water intrusion prevention

slowtrot · Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 7:01 pm Post subject: water intrusion prevention

I sold our CD25 and just bought a CD19 from another C brat. Two weeks without boat.

I need advice on two items which may need the drill out and epoxy fill process.
The fuel tank floor cleats appear to be screwed into the floor. And the drain hole is a rolled brass tube. The boat is a 2006 build.

What has been the experience with these two penetrations. If anyone has had the problem with the cleats I will do those first. My present thinking about the drain hole is to pull the rolled brass out then back cut and fill and rebore with a brass screw drain like the 25s.

slowtrot

Sunbeam · Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject:

I have re-done both of those items. My boat was stored indoors and had very low hours; yet there was some moisture around some of the fuel tank cleat screws and the brass lower transom drain tube. It only a small amount, so I was easily able to remove it, but.... I'm glad I did. On the fuel cleats: The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the recommended expansion space was not allowed, and so the tanks "levered" the cleats up as they expanded and thus exposed the screw shanks/holes to water even more than usual.

In both cases (cleats/brass tube) there was nothing but a "whisper" of sealant and then hull/transom core.

Here is how I handled them:

Fuel tank cleats: I removed them and then took out all the moist core. Even on the dry holes, I removed the core out to about a quarter's diameter (the coin). This was by burrowing - the holes in the fiberglass were not that large. Then I soaked things with neat epoxy, and then filled with thickened epoxy. I did the same for the holes from the hold-down strap footman loops. When I reinstalled the fuel tanks I went with a different system that didn't make any holes into the hull or transom.

Transom drain tube: I closed out the core completely and went back in with a more "usual" garboard drain type plug. There are details/photos in the "Sunbeam ~ 22 Cruiser" thread (in two or three different places in the thread as I came back with updates as I went along).