Leaks

Tips and posts general maintenance.
gsbpel
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Leaks

Post by gsbpel »

I have hull # 369 and I have sevaral leaks. First leak was discovered in the main cabin between the hull and the cabin floor. Water was deep enough to wet the cabin floor carpets that I had installed. The second leak is in the aft port air chamber under the cockpit. Third leak is in the head starboard side stoage area. The carpet laying in the bottom of the shelf was saturated while the overhead area was dry. Both amas had water; 220 oz starboard and 160 oz port side.

Any one else have leak issues ?

I also have gross gel coat CRACKING and crazing and blistering. I am embarrassed to be seen on the water due to the appearence.
andrewm
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Leaks

Post by andrewm »

There is a discussion of leaks in the buoyancy tank under a thread in 'mechanical systems' and another one on blistering. From these few reports we are hearing of problems in hulls 365, 368, and 369 - I wonder if there's a trend here?
I get water in both amas and this seems to be a commonly reported finding. When I asked Will about it he indicated it was normal. I've since heard from Tony that the seals around the large inspection hatch needs to be replaced periodically, but I've not gotten to that project yet. I can also report that at least 2 Corsair owners do not get water in the amas.
Are your leaks coming from below the water line, or from rain and spray? When you say "air chamber under the cockpit" do you mean the open storage area or below the floor, in the buoyancy tank, and have you managed to fix it? I cannot find the source of mine.
Andrewm
drsm
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Leaks

Post by drsm »

Third leak is in the head starboard side stoage area. The carpet laying in the bottom of the shelf was saturated while the overhead area was dry.
We had this problem, but discovered it was water coming in from around the forward hatch. The aft hatch leaked also, pooling water on the table which spilled to the cabin sole. We removed a screw from each hatch on the inside trim to drain the accumulated water, then sealed the gaps (some rather large) in the caulking around the hatches on the cabin top. That seems to have done the trick (although rain has been light since then).

We get some water in the starboard ama, but the port one is dry.

We also get water below the floor in the head, which shows up coming through the shower drain. This only happens while sailing. I haven't figured that one out yet.

Steve
gsbpel
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Leaks

Post by gsbpel »

Thanks for the feed back. We discovered the source of the leak in the head. I first used a garden hose to wet down the top starboard side and couldn't find anything inside. I then sprayed the hinge bar that bolts the forward hinge to the hull with the nuts on the inside bottom of the shelf and my wife said the water was gushing in around the two outboard nuts. I removed the nuts and bolts and rotated the hinge bar forward and found the caulking / sealer was not completely coating the area. I called Will to find out what caulk / sealer to use. He said he would call back Monday with the info. It appears as though the assembly job just wasn't finished and the Quality Control check for this job was not performed or does not exist.

Just a note here: I fabed a wooden box with contours to support the ama.

I haven't looked for the bouancy tank leaks yet.

The cabin hatches are not leaking.

The carpet under the cockpit area is damp (not wet ) also. We have had a lot of rain and I cannot rule out cabin door seapage or that we brought the moisture in as we came in and out of the cabin.

I suspect the water in the amas is somewhat normal due to the heating and cooling and the moisture in the air then condensing much like water in a gas tank accumulates. I will be using o-ring lube on the threads and seals
of the amas and see if that helps.

Once again thanks for the reply
Ron
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Leaks

Post by Ron »

I've got a slight leak in the port ama. Never had enough water in there to make me want to fix it (a small towel tossed in there will soak it up - figure maybe 1 to 2 cups of water), but I will do it now. Pretty sure it's coming through the rubber gasket on the large inspection hatch. I've got to track down a supply of the gaskets. Next time I go to the boat I'll get the name, model number, and dimensions of the cover.
Ron Marcuse
Telstar 28 #359 "Tri-Power"
Mark
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Leaks

Post by Mark »

Ama hatches - different types have been used, mine have always leaked badly even after replacement by PCI. Will assures me that they have no problem with the current model they use - perhaps I'll swap them out.

I had the same problem with the nut on the hinge. I resealed and the leak has not come back. And the front hatch...

Leaks aft can come from poorly caulked joints that attach to the Ama support - caulk fixed this too (only leaked at speed with engine box causing back splash, the side carpet became wet).

The aft buoyancy tanks on mine leak slightly - damp rather than really wet

If leaks persist, check under the rubber on the outside of the main hull (especially forward)- to ensure that the hull-deck joint has no gaps.

All are easily fixable, once found. I presume that these problems are of the past and that PCI as put the correct controls in place with current boats.

Mark
rorr1203
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Leaks

Post by rorr1203 »

If you find the carpeting under the cockpit area damp or wet I have a likely suspect for you to check that will hopefully save you time.

A couple of weeks ago I found the carpeting and headliner under the cockpit were damp to soaked. It took a couple of hours of running water on different parts of the cabin roof and cockpit and pulling the headliner and other parts off to finally find the leak.

I found the trim around the door that holds the head / wall liner was not completely sealed and was wicking water into the cabin under the cockpit. Rain water runs along the slide rails on the cabin roof for door hatch and then runs down a channel between the door frame and the trim around the door.

After taking a couple of days to get everything dried out, I removed the door frame so I could get a good working angle and resealed the door trim .

I am happy to report that after a miserable rainy weekend the cabin is dry - the leak is no more!
seicam
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Leaks

Post by seicam »

Another type of leak I just found on my boat - not sure yet what to do with it, I'd appreciate any advice.

While working on the boat last weekend, with boat on the trailer and the amas folded, I somehow moved the port-side ama deck up. By that I mean the narrow deck that drops vertically alongside the main hull when amas are folder or extends horizontally when amas are extended. While moving it, I noticed there is water inside it. I have no idea how it got there, nor how to remove it. From the sound it seems that there is some good quantity of water there. It might be a problem when it starts freezing.

Regards,
Maciek
Ron
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Leaks

Post by Ron »

Maciek -

I don't think these link shelves are supposed to lift up by themselves - the linkage controls their movement. That could be part of the problem - if one of the link brackets broke away and left an exposed hole - water could get in there maybe. I suppose you could use some sort of small self closing scubber type drain to empty the box(es) - installed at the lowest point. Give Tony a call first. Note the new phone number posted on one of the other threads.

Also - check to see if both link shelves have this linkage. They could have forgetten to put one of them on. You can see it while on the trailer.
Ron Marcuse
Telstar 28 #359 "Tri-Power"
Mark
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Leaks

Post by Mark »

I have had minor leaks in the rear main hull buoyancy tanks in the past (a few teaspoonfuls in each) and generally ignored them. However, late in the season, with the boat in the water for a couple of weeks, both tanks became full and started leaking out of the inspection hatches and into the main cabin. Quite a dangerous situation. I haven't had time to find the cause yet but I would urge anyone who has even slightly wet tanks to fix the leaks before leaving the boat unattended in the water.

Mark
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