from leaking on my boat.

[Bob23]

Butyl tape is the best thing to use when rebedding anything, in my most humble New Jersey opinion. It'll stay pliable for years and you can get it in a whitish light grey color. I found it very sticky to use so I put the roll in the fridge next to the PBR before I use it. Works great.
Captrank:
   That sounds like a great idea. I've replaced the weather stripping in all 6 Perko ports on my 23 but I still have one pesky one who refuses to comply. I'll try the wick, although so little water comes in, it really isn't a problem.
Bob23

[Mike]

Glad I asked...already used the 5200 but wont make that mistake again.  Thank you all, very helpful...I saw the lamp wick trick in Burgess's book but was a little skeptical about gluing to outside of a port.  I assume that the Perko gaskets from compac give you all that you need to do the job.  Never measured the 19 to determine the size of the port opening.  A side note, sure would be nice if some the recommended products were not as spendy as the 5200, even more incentive.

[sawfish]

My 19-2 didn't leak around the ports(yet) but the teak plywood was discolored from whatever was used to bond the panels.Also had many tiny leaks from the handrails and hatch slides,too.
If the veneer is delaminating around the ports from water intrusion it's time to re-bed them.Definitely worth it for a nice dry cabin!

[Mike]

Mac, you mentioned a new method of sealing perko ports....have you perfected it yet?  I have received new gasket material from Hutchins (not the shape of the original perko product) and am now ready to remove the port and rebed and reseal.  Any new advice you have as to bedding materials and methods would be welcome.

[MacGyver]

Mike,

I used DOW 795. It has held up nicely, and do not recommend Life Caulk for that operation any longer. I think it is due to the bronze and fiberglass being so different, but that is purely a guess. What we did was one person was inside (my wife ) and she would place the port back in correctly (top at the top, etc.) and line the holes up. My ports always had a spot that was tighter than the rest of it, so I would have her move the port in the opposite direction to open that space, and I would shoot caulk into that area, then follow around the port as she moved it or allowed me to move it with my hand or by the force of the caulk gun going around it. When done, We bolted it down, snug.

This then allowed me to fill where needed, and then wipe with my finger, and then used a number of cloths and pure alcohol (Stove Fuel) to wipe around it to clean it off.
They worked great, and sealed fine for the rest of last year. Currently the boat is under and fully encased by a giant tarp. I cannot check to see how it worked out over the winter. So I wont know how well it held, but I do know they looked fine when I tarped her. I never had another leak.

I didnt caulk inside, this gives me the opportunity to see the leak if it does leak, as I would want to fix it and not have it rot stuff out before I could.

I hope this helps. If you need I could make a quick video explanation using my phone, and email it to display a better view of what I did when caulking that. just let me know.

Mac

[Mike]

I am glad that I came to the right place.  Good to know about your choice of caulks.  The response is so complete, I think I can move forward without a picture.  Thanks as usual Mac.