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HULL-DECK JOINT The area
where the hull is joined to the
deck is also a potential leak point,
especially if the boat has been
damaged or hit. Check with a
hose, but you may have to look
behind built-in furniture or lockers.
The hull-deck joint can be tricky
to reseal, so eliminate all other
leak ideas beforehand! Leak
sources vary: some joins are
through-bolted, so resealing the
bolts may fix it. Others are joined
with a resin fillet which may have
detached and need grinding back
and replacing.
Tracing leaks
CHAIN PLATES Chain plates
are another common leak point.
This can be serious, especially
if they are bolted to a wooden
bulkhead which can become rotten
and lose much of its strength.
That’s why if you suspect a chain
plate leak it’s important to remove
and check them ASAP. Again, you
can test with a hose, but you can
carry out a good check by looking
for water ingress in the bulkhead’s
wood. Any sign of blackened
timber suggests a leak. Resealing
these with a new set of bolts and
some flexible, non-setting sealant
will keep the water out – see
Practical Projects, page 84, for
one way of sealing them.KEEL-STEPPED MASTS
If you have a keel-stepped
mast, it’s very common to find
water running down inside the
mast and ending up in the
bilge. New masts have a foam
‘collar’ inside the mast with
a drain hole at deck level,
allowing any water that enters
via cable or halyard holes to
run out. As they age, these can
break down and allow the water
to flow straight down the mast
into the bilge. They can be hard
to fix, so it’s worth checking all
other eventualities before
attempting to do anything.
As a first step, check that
the mast boot is tight and not
allowing water in. Then, check
the drain holes at deck level –
these can sometimes become
blocked. It’s also worth
checking that the mast track
isn’t letting water through –there should be something
blocking it at deck level.
If these don’t work, then the
plug inside the mast may be
leaking. There is little you can
do other than remove the mast
foot in the winter and explore
with a torch. A rigger may be
able to assist in making or
sourcing a new plug.HATCHES AND VENTS
Similarly, you may find that
hatches and vents are liable to
leaking. If it’s a deck hatch, check
the frame for warping – if warped,
the seal can sometimes become
ineffective. Also, check the seal
for splits and damage – you can
buy replacement seals for
Lewmar and other hatches if
this is the case. Test
with a hose – you
often find that
hinges and
handles leak
once the hatch
has reached a
certain age. These can
be relatively easily removed and
resealed. Vents are also potentially
leaky. ‘Tannoy’-style vents can be
rebuilt as the baffles and plastic
components get damaged by the
sun. They also need stripping
down – sometimes the fixing
holes can leak, or the plastic base
can crack, rendering the baffles
useless. Strip these by removing
the stainless ring, which should
show the condition of the internals.STEERING PEDESTAL
One often-overlooked area for
leaks on wheel-steered boats is
the steering pedestal. This is
subject to large loads, and as a
long lever it puts a lot of force on
the fixing bolts and layup, which
can lead to leaks into the boat.
Test with a hose, and get
someone to apply pressure to the
top of the pedestal to see if there
is any movement at the base.
Don’t forget the engine control
cables too, which can leak where
they pass through the deck.Rain can trickle down the mastCheck the mast boot is watertightstanchion base_cmykThis chainplate and bulkhead
have seen some water ingressDECK FITTINGS If you’ve
been sailing the boat hard
recently and there is a seawater
leak, it’s worth considering all
deck fittings as likely suspects.
Stanchion bases, for instance,
are subject to heavy loads
when people use them to fend
off with, and they can shift and
crack at the base: therefore,
checking with a hose for water
ingress is sensible. Likewise,
jib tracks and winch bases are
sometimes submerged on
the leeward rail and involve
numerous holes in the deck.
Toerails are another potential
source: some of these only
leak when sufficient force is
applied (ie heeling under sail),
and can be hard to locate.SailingScenes