Deck floor seal on 25 ft?

J

jkswor

New member
So I just bought this 07 c dory 25 ft cruiser
The deck and bilge doors are sealed with caulking of some sort
However water is getting past the seal
1. Is the deck supposed to be sealed with caulking
There is black mold in several areas. I am removing the deck to see if gas tank area is full of water and mold
2 how to reseal it and the bilge access doors so it does not leak
Jim
 
Yes, it is a good idea to inspect the bilge and replace the caulk around the deck. You will most likely find that there is both mold and water in that area. Be cautious that there is no damage done to the tank with chlorine products. The tank is open to the bilge, and water is going to flow into that area. Also inspect the tank. One member is currently replacing the tank where wood rested against the aluminum and apparently caused pin holes. Would it be worth pulling the tank and coating it properly? Expensive, but perhaps down the road it might save a much higher cost.

I would probably use Boat Life Life Seal as the best sealant. Next would be 3M 4000. Both will give a good seal, but the Boat Life will be easier to remove in the future.
 
What did you end up using or did anyone else use? What did you use to clean off the old caulking? Thanks about to tackle this!
 
Cdory 25 deck hatch installation. Is the topic
There is no way to seal existing deck hatch on a cdory 25
I tried everything nothing worked for me except replacement
Hatch cost about $120 each. Piece of cake to install
 
I replaced the deck sole hatches on Journey On, which now makes for a dry bilge. Here's a description: Hatch Installation

I also removed the fuel tank cover and inspected the tank and mounting. The deck cover is both screwed and sealed, so removing it was a bear. Here is the story of Alyssia Jean who had to replace the tank and Journey On who just inspected the tank: Removing Tank Cover. Good pictures.

The aft bilge and tank compartment are joined, so that when there is water in the bilge, it is also in the tank compartment. That's why I was so happy that after the hatch replacement, the bilge was dry.

Boris
 
kaelc":u1v2fw8f said:
What did you end up using or did anyone else use? What did you use to clean off the old caulking? Thanks about to tackle this!
Click to expand...

The hatch issue I believe is answered--Bori's thread on this is excellent.
I tried various materials to clean the sealant--not really successful. I tried several solvents, and abrasive (Mr. Clean type) of pad.
 
The factory hatches leak. Period. I just changed them out at the end of last season with new hatches with rubber seals, as others have referenced here. We shall see if they are watertight.

My advice would be to remove, undercut and epoxy all the access ports, steps etc. They are all balsa cored (deck & steps) and were not sealed at all in our 2007. Once you re-seal all the ends with epoxy, re-bed with new sealant. I can't remember is if I used 4000 or 4200; whichever is more UV stable is what I used. I did it all last year. Pics in my album if you need a reference.
 
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