3000 Express Cabin Leak

[Woodworker2001]

Alright guys. I found a cabin leak around Labor Day weekend when we were staying on the boat and had som very heavy rain. On the stbd side of the boat the carpet by the hanging locker was wet. We later found the front of the v berth cushions, the sweatshirts in the bottom of the hanging locker all to be wet as well as I found the wood in the bottom of the forward dinette storage area to be all soft and rotted. I thought maybe the forward hatch but that was not it. Nothing shows signs of water coming in but this was a pretty good amount of water. Any ideas?

[bobbruce]

I have had as well at the portholes and the deck hatches. I believe also from the anchor locker and the bow rail connections I need to check next

[MarkT]

As mentioned by Bob above, but also check the a/c discharge line and thru hull, the a/c pan etc. I also had the screws that hold the windshield frame leak into the overhead. had to take each one out and seal them with silicone when re-installed.

[Woodworker2001]

Source of the post I have had as well at the portholes and the deck hatches. I believe also from the anchor locker and the bow rail connections I need to check next

I just don’t see how the port holes get the front v berth cushion wet. Where was it leaking from the anchor locker?

Did you take the port holes out and reseal them. I don’t see any signs of leaking from the gaskets on anything. I don’t believe it is from the hatches because I pulled the headliner out and sprayed down the front hatch. No signs of water. Gotta get wife down to spray some areas while I watch for signs of water here. It was a fair amount of water wouldn’t think would be too hard to find

Does anyone know if the bow rail is just screws or are there nuts on the back side?

[Dan1]

Water in the hanging locker may be coming from the engine room via the hole drilled in the ER/CABIN bulkhead for the AC raw water feed hose.Have a look next to the AC in the cabin under the seat,you will see the feed hose for the AC,have a look in behind the seat (remove panel the gives access to under the helm area) the AC supply hose comes through the bulkhead in the bottom corner.

Water will travel past the A/C,past the seat and behind the carpet glued to the side of the boat and end up in the locker.If thats the case your E/R air intake box, or the hoses that drain it, or the upper deck drainage system may be the culprit.

The water may also be coming from the windscreen on the Port side,the wires that supply the windscreen wipers travel through the windscreen frame base. Pursuit didn't seal that hole and the water will flow down and it ends up under the refrigerator and from there it ends up in the storage area under the bed,from there it will fill the hanging locker.

Its an easy fix,remove the rubber strip on the inside of the screen (just pop it out with a screwdriver ) and you will see the wires.

As Mark T suggested,windscreen frame screws….

[Woodworker2001]

Well I believe we have a winner with the port hole. Crazy to me that the water can get from there to where it is but that is where it is coming from.

Has anyone pulled these out? How do they come apart? Was there any trick to getting them out?

[bobbruce]

Yes,remove both screws on interior trim bezel. Then you will see 6 or 8 more screws on an aluminum plate. Remove them as well. From outside soak paper towels with paint thinner,wrap them around porthole to weaken caulking . Pry away gently with paint scrapers.

[Woodworker2001]

Well went down to really isolate where the leak was coming from and was unable to duplicate the water I had the last time down there. Frustrating to say the least

[Woodworker2001]

Cabin leak isolated Friday. It is the windshield as some had said. The black molding on the bottom has shrunk and obviously the screws are leaking.

Couple of questions. Will pulling the screws and putting some caulk in each one be sufficient or do I need to pull them all and completely rebed the windshield?

Has anyone purchased new black molding across the bottom? Is so where did you get it?

[MarkT]

I did get the molding once years ago, I will look up where. I think it is now from Pompanette. If you pull the screws one at a time and bed them in silicone that will do it. If you pull out the molding and then re-install it will stretch back to the right length. As it shrinks I have taken black silicone and filled in the gaps, and when you re-install they can be much smaller then what you are showing in the pics!
I also took white silicone and put a nice bead under the frame.
POMPANETTE,LLC
PO BOX 1200, 73 SOUTH WEST ST.
CHARLESTOWN, NH 03603
USA
Phone: 603-826-5791

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