Mike Trimble
Arlington, VA
Boat Name: Colleen II
Model/Year: Catalina 22, 1989
Hull No. CTYH4939A989
Hailing Port: Mayo, MD |
 06/06/2009 2:08 PM Pacific Time
I have a 1989 Catalina 22 wing keel. For the past year (at least) I have had water coming into the cabin and pooling at the bottom of the bulkheads. The starboard one seems to be the most affected by this and has some rot along the bottom. Some of the water, if not all, seems to be coming down the shroud strap that comes through the deck. I have reseated all of the eyebolt chainplates with new caulk, and put some new caulk around the straps on top as a stop-gap measure. Water still got in since then.
I realize that I probably need to replace at least the starboard bulkhead before reseating and caulking the shroud straps. I was hoping to see a kit on the CD site, but did not. Does anyone have any experience replacing these that would be willing to share some pointers?
I also have some weird drips that can be seen coming from the top of the starboard cabin wall forward of the bulkhead. Any ideas on where those are coming from?
I also suspect I need to either replace or re-seat and caulk the forward hatch window as some water may be coming in there as well.
I have posted pictures of most everything except the hatch here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21578147@N02/?saved=1
Thanks for any help you can share. |
Geoff Endris
Carmel, IN
Boat Name: Repose
Model/Year: 1989
Hull No. 14949
Hailing Port: Indianapolis, IN |
06/07/2009 12:47 PM Pacific Time
Mike,
I had the same problem on a 1986 SK. The basic problem is a leak in the chainplate that goes through the deck and attaches to the bulkheads.
The most likely culprit is the through-deck chainplate. Your photos show that both are leaking. Take a knife and see if the wood around the deck hole is still good. If not, it will need to be scraped out and replace with epoxy and fiberglass threads. More complicated than I can go into here. At any rate, I would remove all chain plates and rebed them.
Now for the bulkheads. Remove the bulkheads and check them for wood rot. They may just be discolored. If they are rotten at the base, the best thing to do is to replace them. Here is what I did.
1. Carefully remove the teak molding at the top of the bulkheads. This can be done with a flat screwdriver. Be very careful. If you can remove them, you can reuse them. I was able to remove all of the molding without any breakage.
2. Go to your local specialty wood store and buy a sheet of 1/2 " teak plywood. Make sure it is good teak on both sides. My wood store didn't have 1/2" so I bought 1/4" and glued them together - I don't recommend this. I had to borrow every wood clamp in the neighborhood. Trace the old bulkheads onto the plywood and cut away. Lay the old on the new and drill the holes. Glue the molding back on and you are done.
3. Put a light coat of varnish or simply use teak oil - your peference.
You may want to take this opportunity to upgrade your chainplates to the wider plates. Catalina Direct has a kit for this.
I noticed the brown lines running down the inside of the hull forward of the starboard bulkhead. Any time you see one of those, you have a leak in a deck fitting. The discolored lines are from leaks that leech through the wood core of the deck. It could be a chainplate or a stanchion or some other fitting that goes through the deck. When you find one of these, you need to find it and fix it before it rots the deck core.
Hopefully, yours are from the chainplates. These are easy to correct by simply rebedding them. Be sure to use a non-permanent bedding compound.
|
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
06/07/2009 1:01 PM Pacific Time
Hey Mike,
We have sister boats as you can see, same year and keel. I had the same problem with mine on the starboard side. My chainplate system has a slotted metal bracket fastened to the deck and a flat metal bar fits through the slot and is fastened to the bulkhead. The bar can flex and move in the bracket slot when the deck flexes from tension and compression forces. This allows leaks if not sealed correctly. Your deck hull looks like the glass might have been compromised judging by the large darkened circle around it. I would first check to make sure it does not have any rot or water intrusion. Dry it out really well and grind away any rot. I believe there is wood between the deck but I'm not sure. If there is, make sure that is not rotted or you will need to replace the rotted wood. Use epoxy for the repair and even if the hole is sound, seal the edges with epoxy to prevent any more water intrusion through "wicking". Once the hole is sound, place the bracket over the hole and draw an outline around it with pencil. IMPORTANT- make sure the bracket is positioned properly. Scrape or sand the area inside the marks until clean and smooth. Use masking tape to protect the deck outside of the lines. Lay down a thick layer (1/4") of decking caulk. I like "3M 4200", very strong but removable. If there is a backing plate, do the same thing inside. Fasten the bracket until the caulk is about an 1/8" or so thick. Do not fasten too tightly and thereby squeeze out all the caulk. Let it dry for a day and then finish tightening the plate. Place the flat bar through the slot and fasten to the bulkhead. Caulk the bracket slot liberally to keep out water and you're all set unless the bulkhead is rotted. BIG BUT!
Mu bulkhead was rotted so I removed the old one by removing all the screws and bolts and working it out. The teak moulding can be carefully pried off and reused. You can re-glue moulding if you crack it but try hard not to. The leather edging is stapled on and can be reused. Get Monel staples that won't rust. I used marine mahogany plywood to replace my bulkhead. I used the old one as a template. The height and shape of the top end is extremely important as it supports the deck against flexing and compression. It must be an exact fit. I stained and varnished the wood and re-glued the old moulding using Gorilla Glue. I staples on the edging and attached the new bulkhead using the old hardware. Position the chainplate strap so it is centered in the slot and drill mounting holes. Don't over compress the attaching bolts. Check periodically for leaks and re-pot the deck hardware if necessary.
I did mine in 2002 and it's still dry but my deck hole was still in good condition when I started.
I do not know what the other leak is from but it seems very wide. Perhaps water has wicked in through the chainplate hole and is weeping from the upper and lower deck connection, especially if the deck wood has "sponged it up". You'll have feel for soft spots with an ice pick and if it is still sound-dry it all out before you do anything else.
Good luck
Good luck. |
Mike Trimble
Arlington, VA
Boat Name: Colleen II
Model/Year: Catalina 22, 1989
Hull No. CTYH4939A989
Hailing Port: Mayo, MD |
06/10/2009 7:09 AM Pacific Time
Thanks for the advice so far. My decision at this point is to replace both bulkheads with new wood and do my best to seal all the holes.
I am mystified, and a little frightened, by the streaks down the inside of the cabin wall. I cannot figure out where those might be coming from and doubt that they are coming from the chainplates as most of those streaks are forward of any of the chainplates. My thought is that water is coming in through some deck hardware farther forward and simply making its way back, or coming in through the rub-rail. I have a suspicion that some may be coming from as far forward as the bow pulpit since those screws are rusted and not seated well.
Why all this frightens me is from the possibility that a good bit of the deck or hull is seriously compromised by water. I had a marine architect out last year who took a look at some other issues and I he told me I needed to reseat just about everything as a precaution. Just haven't gotten to it yet. He didn't seem to think that the deck was any issue at the time. I'm hoping that hasn't changed.
One question of the moment is: Can I remove the bulkheads for an extended period of time since the mast is not standing on the boat? My plan is to remove the bulkheads and bring them home, get the lumber to make the new ones, and cut the pieces to size, then install them the following weekend. Any problems with this?
Thanks |
Howard Friedman
Pisgah Forest, NC
Boat Name: Forspacious Seas
Model/Year: Wing - 1989
Hull No. 14907
Hailing Port: Lake Keowee-Seneca, SC |
06/11/2009 10:20 AM Pacific Time
Mike-Given that you might have multiple deck leaks through corroded fittings and certainly had a major chainplate leak, it is probable that the wood layer has absorbed a lot of water. It can act like a sponge. This is far more likely than a leak between the hull connections. Again, as I said previously, you need to test and see if the wood is rotted. If it's still ok, you can just dry everything out and re-bed all the fittings as I described earlier. Do not squeeze out all the caulk but let it setup for a day before final tightening. It can take many weeks for a sandwiched deck to really dry out if it's absorbed a lot of water. I'm sure there are many posts on this site on the subject. If the wood is rotted, that's another story. Again, there are posts regarding that subject on this site also.
You can remove the bulkheads as long as there is no stresses being put on them. All standing rigging removed, mast down, and no walking or other weight put on that area of the boat.
Hopefully all you need to do is dry everything out and re-bed all the fittings before replacing the bulkheads and not have to deal with rotted wood. |
Aaron M Benham
33a Loomis Hights
Boat Name: Tidely-Idley: The never ending project
Model/Year: 1978 C22
Hull No. 8070
Hailing Port: |
06/11/2009 6:04 PM Pacific Time
I looked at the pictures of the streaks running down the sides of the cabin and it looks to me like the water is running along the top of and seeping under the teak trim that covers the hull deck joint. It can also run along the top of the hull liner before it runs down the side of the cabin. You might not necessarily have multiple leaks. Water doesn't always appear near the source of a leak. I would remove the trim strip and see if that helps locate the source. It might also reduce your anxiety a bit. |
Mike Trimble
Arlington, VA
Boat Name: Colleen II
Model/Year: Catalina 22, 1989
Hull No. CTYH4939A989
Hailing Port: Mayo, MD |
06/11/2009 6:14 PM Pacific Time
I haven't measured the bulkheads that I am going to replace and need to purchase the lumber soon. Do I need a full 4 x 8 sheet of plywood, or can I get away with just a 4 x 4? This teak plywood is pretty expensive! |
Geoff Endris
Carmel, IN
Boat Name: Repose
Model/Year: 1989
Hull No. 14949
Hailing Port: Indianapolis, IN |
06/11/2009 7:33 PM Pacific Time
I replaced the port bulkhead using glued up 1/4 inch plywood. I bought a 4 x 4 sheet and it was enough to make both halves of the bulkhead. I would think a 4 x 4 would be enough for both port and starboard. Just to be sure, you should take a rough measure. |
Bilgeboy
Carrboro, NC
Boat Name: Kosher Cannoli, Northern Light
Model/Year: C22 Swing 1988, C34 Wing 2003
Hull No. 14447, 1632
Hailing Port: Kerr Lake, NC |
11/09/2009 6:28 AM Pacific Time
As a side note...I usually seal all of the edges of the plywood (bulkheads, cabinets, etc.) with epoxy before installing them. It's just one more preventative measure. BTW, make sure the epoxy is fully cured before installing :-)
zz |
