Leaking Windows

[Mowjo]

Not what you think but something to check if yours leak, when I bought my Seamaster 813 it had some nasty leaks around the front sloping windows, so the answer I thought was take them all out and re-bed the windows on the whole boat, no more leaks in the sides but I couldn't work out where the water was coming from on the front windows, over the winter I've been checking them every few weeks, and could only put it down to condensation which is pretty bad, at times you could see the water dripping off the corners of the windows, so I've been scratching my head for a cure, today I went to the boat and to my supprise no condensation and everything fairly dry, then it started to spit with rain and the windows started to leak again, as I'd re-bedded them and sealed the indide of the frames with mastic I knew it couldn't be the frames leaking, by this time it was pouring down and I had a steady stream of water, out onto the front of the boat to have a recheck and I noticed a hairline crack in the putty that the glass is bedded into the frame with, I'm thinking that the amount of water coming in couldn't be from such a small crack, having no putty I stuck a small bit of mastic tape over the crack, and to my supprise no more leak, so if your windows leak it may be worth checking the putty/mastic that holds the glass in the frame, it's taken me three months to find this tiny crack, very tiny but I've been pumping out at least a gallon of water every few weeks, at last I have a dry boat,

Regards Frank,,,,

[Guest chriscraft]

A dry boat is like going to a pub and having an orange juice!lol

[Antares_9]

For leaks like that "Captain Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure" works really well as it penatrates all the way into the crack. oh er Matron.

[Mowjo]

I normaly use the Burgess crack seal I've had better results with it, the plan now is to rake out as much of the putty as I can and re-seal them using mastic, I think I may have disturbed the frames when I took them out to re-bed them, I'm just totally amazed how much water came throught that little crack, as for a dry boat!! Chriscraft, well I'm tea total anyway so I'd probably drink orange juice in the pub, I don't mind a bit of water in my bilge, somewhere to keep my pet Goldfish, trouble is the leak is right over my bunk, I did try and get the Wife to swap bunks, the only problem is she's smarter than she looks and knew I was up to something,

[jimbo]

For leaks like that "Captain Tolly's Creeping Crack Cure" works really well as it penatrates all the way into the crack. oh er Matron.

And back out of the crack down the frame channel, down the side of the cabin side and all over the deck (Bloody Stuff)

[Antares_9]

You're supposed to do it gently Jim, not like a bull at a gate.

On a serious not though, I do think some cruiser window frames are almost bound to get distorted, where the window to GRP ratio is so high that walking or sitting on the coach roof over time can flex and make them leak a bit.

[Mowjo]

Ah! the curse of the Seamaster 23, a friend of mine paid a small fortune to have all his windows out re-built and re-bedded, because the windows support the whole cabin roof they had to remove the roof lining in the cabin, support the roof then refit everything, I know his bill was well over £1500 and thats going back a few years, they made a lovely job of it no leaks and the roof lining looked even better as they re-tensioned it, they used the boat from the start of the season and he told everyone who would listen, how much it cost and what a good job they did, Summer arrived first thing his wife did was sunbathe on the roof, next time it rained it leaked like a seive, he tried to blame the yard that did it, but unfortunatly for him someone in the yard saw his wife sunbathing on the roof and also pointed out the two little stickers on the cabin roof that said keep off the roof, end of story, money down the drain,,

Regards Frank,,,

[Happy Jax 3]

Just a little tip for tracing water leaks if you have one of them irritating hard to find leaks. spray a coating of talc around the area of the leak when it is dry, then when the leak starts it will leave a trace line in the talc that you can follow back to the leak.

[Mowjo]

Nah Col! I just sit in the boat when it's raining, because wherever I sit or lay it usualy drips on my head, never failed to find a leak yet, even if it does take months,,