Anchor light leakage

M

Minnow

New member
Just when you think you have all the core penetrations under control, another one pops up.

Last week I was replacing the horn, which had failed after a long road trip in winter slush/salt conditions. The existing horn wiring and mounting required that I remove the all-around anchor light mounted on the flat spot behind the brow.

Guess what?

Yes, another half-inch donut of punky balsa due to a sloppy sealing job.

While examining the fixture, I noted that even if the perimeter caulking was good, that the light would have let water through the bottom of the socket into the exposed core.

The lesson here is that you should check your bedding, remove the light, and install the cap when you don't need the light.
 
Another place where any core right by the hole should be removed prophylactically and sealed with epoxy--not just to rely on the sealant.

Some center tops are not cored (my 2003 CD 25 is one)--but the Tom Cat is.
 
Yes Bob, you're right. The tops are not cored, and the brow is not cored, but the little flat spot between them, right above the windshield, is.
 
Minnow (or anyone else for that matter),
is the water seepage into the balsa a common problem then? I'm a newbie to C-Dorys and trying to figure the ins and outs. I saw one post that says something to the effect that all screws into the hull should be removed, bored out, filled with Marine Tex, then redrilled, sealed and reassembled. Is this truly the case? Secondly, I imagine that balsa doesn't last long when/if it gets wet. How do you tell if seepage has happened without disassembling everything?

Thanks!
 
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