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coldducks
Captain

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USA
342 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/08/2010 : 06:11:51

we just ordered a new pop top from Catalina. not that we planned to, the old one WAS just fine, or so we thought. Last fall when the boat was pulled and stored on jack stands, somehow, water got inside. i remember reading something from the water ballast owners about the boat had to be level on the trailer or water would get inside the boat. we mentioned this to the marina and they are usually very careful to make sure it is level. apparently it wasn't. we went to check the boat in November and there was water inside!! we mopped it out and dried everything. there didn't seem to be anything too wet. the pop top was inside the boat and seemed damp. we took it home and stored it in a dry place. our mistake was that we didn't open it up. well, we just opened it up and it was completely covered in black mold.... so, a new one was ordered. does anyone know where the water is coming from. the bilge is always dry. this boat never leaks. no matter how much rain we get in the season, we never get water inside. it seems like unless the boat is perfectly level on the jack stands this is an issue. any ideas?

COLDDUCKS
FANTASY #409 C250WK

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2010 : 06:43:27

Interesting question. When I opened Kaija (BTW, hull #410)this spring I found a couple of inches of water in the bilge without any evidence of its source. No water on the cabin sole. I pumped it out and dried the bilge and have not had any more water. I checked all the usual suspects, the stanchions, chainplates, mast step, deck mounted electric/antenna plugs, windows and found nothing. I thought it might be the forward hatch but the v-berth was dry. My boat is stored on its trailer a little "bow up".

Where is your cover stored on the boat? It might be the one place I haven't yet checked as a source.

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coldducks
Captain

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USA
342 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2010 : 08:57:21

our pop top cover was stored up front in the v berth. the cushions in the v berth were dry. we did have water under the teak and holly floor, but, only near the aft berth, probably because the boat was not level on the jack stands, yet no water in the bilge. the ceilings were dry with no evidence of water stains near front hatch, yet the top of the table was wet. when the bow was lowered to level on the jack stands, water poured out of the front drain hole. when the boat is in the water, we NEVER get water inside, and we have had this boat for 11 years. with all the weekend rain we had last summer here in new england, you would think that if there was a leak from above,and we spent every soggy weekend aboard, we would have seen it. i have to suspect that it has something to do with the fact that it was not level. once we noticed the water in the boat and had the marina lower the bow, it never got another drop of water in it all winter long.

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willyd103
1st Mate

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USA
49 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2010 : 10:47:06

Lanie:
I had a similar leak/weep with a wet table and what I thought was a dry V berth during winter storage. Stardust had a slight bow up angle while on the hard. I noticed during one of our many rainy days (I'm docked in Hingham) last summer, a slow weep from the forward hatch where the drops moved along the overhead and eventually ended up dropping onto the table. When I opened the forward hatch I noticed that the well area between the deck and the hatch was, as you would expect, full of water and that the foam seal seam was on the aft hatch edge. Sometime later I replaced the seal. I didn't see any table water this winter but the bow up angle was not quite as high. A fix?

Will Dawson
S/V Stardust
1996 C250 #215
hope to be floating this week!

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coldducks
Captain

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USA
342 Posts

Response Posted - 05/08/2010 : 13:18:07

Willy, that sounds like something i should check on. It would make sense that to get water on the table it would somehow have to come from above, since the bilge is always dry. I will check on the foam gasket tomorrow when in go to the boat. I am wondering if the slight tilt of the boat to stern allows the water to fill the track and somehow drip into the boat. thanks for the idea. We are in Boston Harbor, we use to be at Hewetts Cove, maybe we will see you out sailing. Thanks for the tip.

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2010 : 05:05:07

I cleaned the slot around the hatch this weekend and can confirm that it is a major potential source of leakage. There was water there in the slot, with all sorts of organic matter (moss, decayed leaves) that would indicate a sustained accumulation of water. As long as the gasket seals solidly, the slot will simply overflow as rainwater fills it up. But if your gasket seam is on the aft side and your bow is slightly raised, you would get a nice stream of water.

Another common source of water is the masthead light connector. When I was shopping (always on a rainy weekend this fall) virtually every C250 - including the one I bought - had water dripping in through the starboard spotlight. I rebedded the connector it the first weekend I owned the boat and it's been bone dry ever since. I'll have to rebed it again in the fall, since I used 4200 sealant but it was not the UV-protected grade.

I am not sure you should give up on your old poptop cover. My Trophy boat has a bimini made out of the same vinyl/canvas material. Twenty years ago I made a rookie mistake and left the bimini on the boat through the winter, leading to a bunch of black mildew. I sprayed it with a Clorox solution and it completely eradicated the mildew. I still use that boat/bimini to this day - though I store it in the basement in the off-season.

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ruachwrights
Captain

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USA
258 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2010 : 07:39:25

My pop top mildewed and it cleaned up very well with a mild bleach solution. You might be able to save some boat units.
Vern

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coldducks
Captain

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USA
342 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2010 : 14:41:35

thanks for the ideas. i do think that it must be the gasket in the forward hatch. as far as the pop top itself, i did start to clean it with bleach and the mold on the outside vinyl came off, the inside was completly covered as well. it was just too far gone. i ordered a new one and it should be here on thursday. since i have nothing to loose with the old one, maybe i will throw it into the tub with some bleach. it was really bad.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.