Bulkead leak
- Thread starter homerjack
- Start date
In my case, (although mine never leaked) the paint over the caulking used on that joint wasn't very well bonded and water could get under it. I would think if you removed all the paint you could see where the intrusion is. Maybe jack up your trailer pretty high and put some water on the inside against the bulkhead and see where it leaks out.
I can't speak directly to an '88, but I would think it might be similar to my '02, in that we don't have the "false" flat sole that is caulked in as the later boats do. Instead, at least on my boat, the cabin/cockpit bulkhead is fiberglass tabbed to the top of the cockpit "floor" which is also the upper skin of the actual hull. So no caulking is involved on mine.
If mine developed a leak there, therefore, what I would do to fix it on my boat would be to clean the area, sand/grind down to bare fiberglass, and then repair with biaxial fiberglass tape and epoxy resin. I would likely use the plain biax tape that does not have mat attached to it to reduce bulk, but as always, would have to decide for sure based on "being in there" and seeing it. I would not use any caulking at all.
Your boat may not be the same, but it seems it might be. If I come up with a photo of mine in that area, I'll come back and post it so we can compare/contrast.
Okay, here are a couple of photos. On my boat there is/was an installed drain right in the center/low point beneath the center of the cabin door. This simply connects the cabin to the cockpit when a plug is removed. The original one was a bit ugly and the fasteners were not the greatest, so I removed it and installed a new one. These photos were taken when it was out. So the "seam" you see just below the hole is the junction of the cabin/cockpit vertical bulkhead and the "sole" of the boat (which is the top skin of the actual hull).
The first photo is the cockpit side of it. The white stuff that looks a bit like caulk is a topically applied gelcoat to sort of hide the tabbing. The second photo is the cabin side. The bulkhead in this area was "hard" all the way through (i.e. all glass or gelcoat, no caulk or coring). Are yours similar? (You may not have that hole.)
If mine developed a leak there, therefore, what I would do to fix it on my boat would be to clean the area, sand/grind down to bare fiberglass, and then repair with biaxial fiberglass tape and epoxy resin. I would likely use the plain biax tape that does not have mat attached to it to reduce bulk, but as always, would have to decide for sure based on "being in there" and seeing it. I would not use any caulking at all.
Your boat may not be the same, but it seems it might be. If I come up with a photo of mine in that area, I'll come back and post it so we can compare/contrast.
Okay, here are a couple of photos. On my boat there is/was an installed drain right in the center/low point beneath the center of the cabin door. This simply connects the cabin to the cockpit when a plug is removed. The original one was a bit ugly and the fasteners were not the greatest, so I removed it and installed a new one. These photos were taken when it was out. So the "seam" you see just below the hole is the junction of the cabin/cockpit vertical bulkhead and the "sole" of the boat (which is the top skin of the actual hull).
The first photo is the cockpit side of it. The white stuff that looks a bit like caulk is a topically applied gelcoat to sort of hide the tabbing. The second photo is the cabin side. The bulkhead in this area was "hard" all the way through (i.e. all glass or gelcoat, no caulk or coring). Are yours similar? (You may not have that hole.)
capt. meares
New member
I have the same exact problem right now. I also suspect it is an issue related to the drain plug. Is there balsa that I should be worrying about water intrusion in this location?
There was no balsa in this area with mine. As I remember (not at boat right now), you can see the "bulge" where the "wall" balsa starts (further up/over), and this did not connect with the hull balsa.
I didn't like the way my original plug looked and was mounted (and I wasn't sure at the time what was in there, core-wise - thought it might be an entry to the hull balsa), so I removed it and noodled some options. One was just eliminating it, two was a better/different plug, and three was a new version of the same plug but better installation.
1) I decided I like having the drain there.
2) Every new/different plug I tried had issues (because of needing to be so close to sole). I do think maybe a shaped fiberglass opening with a "Thermos plug" like on the transom might work and be slightly more elegant, but decided not to go through with that.
3) Ultimately I bought a new one of the original plug and did a better job of mounting it (3M4000 adhesive caulk, plus 316 stainless through fasteners with acorn nuts on the inside of the cabin).
But anyway, the upshot is that - at least on my boat - there was nothing there but fiberglass, so no "secret problem" occurring with the old/meagerly caulked plug.
I didn't like the way my original plug looked and was mounted (and I wasn't sure at the time what was in there, core-wise - thought it might be an entry to the hull balsa), so I removed it and noodled some options. One was just eliminating it, two was a better/different plug, and three was a new version of the same plug but better installation.
1) I decided I like having the drain there.
2) Every new/different plug I tried had issues (because of needing to be so close to sole). I do think maybe a shaped fiberglass opening with a "Thermos plug" like on the transom might work and be slightly more elegant, but decided not to go through with that.
3) Ultimately I bought a new one of the original plug and did a better job of mounting it (3M4000 adhesive caulk, plus 316 stainless through fasteners with acorn nuts on the inside of the cabin).
But anyway, the upshot is that - at least on my boat - there was nothing there but fiberglass, so no "secret problem" occurring with the old/meagerly caulked plug.
capt. meares
New member
Good to hear there is no balsa there, i suspected there wasnt. The pictures above appear not to have balsa as well. I am cosidering removing this drain plug and sealing it completely, and move on.
capt. meares":2dl9yam0 said:
Where I wasn't sure (until I removed the plug) was on the lower side - whether it connected (or even was accidentally drilled through) to the hull core. But nope, just glass.
If you don't use the drain plug, I don't see any reason not to glass over it, in theory. After all, it's not like you couldn't re-establish the hole in five minutes with a hole saw if you changed your mind. In fact, with the floorboards in place it's a pain to get the plug in and out (if you have the floorboards). I thought about having it open to the inside, but there was some reason I didn't want to (but I can't remember what it was now).
I wasn't yet sure whether or not I would want/need the plug (at the time) so I elected to put it back, but with a new physical plug, better sealant, and through fasteners (since there can be only the two - the "pointy fasteners" didn't hold as well).
capt. meares
New member
All good points sun beam. You've convinced me. This drain plug is the one and only area on the entire boat that has water or moisture collecting against the outside of it nearly 365 days a year. So why have something so vulnerable to leak, in this one area, if you never will even need it? I am glassing it over next week.