MYSTERY SOLVED: Finally Watertight Again!
Mystery Leak Found and Fixed!
Several readers were interested in the mystery leak we had on AQUAVIT that first appeared on our rough offshore passage from New Smyrna to St. Augustine.
The leak showed up in the 4-6 ft seas ploughing ahead at 15 knots, waves breaking over the bow. We noticed a steady stream of water over the cabin sole. Not much fosters more anxiety than water on the inside when one is a few miles offshore. We quickly determined it wasn’t enough to sink the boat, but still very concerning.
That was the beginning of our frustrating quest to track down this leak that wet the bedding.
During our cruise, we checked bilge, forward deck hatch, port lights, and hull. We considered sea conditions and rainfall as sources. We recalled a rotten vinyl covered headboard that had been replaced in Naples in July 2017 when we purchased “Mr. Goodbar”. Molly’s Marine had sealed port lights and replaced the headboard with a new plywood insert and mirror. The bulkhead behind the mirror was reported to be sound, though the vinyl covered plywood was disintegrating at the bottom where it met the bunk. Six months later it was rotten again, in the same place.
It was frustrating - sometimes we had water trickling down when it was rough, no water when it rained, water again when we moved in calm waters. Nothing seemed to have a consistent relationship to the leak.
In an effort to seal up the leak, we had a new Bomar hatch shipped to our marina in New Jersey and replaced it at the dock. We gooped up the port lights with extra sealant and tested with a garden hose, leading us to think the issue was fixed. But just before loading AQUAVIT on the transport, bound for Snead Island Boat Works in Bradenton, FL, the leak was back.
Several opinions were expressed on the cause - “the hull-to-deck joint” and "poorly set port lights”. Snead Island removed and rebedded the ports, doing a fantastic job. But, on our 150-mile cruise back to our home port, the leak was back. Damn!
Well, we have learned over the years that it really falls on us to resolve issues ourselves. So we tackled the job of removing the interior vinyl hull liner, side shelves, concealed lighting valences, and mirror to expose the bulkhead behind the mirror. When we removed the mirror and vinyl-covered plywood, we noticed rotten wood on the bulkhead.
Then it was time to use a garden hose and put water in strategic places to see what leaked. We tested port lights and hatches and the deck-to-hull joint. Nothing leaked. But when we took the ground tackle out of the anchor locker and filled it with water, we noticed a few drops leaking through the bulkhead in a rotten area. We cut out the rotten wood in the bulkhead and found a concealed pocket of water in a space under the anchor locker. It held six gallons of water that had accumulated from a small indiscernible crack in the anchor locker!
Rain and waves washing over the deck would run into the anchor locker and drip into the hidden compartment beneath the locker and behind the bulkhead through an indiscernible crack in the locker wall. When the water rose above the fiberglassed water-tight area to the area with uncoated plywood, it seeped through the bulkhead and ran behind the vinyl board backing the mirror. It leaked when rough seas and waves bounced the water in the hidden compartment up to the porous (and rotten) plywood of the bulkhead.
After finding the problem, the next step was fixing and putting our v-berth back to right. After re-fiberglassing the anchor locker, we applied penetrating epoxy to the soft areas of plywood and reinforced the bulkhead, and made a slot for a glove compartment bin. We reapplied vinyl over insulating foam to the interior hull, reinstalled the shelves and light valences, and reattached the mirror. We added new wood trim to cover compromised headliner and installed the removable glove compartment which will act as an inspection port so we can keep an eye on the concealed water trap under the anchor locker.
All in all, it’s back. We’ve learned our lesson to address issues ourselves (again) and are ready to tackle the next repair or improvement.
We look forward to resuming cruising. Our plans are to take Bay Breeze down to the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas in spring of 2019 and then transport AQUAVIT back to Lockwood’s Marina in Amboy NJ to resume our travels north. We hope we might make it up to Maine or Nova Scotia - or at least Martha’s Vineyard and Boston.
a note on Hurricane Michael ~
We were very lucky to have no damage other than a bit of coastal flooding from Hurricane Michael. Our boats were secured and floated up on a 9 to 11 ft. storm surge. Winds clocked at 58 mph before our weather station went off line.
Several neighbors did not fare as well including a boat similar to AQUAVIT breaking free and left high and dry. We are thankful we were lucky. The real devastation occurred to our west, in Port St. Joe, Mexico Beach and Panama City, and north into Bristol and Marianna in North Florida and towns in South Georgia. They have a difficult challenge ahead.
Several readers were interested in the mystery leak we had on AQUAVIT that first appeared on our rough offshore passage from New Smyrna to St. Augustine.
The leak showed up in the 4-6 ft seas ploughing ahead at 15 knots, waves breaking over the bow. We noticed a steady stream of water over the cabin sole. Not much fosters more anxiety than water on the inside when one is a few miles offshore. We quickly determined it wasn’t enough to sink the boat, but still very concerning.
That was the beginning of our frustrating quest to track down this leak that wet the bedding.
During our cruise, we checked bilge, forward deck hatch, port lights, and hull. We considered sea conditions and rainfall as sources. We recalled a rotten vinyl covered headboard that had been replaced in Naples in July 2017 when we purchased “Mr. Goodbar”. Molly’s Marine had sealed port lights and replaced the headboard with a new plywood insert and mirror. The bulkhead behind the mirror was reported to be sound, though the vinyl covered plywood was disintegrating at the bottom where it met the bunk. Six months later it was rotten again, in the same place.
It was frustrating - sometimes we had water trickling down when it was rough, no water when it rained, water again when we moved in calm waters. Nothing seemed to have a consistent relationship to the leak.
In an effort to seal up the leak, we had a new Bomar hatch shipped to our marina in New Jersey and replaced it at the dock. We gooped up the port lights with extra sealant and tested with a garden hose, leading us to think the issue was fixed. But just before loading AQUAVIT on the transport, bound for Snead Island Boat Works in Bradenton, FL, the leak was back.
Several opinions were expressed on the cause - “the hull-to-deck joint” and "poorly set port lights”. Snead Island removed and rebedded the ports, doing a fantastic job. But, on our 150-mile cruise back to our home port, the leak was back. Damn!
Well, we have learned over the years that it really falls on us to resolve issues ourselves. So we tackled the job of removing the interior vinyl hull liner, side shelves, concealed lighting valences, and mirror to expose the bulkhead behind the mirror. When we removed the mirror and vinyl-covered plywood, we noticed rotten wood on the bulkhead.
Then it was time to use a garden hose and put water in strategic places to see what leaked. We tested port lights and hatches and the deck-to-hull joint. Nothing leaked. But when we took the ground tackle out of the anchor locker and filled it with water, we noticed a few drops leaking through the bulkhead in a rotten area. We cut out the rotten wood in the bulkhead and found a concealed pocket of water in a space under the anchor locker. It held six gallons of water that had accumulated from a small indiscernible crack in the anchor locker!
Rain and waves washing over the deck would run into the anchor locker and drip into the hidden compartment beneath the locker and behind the bulkhead through an indiscernible crack in the locker wall. When the water rose above the fiberglassed water-tight area to the area with uncoated plywood, it seeped through the bulkhead and ran behind the vinyl board backing the mirror. It leaked when rough seas and waves bounced the water in the hidden compartment up to the porous (and rotten) plywood of the bulkhead.
After finding the problem, the next step was fixing and putting our v-berth back to right. After re-fiberglassing the anchor locker, we applied penetrating epoxy to the soft areas of plywood and reinforced the bulkhead, and made a slot for a glove compartment bin. We reapplied vinyl over insulating foam to the interior hull, reinstalled the shelves and light valences, and reattached the mirror. We added new wood trim to cover compromised headliner and installed the removable glove compartment which will act as an inspection port so we can keep an eye on the concealed water trap under the anchor locker. |
| Forward V-berth dry, ready for cushions. |
We look forward to resuming cruising. Our plans are to take Bay Breeze down to the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas in spring of 2019 and then transport AQUAVIT back to Lockwood’s Marina in Amboy NJ to resume our travels north. We hope we might make it up to Maine or Nova Scotia - or at least Martha’s Vineyard and Boston.
a note on Hurricane Michael ~
 |
| Dock floated up on pilings, now leaning a bit. |
We were very lucky to have no damage other than a bit of coastal flooding from Hurricane Michael. Our boats were secured and floated up on a 9 to 11 ft. storm surge. Winds clocked at 58 mph before our weather station went off line.
 |
| Boats secured ahead of Michael |
Several neighbors did not fare as well including a boat similar to AQUAVIT breaking free and left high and dry. We are thankful we were lucky. The real devastation occurred to our west, in Port St. Joe, Mexico Beach and Panama City, and north into Bristol and Marianna in North Florida and towns in South Georgia. They have a difficult challenge ahead.
Comments
Post a Comment