Rain water getting into the cabin

[gatosolo]

Hi,
I have a 1978 Columbia 8.7. I just found this weekend that rain is getting in on the port side of the cabin. The port cushion was wet as was the ceiling below the portholes. There was some water damage on the sole. (It had been raining for a week.
I was wondering if this is something that other Columbia 8.7 owners have experienced. I am planning to take down the teak paneling to look at the porthole seams. Any other thoughts?
Thanks,
Victor

[QuickMick]

butyl tape (found at rv stores) was suggested to me here for short term fix until im ready to rebed. i used it on the outside of a couple of minor leaks in ports and been bone dry ever since. looks to be much eaiser for removal than silicon alternatives.... while its not a perm. fix, it is holding up well in the interm.

Quinn

[gatosolo]

Thanks!

[Vasco]

The hardest part will be determining where the water is coming in. Once you find that out, and it might take a bit of time, fixing it should be relatively easy. It might be the ports, it might be hardware attachment points on the coach roof, toe rails or a myriad of other things.

[tommays]

I dont know if it works BUT it was said IF you can seal up the boat and blow into it with a shop-vac and then use some soapy water the leaks should bubble ?

[QuickMick]

oh, before i started tearing into stuff for examination, i just spent the day on the boat when it was due to rain. while i know water can run a long way from a leak before becoming visible, in my case this greatly expidited the location of the water. heck, you could probably do the same thing with a couple buckets of water....

Q

[GaryHLucas]

I plan on using a blower to find leaks in my deck. However I'm going to use an electric leaf blower as it produces a lot more air at a lower pressure.

Gary H. Lucas

[Bene505]

Originally Posted by GaryHLucas

I plan on using a blower to find leaks in my deck. However I'm going to use an electric leaf blower as it produces a lot more air at a lower pressure.

Gary H. Lucas

If you have a removable speed or depth transducer, you could take it out and use the hole as the opening for the leaf blower. That way, you can latch everything else down tight. Stuff some wet t-shirts around your hatch boards as you slide them in, to help seal that better.

At least, that's what I'm planning, since I have a couple driping spots to take care of.

Regards,
Brad

[tager]

If you have ever read tortilla flat, you may know the solution. "It's okay I didn't like that part of the boat anyway."

[gatosolo]

I found the leak! I took off the wood panel (which only required to be unscrewed). The water stain was obvious at the aft port portlight. I took it apart and recaulked it.
Thanks for the suggestions.