Tomcat transom leak

thataway · Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 9:43 pm Post subject:

Perhaps to complicate this a bit further, some rub rails (and hull to deck joints) are held in place with pop rivets, which are put all of the way thru the rub rail extursion and hull, with a washer on the back side (where it is accessable). The pop rivet expands behind that washer. I have to assume (or hope) that the pop rivets on the Tom Cat/ C Dories are monel or at least Stainless Steel. I would want to definately thru bolt any place which depends on the intregrety of the hull to deck joint.

matt_unique · Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: Rail

I did a more careful inspection inside the hull to see if I could find more water intrusion along the rubrail rivets. I found a few but only on the starboard side between the end of the cabin and the transom. I plugged all the holes with 4200 and put the rubber back into the groove. As one may expect, it takes a few seconds to pull it out, and a lot more time to put it back in Very Happy

It was a chilly day which added to the difficulty of course. I used my heat gun to warm about a foot or so at a time and used a screwdriver and rubber mallet to get it back in. The corners are the hardest and the engines/controls limit your room. I will clean the mold waterfalls inside where there was leaking and monitor it over the course of the season. I wonder if water may still get behind the rub rail and run along the outside of the rivets and into the hull. If yes, I will probably apply as thin a bead of LifeCaulk as I can along the entire top edge where the metal rubrail meets the hull.

During my inspection I noticed some water leaking in (tell tale mold path) around my port fuel vent. I loosened the vent shaft, applied a bead of LifeCaulk, then retightened.