As we have quickly discovered, boats leak from all sorts of areas – and often, the water enters a spot nowhere near the apparent leak.
While preparing for a 850+ mile journey from Gibraltar to Malta we discovered a minor water flow coming out of one of our cupboards. At first we thought the water was making it’s way in through a deck fitting but later discovered it was running under our teak and in through a missing teak nail! During a rain storm we all had to take turns holding a towel up to the ceiling of the cupboard to limit water damage. Needless to say, the water was entering the boat much further away than we originally thought.
We’ve also had water leaking through side hatches and even up through the underside of the hull!
One leak that we were determined to fix quickly was our aft bedroom topside hatch. The leak was slow but during a rainstorm we’d have a small damp patch on our bed. At first, we assumed that the rubber seal was ineffective, however after an expert inspection we were told that the rubber holding the glass inside the upper casing was at fault.
Until our expert, Andy Willett from Stella Maris Yachting Services, pointed out the defect I didn’t even realise that the potential leak area even existed. Please watch the video below to see the start to finish steps on how to fix a topside hatch from leaking.
How to fix a topside hatch from leaking
Hopefully the video offered a solid example on how to fix a topside hatch. Apparently, silicon is usually a no-no on boats but for this particular job, it worked a treat. It has now been over a few months since I shot this video and I’m happy to confirm that everything has been dry ever since.
Andy also gave us a great tip concerning our side windows
One of them leaked during heavy rain and he suggested that we put a washer between the open/close lever and the window. By doing so the open/close lever created a tighter seal. My husband did this to a couple windows and we’ve had no leaks!
Finally, it’s very important to put Vaseline on the rubber area of all windows. The Vaseline keeps the rubber soft and less apt to cracking or drying out. Every couple months my hubby does this job. For more information on maintenance tips, read: My top 15 sailing maintenance tips, tricks and little known secrets from 2014
WOWZERS!!! You guys (and friends!) should shoot a video and get it published, with all your handy hints. I’m sure it would fly off the shelves, within the sailing community!! Good job, chaps! xx PS: Kim, whilst I’m typing, I can hardly see what I am doing, as the type is soooo faint. Also, how do I get to see, others’ responses? Lovings xx
Hey Kate! Yeah…I can’t see what I’m typing either. I need to figure out how to change that! Annoying – isn’t it?! To see other replies there’s a tick box at the bottom of this area that says ‘notify me of follow-up comments by email’ – if you tick that, every time someone writes you’ll get an email 🙂 Thank you for your comments! Big smiles 🙂
Hi. With regards to port hole leaks. We tried a bunch of stuff and finally just ordered port visors. They work wonderfully! I recommend them! If you don’t know anything about them, have a look at their site. A wonderful couple invented and sell these who are a joy to deal with! http://www.seaworthygoods.com/
Hey Verona – those port visors look brilliant! Thank you for the suggestion 🙂
Because silicone breaks down under UV light, I’m really interested to know why you chose this product over one that Lewmar (which I believe is the make of your hatches) recommends? I read that you had an expert diagnose and fix the leak, but it still doesn’t make any sense. Did he give you a reason? Cheers!
Hey Stephanie – it’s great to hear from you. In response to your question, we are always weighing up cost and availability. Silicon is less expensive and in bountiful supply! Furthermore, we asked some other Oyster owners that used Silicon to repair the same hatch and several years later it’s still holding up.
I forwarded your question to the guy that helps us out and he responded, ‘I did the same job on an Oyster 53 using high modulus clear silicone 4 years ago – and it’s still working perfectly today! If you do the right preparation and degrease – you will be surprised what the more normal sealants will do for you. In any case – if the hatch started to leak again the decision to change the inner seal would be considered, or change the hatch (both much more expensive than a 7 euro tube of silicone).’
So…as my husband and I are finding out, there are often means and ways to fix things that cost an arm and a leg (we did have to change one of our Head hatches at £500) and then there are other options. After this first year of watching so much money flow out on repairs, we’re becoming more open to trying inexpensive alternatives.
So…we will see how it goes 🙂
Thanks for checking into that, Kim! If I understood you correctly, silicone was chosen because of its low cost in comparison to other sealants? I still find it a surprising choice by a professional as it’s most often considered a temporary solution when used that way (being the ones who fix everything aboard Cambria, we always go for the long-term solution) . . . but at 7 euro, 4 + is years is really good.
We had the same leak on the same hatch cover. A Lewmar replacement rubber seal purchased through Oyster permanently fixes the problem for about $50.. The problem is caused by the old seal shrinking; repairing it using the silicon method only provides temporary relief. Just make sure you have some large bar clamps available or an industrial press when putting everything back together.