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Forward berth leak

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:05 pm
by legendlc
I have a 1979 37 double cabin and there is a leak somewhere on the top deck above the forward V berth. I have siliconed around the hatch and tried various things around the drain in the corners of the forward bench where it drains to the side decks. I can't seem to find the problem and wanted to see if anyone had any advice before I tore the headliner off. This is a restoration and there are several cracks etc in the paint. I have tried to trace it down but so far no luck. It seems to be very wet between the hatch and the small port window facing the galley and on the starboard side but that may be due to the curvature of the boat.

Re: Forward berth leak

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:24 pm
by Busia
Don't confuse condensation with a leak. You can run a garden hose over the deck and look for leaks, but the windows are more of a problem leaking. Condensation will make everything wet inside and then the water will run downhill following the shape of the hull and how the boat is sitting. A dehumidifier might be all you need, or there may be nothing you can do about it. I would love to keep my boat inside heated storage but that is $100 per day. So the Queen sits outside. Good luck!

Re: Forward berth leak

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:21 pm
by jralbert
It could also be coming from deck hardware attachment points. That was the cause of a leak for me once. So I removed every screw holding hardware down on the bow (especially hand rails) and squirted some silicone in. I loosely fastened the screws til the silicone set, then tightened them down.

For gasket seals I used a product years ago - don't know if it's still on the market -- called Capt Tolley's (leak seal). It was available at West Marine. It's a think liquid applied from a spout on the end of the bottle. Because it's thin, it gets down into the gasket before hardening. For me, it worked.

Re: Forward berth leak

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 12:41 pm
by legendlc
I'll check the through hulls. I have caulked the hatch and the shore power plugs, small port in berth, etc. After rain the headliner is soaked pretty bad. I feel like it's coming in through hatch and running to the starboard side. I found the captain Tolly crack creeper(new name) on Amazon. I'll give that a shot also.