Leak at hull/deck or toerail

[dennisvetter]

I own a 1970 C&C 30' Redwing. On a recent cruise we had quite a bit of water in the V-berth after beating into some pretty good sized waves. I've been able, thus far, to isolate it to EITHER the hull/deck seam OR the bolts which hold the teak toerail on. My next step is to remove the toe rail, seal up the bolt holes, and try my high-pressure water test again. If it leaks, it's most likely the hull/deck seam (I can't imagine what else it would be). If it doesn't, it's (yipee) only the toerail bolts.
Two questions:
1) Is this the best way to isolate the point of infiltration?
2) If it's the hull/deck seam, I'm a bit leery of removing the rub rail. Does anyone have any knowledge of how this is fastened and if I'm going to be hosed myself (pun intended) if I pull a section of it away so I can seal the seam?

[alanl]

You might find some interesting articles on leak fixing at www.handymariner.com,au These do not deal specifically with your hull-to-deck join problem, but might help to get some ideas

Cheers

Alan, Sydney

[engcon]

Allan

Link is broken

[sailingdog]

Engcon-

He fatfingered it...has a comma instead of a dot. it is www.handymariner.com.au

[camaraderie]

One technique for finding leaks involves putting soapy water all over the suspect areas and pressurizing the cabin with an industrial type fan in the companionway. You will see bubble blowing where the problems are.
This may save you some unnecessary destruction of the rail or deck. Good luck!

[Sailormann]

The 35 predates C&C’s extensive production of cored hulls, and the hull is made of relatively thick, solid, hand-laid-up fiberglass. However, the deck is composite with a balsa core. The hull and deck are joined on a standard flange and bonded chemically and mechanically.

Leaks are a common ailment in most 35s, particularly at the hull-and-deck joint and around the portlights. Bedding compound that has lost resiliency primarily causes these leaks.

If you find that your leak is in fact the joint, then the flange is probably the easiest type to repair. Basically - you just need to pry it apart very, very carefully - take a piece of the goop that's in there and see if you can find it, or something similar, clean out the area and put more goop in.

If you love the boat, then you might want to consider tabbing the joint with glass and epoxy, all around from the inside of the boat. Lots of work but it will seal and hold.

There is probably someone who has dealt with this issue in one of the groups listed here:

http://www.cncphotoalbum.com/

[sailingdog]

This is an excellent way to do it... but you do have to thoroughly seal up all the vents and ports for it to work, and generally need to seal the companionway around the fan in some way. When I did this last, it was on a CD30 with a big industrial floor dryer squirrel cage fan, and the output vent was about 18" x 4" and we made up a foam-core drop board to use with it and duct-taped it in place. Duct tape sealed all the vents and ports too. I awa amazed at how many cabin to deck leaks we found.

Originally Posted by camaraderie

One technique for finding leaks involves putting soapy water all over the suspect areas and pressurizing the cabin with an industrial type fan in the companionway. You will see bubble blowing where the problems are.
This may save you some unnecessary destruction of the rail or deck. Good luck!

[SimonV]

You can use a yard blower on one of the vents after sealing the boat with duct tape.