deck/hull joint Bavaria ocean 38 leak

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jmuir1

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Removed numerous cupboard backing panels and spent hours with a mirror on telescopic rod plus endoscope camera watching drips I am convinced rain water is coming through the hull/ deck seal especially in the forward cabin. I aim to fix, seal this externally by removing the wooden rubbing strake once boat is out. I can access most of the seal internal and am going to try ct1 sealant (demo video looks promising). Anyone used this with leaks internally?
John
 
I'd want someone to take a proper look at that. The later model Bavarias have the hull to deck seal just bonded together, no through bolting. A leak on one of these could be the sign of a bigger issue. Better to be safe here.
 
jmuir1 said:
It’s one the earlier models built 2000, I am confident it’s not a structural issue, just a leak
John
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Yngmar who posts here and runs the Bavaria info forum has a video of doing this job on his Ocean 40 which I think has the same joint and wooden cap.

He is off cruising but looks in here regularly so pm him for a link.
 
I would also check it is not coming through the base of a stanchion. I had a similar issue on my old Bavaria 38, loosened the stanchion, bit of silkflex, tightened it back up ad it was fine
(Side issue why do some people push on the very top of a stanchion, at the point of maximum leverage, to fend themselves off you when they come next to you)
 
I am very interested in this thread as I have a a couple of leaks and they are very hard to trace. As Scala says "where the leak actually exists may be some distance from where the drips emerge". I don't have a problem with the hull deck joint as mine is bolted and capped.

BUT I just did a search on hull/deck leaks and came up with
hull deck leak remedy
Water enters my boat - bavaria Ocean - from the hull deck joint. I have re-seated the stansion bases and sealed under the teak capping. I have used an epoxy pas

Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?381721-hull-deck-leak-remedy#EV2KQvRFFXOvf74w.99

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/water-ingress.81621/

http://bavariayacht.org/forum/index.php?topic=1849.0

It is comforting to know that other people have leaks too!:)

Clive
 
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jordanbasset said:
I would also check it is not coming through the base of a stanchion.
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+1. Had this problem with my Beneteau. Removed the stanchion base, fixed the fiberglass with some west epoxy staff, re-installed the stanchion base using Sikaflex 291i to seal it, job done no issues since then (a year ago).
 
jordanbasset said:
I would also check it is not coming through the base of a stanchion. I had a similar issue on my old Bavaria 38, loosened the stanchion, bit of silkflex, tightened it back up ad it was fine
(Side issue why do some people push on the very top of a stanchion, at the point of maximum leverage, to fend themselves off you when they come next to you)
Click to expand...
Same issue with our Bav 34 . If you have a leak also check impact on bow cabin panels as water behind them rots fairly quickly we found leading to replacement panel lining etc. As said often caused by encounters with those training yachts found in foreign ports with no fenders using to fend off.
 
What model do you have? I have just completed the same job on my B44 and it was a doddle to sort. Prior to doing it I had some good info from others on here that have done the same job, which was a great help to know what I was letting myself in for.

From the day we bought the boat in May this year it has leaked via the hull/deck joint in the forward cabin. All attempts to sort it failed. Using a hose I could tell exactly where the leak was appearing in the inside, although as said fixing it proved difficult. First of all silicon sealer. Failed. Then after watching the videos I tried CT1 which failed to. Actually I found CT1 didn't bond very well to teak and I wasn't too impressed. Further a pal of mine spotted me using it and said that his experience with CT1 is that it crumbles in salt water, although he did say it was a while ago and the formula could have changed.

So I decided that the problem need fixed properly. Fortunately the rubbing strip is in sections roughly 6ft long, so you don't have to remove a massive section.

1. Remove the stainless tell capping from the teak rubbing strip. 10 mins using an electric screwdriver.

2. Remove the long screws holding the teak rubbing strip to the topsides. This is the teak that actually covers the hull/deck joint. It comes off fairy easiiy and is bonded to the hull with some sort of sealer. Another 10 mins or so.

3. You will see the joint area clearly. Just remove all the old bits of dodgy sealer from the joint area, topsides and the teak so it's nice and clean. I only removed the bad sealer and didn't dig away at the good stuff in the hull/deck joint. I left the good stuff. Cleaning all this up took about 30 mins. Left it all for over an hour to dry out.

4. I screwed the teak strip back on so I could then mask off the top teak capping and also along the bottom of the teak strip on the hull. Experience suggests Sikaflex will always do its best to mess up everything it can including clothes, tools and surrounding areas of the job. It's a pain to clean off and takes ages to do so. Say another 10 to 15 mins.

5. Applied plenty Sikaflex 291i to the whole area, in particular the area where I knew the leak was. I could actually see where the old sealer had failed. I also applied it to the teak strip.

6. Reinstalled the teak strip. Two people are a help here as it's about 6ft long and with lots of Sikaflex on it there is plenty opportunity for a mishap which will be messy. Another tip is to put Sikaflex in all screw holes on the hull, and also to start all the long screws so they are all in place before starting to tighten them up. Don't over tighten them either. 20 mins.

7. Remove the masking tape and finally put the stainless steel strip back on. Job done!

I would recommend two of the large tubes of Sikaflex although I didn't use two, I did use a bit of the second tube. Also a dry day is a must. Behind the teak it was very wet and dirty, so it did take time to fully dry after cleaning.

Our B44 has a teak capping on the and also a teak rubbing strip. I noticed that the B46 (which is the updated B44), has the same teak capping but Bavaria replaced the teak rubbing strip with a plastic version. I suspect the job would be the same. On other Bavs it looks like a one piece aluminium covering that acts as a toe rail and hull/deck covering. I have no idea how you would fix a hull/deck joint leak with that setup. Sorry.

For us the good news is that despite some very bad wind and rain storms over the weekend our boat is now 100% water tight. No leaks.

Hope that helps.
 
asteven221 said:
On other Bavs it looks like a one piece aluminium covering that acts as a toe rail and hull/deck covering. I have no idea how you would fix a hull/deck joint leak with that setup. Sorry.
.
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it is important to remember that the models with teak cappings such as the oceans and 40'+ models from the late 90s early 2000s are different from the more common types which have an aluminium toe rail covering the joint.

While the former tend to have the problem described above the aluminium toe rail rarely leak through the joint. They do though suffer from potential leaks through stanchions, pulpits and sometimes cleats which are difficult to trace just as they are on many other makes. Both types of leaks manifest themselves in the same areas, often some way from the actual leak. The cure is the same (easy to say, not always easy to do) of lifting and rebedding the offending fitting.
 
This is a common problem on Bavs with the teak toerail (I have the same).

What you need to do is remove the stainless strip, and underneath it you will find the screws that hold the edge moulding on. Remove these screws and pull the moulding off to reveal the hull/deck joint. Give it all a good clean and it will be clear pretty quickly if there are any gaps in the sealant.

CT1 is perfect for sorting this out as it works on wet surfaces (so no need to get everything dry) and is a strong adhesive.

Other common places for leaks are from under the cleats. They are bolted through with plates in the underside, but are sealed using silicone, which breaks down after a while. Fittings on the side decks can also leak (like the tank fillers) as they are also bedded onto silicone.

It's esier than it sounds. Have fun.

Bob
 
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