Bad deck leak onto switch panel..help!!

[PAPOFCARDEN]

I own an elderly Dufour Safari which is suffering from water leaking through the deck onto my VHF radio, switch panel and galley. This leak only occurs starboard midships. I've done the obvious and checked all the externals and have decided to drill several holes and inject the hard lining above the affected areas with polyurethane foam. It won't cure the leak but at least stop it from wrecking my electrics. My question is which is the best quality foam to inject? Injecting the deck above is not an option.

 

[VicS]

The cans of foam you can buy from builders merchants / diy stores are not closed cell and will merely absorb water until saturated.

A two part foam from a resin/ fibreglass suppliers (eg Eastcoast Fibreglass Supplies ) is supposedly a closed cell foam but God knows how you would inject it with only seconds before it starts to react.

Fine the leak and rectify it. If it's around a deck fitting fastener its only time before that fails due to crevice corrosion or stress corrosion .

On an elderly boat it is probably time all the fasteners were removed , inspected and replaced if corroded, and the fittings and fasteners resealed.

 

[justanothersailboat]

No idea what your headlining is like but water can wander a surprisingly long way behind either cloth or liner panels so it may not be getting in where you expect. On my boat I found some old deck fitting fasteners that had been put in with sealant were old enough that the sealant had perished so I second VicS's suggestion of re-fastening with new sealant.

 

[Boater Sam]

Don't try to cock it up. your electrics are too important to risk. Do the job once and properly and find where it is getting in above.

 

[Sandy]

You need to find the source of the leak. Filling a void with foam will just hide it.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

First of all, protect your electrics/electronics with something like plastic sheeting, then, starting at the deck fitting furthest away, downhill, from the location of your VHF and switchboard, use a hose or bucket to flood the area with water, (i.e be proactive, don't wait until it rains!) Wait and see if any water appears above the electronics. It's a slow proces of elimination, but you will eventually find the source of the leak. You can refine the process by building a dam of putty or Plasticine around a suspected deck fitting and filling the area with water that has been coloured with food dye.
When you have found the source of the leak, remove and rebed it, as suggested above, and then continue to do the same with rest of your deck fittings.
Edit: having looked at some interior and exterior photos of Dufour Safaris, which reveal the back-to-back location of the galley and chart table, I would actually suspect the windows, but check the handrails first. There have been many threads on these fora regarding the removal and replacement of windows. Try the search facility or sometimes a general Google search will find the most informative thread for you.

 

[PAPOFCARDEN]

Thanks all for your helpful replies. I've checked the windows and not the source of the leak.I suspect it might be the rubbing strake which was originally plastic but replaced with teak many decades ago but removing this is not an option. The boat is now 50 years old. Ive sourced a product called Soudall which has the right spec called soudafoam 2k expres. I might try the coloured water first but this will require supreme patience and several dry west coast days which are in short supply these days!!

 

[Boathook]

Thanks all for your helpful replies. I've checked the windows and not the source of the leak.I suspect it might be the rubbing strake which was originally plastic but replaced with teak many decades ago but removing this is not an option. The boat is now 50 years old. Ive sourced a product called Soudall which has the right spec called soudafoam 2k expres. I might try the coloured water first but this will require supreme patience and several dry west coast days which are in short supply these days!!

Over the years I've had leaks on my boat and normally the only way to stop the leak is either to re-bed the offending items or carry out repairs. Anything else is only a temporary fix and can make the repair more difficult or cause problems elsewhere.

 

[PetiteFleur]

On a friends new to him, Dufour, the leak was from a window frame fitted to the coach roof, so resealed using Butyl tape and no leaks so far. A B***** of a job which required removing the side lining thus exposing more internal damage... Obviously been leaking for ages.

 

[pcatterall]

I agree with the general advice about finding/isolating the leak. I have had several old boats!
One trick not mentioned is to use good duct tape as a temporary cover around suspect areas. It can last long enough to help identify leaks.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I agree with the general advice about finding/isolating the leak. I have had several old boats!
One trick not mentioned is to use good duct tape as a temporary cover around suspect areas. It can last long enough to help identify leaks.

....and the residue of the tape adhesive will last even longer

 

[PAPOFCARDEN]

Thanks very much for all your advice.Im sure the windows are not the source as I winterise the boat covering this area with tarp and the leaks continue over the winter! I've accepted the situation is most likely unfixable. All I can now hope is the injection of foam directly above my electrics might divert the leaks to a less sensitive area. So I plan to drill a few smaller pilot holes first to see if any water escapes then drill larger holes with the diameter of the plastic foam injection tube. It may not cure the leak but at least divert it to a less critical location. Oh the joys of owning a boat for over 44 years. I feel I have a responsibility to look after her within reason!

 

[Boathook]

....and the residue of the tape adhesive will last even longer

But finding and stopping the leak is more than worth it.

 

[Boater Sam]

Thanks very much for all your advice.Im sure the windows are not the source as I winterise the boat covering this area with tarp and the leaks continue over the winter! I've accepted the situation is most likely unfixable. All I can now hope is the injection of foam directly above my electrics might divert the leaks to a less sensitive area. So I plan to drill a few smaller pilot holes first to see if any water escapes then drill larger holes with the diameter of the plastic foam injection tube. It may not cure the leak but at least divert it to a less critical location. Oh the joys of owning a boat for over 44 years. I feel I have a responsibility to look after her within reason!

A sad thing to do to a nice old boat. Bodging like this is not looking after her.
Remind me never to buy a boat off you!

 

[harvey38]

I own an elderly Dufour Safari which is suffering from water leaking through the deck onto my VHF radio, switch panel and galley. This leak only occurs starboard midships. I've done the obvious and checked all the externals and have decided to drill several holes and inject the hard lining above the affected areas with polyurethane foam. It won't cure the leak but at least stop it from wrecking my electrics. My question is which is the best quality foam to inject? Injecting the deck above is not an option.

Leaks are generally not difficult to fix, just difficult to find but injecting foam will create
a bigger problem in time to come!

 

[superheat6k]

I would suggest the whole idea of creating yet more leak points (holes !) is a flawed approach.

Can you remove the head linings to try to see where the water dripping onto your electrics is travelling from ?

 

[vyv_cox]

Two-pack polyurethane foam absorbs water even though nominally closed cell. I built many grp canoes, adding PU foam for buoyancy. After a couple of years I had to dig it all out, waterlogged.
Professionally applied foam such as in Sadlers is far better. A sample cut from my topsides remained impervious after a week's immersion.

 

[oldharry]

Fire retardant foam from Screwfix is closed cell and appears to be totally impervious. I did some 10 years ago in an exposed part of my shed, which was leaking badly. Still gone dry when it eventually fell off..

 

[PAPOFCARDEN]

Problem with removing headlining is on Dufours it's a fixed solid internal moulding. Drilling small injection holes discreetly up into the area close above the electrics can be easily filled and colour matched. When I first bought the bought in 1979, I used a similar technique to improve the flexy decks where the core foam had deteriorated. I was able to cover the subsequent mess with treadmaster which is still good 28000 miles and forty plus years later. Unfortunately doing nothing is not an option. Plan will be to drill a few pilot holes first to see if any water leaks then drill out the size of the plastic straw on the foam tube. I can easily fill these homes or use plugs the correct size. The water is very slowly degrading the interior wood bulkheads which will most likely require painting as the veneer is beyond revarnishing. The worst damage is to the nav area below. Water dripping onto books, VHF radio, the electric panel. So far it is localised to a few feet of headlining so with a little care, should be worth a careful attempt at a repair!

 

[PAPOFCARDEN]

PS I do appreciate all your advice. It will help me to finally decide what to do!