Just how much rain should be getting in?

[matt13]

I popped down to check on my boat this morning and the amount of rain water that has got in is quite impressive. My boat has the camper canopy up and is on a drystack with 2 others in top of it but they don't seem to be protecting it much.

I can see that it's getting in where it seaps through the canvas onto the internal steel supports then drips off them onto the table and upholstery , also at the aft end it's seems to just be dripping straight through the canvas forming a small puddle on the sunpad/rear seat.

Any ideas? I've had the boat a year but haven't waterproofed the canvas yet, I will do but wondered if many others had an issue with the rain getting in?

 

[NB Willawaw]

When you say canvas, I take it you don't mean that literally?

Modern boat covers shouldn't leak at all. A bit of water might get in if there is a stud missing or a gap here or there, but generally speaking it should be dry.

 

[rafiki_]

Have a look at your windscreen seals. Raf used to let a bit in through there, but the Captains Crepping Crack Cure cured it.

 

[matt13]

When you say canvas, I take it you don't mean that literally?

Modern boat covers shouldn't leak at all. A bit of water might get in if there is a stud missing or a gap here or there, but generally speaking it should be dry.

Ok so mine is a modern boat cover but it certainly leaks! So even if the cover is saturated with the internal steel supports touching the underside of the cover (roof) water should still in no way get in? Wondering if a constant drip in the same place from the boat above may not help matters but I'm still surprised that so much is getting through in various places.

 

[matt13]

Have a look at your windscreen seals. Raf used to let a bit in through there, but the Captains Crepping Crack Cure cured it.

Windscreen area seems to be the driest part, it's literally coming through the cover, some drops where there are joins/seams and as I said before mainly from the supporting steels that holds the roof up, it seaps through to these steels then drips from the underside.

 

[Sulley]

Sounds like your canvas needs waterproofing, use something like Fabisil http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/grangers-fabsil-5l-camping-proofer-p107747

You will need a dry canopy which is going to be a bit difficult at the moment.

 

[DAKA]

Windscreen area seems to be the driest part, it's literally coming through the cover, some drops where there are joins/seams and as I said before mainly from the supporting steels that holds the roof up, it seaps through to these steels then drips from the underside.

My bayliner used to leak in a similar way.
through the stitch holes, into the material slot that the poles run through and drip/trickle down the pole.

I used thick string (multi strand) , tied it round the pole to catch the drip/trickle and left the long dangly bit of string to exit through a windscreen gutter, as long as you dont have a loop in the string it will take the water 2 foot or more.

You could use hot wax on the seams but it will need to be dry when you do it.

 

[andyjcox1]

Is your canopy on really tight, maybe the frames are stretching the canopy too much, and causing gaps in the seams. If thats the case, perhaps adjust the frame so the canopy is less taught and see if it helps.

 

[andyjcox1]

Is your canopy on really tight, maybe the frames are stretching the canopy too much, and causing gaps in the seams. If thats the case, perhaps adjust the frame so the canopy is less taught and see if it helps.

Or, have you checked the boat above is not leaking onto yours, it could be that there is a concentrated stream of water dripping onto yours from above.

 

[dpb]

My camper canopy leaks like a seive but it looks quite old (came with the boat), I have taken it off over the winter to stitch it up and waterproof it to get another season or two out of it so will see if that improves it.
The tonnau winter cover that is on now that I had made last year seems to keep virtually all water out. Even during the bad stuff we have had of late.
I think it is worth using a tonnau in winter to extend the life of the camper canopy by avoiding the bashing from high winds.

 

[matt13]

thanks for all the advice, i'll try waterproofing first when it eventually dries, I do think some of it might be due to the boats above causing a direct trickle of water into the same spot. The irony is my boat is on a dry stack and has never been wetter

 

[matt13]

My camper canopy leaks like a seive but it looks quite old (came with the boat), I have taken it off over the winter to stitch it up and waterproof it to get another season or two out of it so will see if that improves it.
The tonnau winter cover that is on now that I had made last year seems to keep virtually all water out. Even during the bad stuff we have had of late.
I think it is worth using a tonnau in winter to extend the life of the camper canopy by avoiding the bashing from high winds.

D, you may remember I had a similar problem with the tonneau cover, this time with rain going directly down the hole around the supports, so I made a Rain Seepage Prevention Device shown in the pic, this worked brilliantly for about a day then they blew away when a little bit of wind came along, thus no appearance on dragons den...

 

[Sulley]

This is what I used on my seams as a few of them used to leak, absolutely no leaks now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001SQ8TTY/ref=asc_df_B001SQ8TTY11113239?smid=A20UFIL7MHKG1J&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B001SQ8TTY

 

[matt13]

This is what I used on my seams as a few of them used to leak, absolutely no leaks now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001SQ8TTY/ref=asc_df_B001SQ8TTY11113239?smid=A20UFIL7MHKG1J&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B001SQ8TTY

Thanks I think I will get some of that.