Flybridge leaking into cabin

[Mike on board]

My 1982 Present 42' has developed leaks coming from the flybridge onto the interior side walls of the salon and filling one overhead light. Most of the flybridge deck was soft so I have already re-built that with marine ply and glassed over it, I did not get the area under the console and seats but I did seal all holes where the seating flanges were screwed into the deck and re-bedded the stanchion bases. I have a suspicion of where the water is coming from and am wondering if anyone out there will confirm my suspicions. Any advice would certainly be appreciated, Thanks.

 

[RT Firefly]

Damp greetings,
Welcome aboard.

 

[BruceK]

Checked the seal around the "eyebrow" moulding at the leading edge over the windscreen?

 

[Mike on board]

Yes, I did check the eyebrow moulding. Thanks.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

It would help if you told us what you suspicion is.

 

[mike66]

Or where the leak appears in the cabin.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Lots of holes in the cabin roof to attach seats etc. You probably need to pull them up and reseal them where the fasteners pass through the roof.
Leaks are small troubles compared to the rot and other core material degradation that will follow if the water is not sealed out.
Just what you wanted to hear I'm sure .. Sorry.

 

[FF]

"You probably need to pull them up and reseal them where the fasteners pass through the roof."

All sealants have a life , sadly nothing is forever.

Every item with a sealant , fly bridge , deck or pilot house will need to be pulled and resealed on a sked basis.

A solid glass constructed boat can wait till the running water is a PIA.

A Chinese Composite (plywood with a layer of GRP laid on) can not wait if the hull deck and PH are to remain intact.

 

[Mike on board]

All fittings on the floor have been re-bedded recently (seats, stanchions etc.). My suspicion is the water is entering through the screws that attach the teak brow to the exterior sides of the flybridge, there is a stringer type buildup on the floor under the seats and console where the brow attaches, that may be where water is entering and I really don't want to remove the teak brow and fill all holes only to find out that is not where the water is coming from. Thanks for all the ideas..

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. Mob. IF there is the slightest possibility that water can be or will be leaking behind the teak brow, bite the bullet and do it now. If that does NOT stop your leakage you can definitively eliminate THAT area as a possible source. I suppose that's NOT what you want to hear but it is what it is and anything bedded has to be re-bedded eventually.

 

[psneeld]

I eliminated the teak brow and screws holding the flybridge fairing down.


I also pulled the deck and seats and glued the fairing down and now there are no holes from any place on the flybridge into the cabin at all...all epoxied down and sealed.


I bit the bullet and never wanted to deal with leaks again.

 

[Troubadour]

Hello fellow Present 42 owner....also in Ft Myers. I recently had problems with my starboard, flybridge scupper leaking into the salon ceiling. Decided to Gorilla tape over until the dry season when I will pull ceiling liners and repair correctly. Too much rain this time of year to attempt a full repair (plus I want to renew the padded vinyl covers on the 6 panels before reinstall). We are at the Yacht Basin in FT Myers...where are you? Cheers!

 

[Mike on board]

Hello Troubadour, we are temporarily docked at the Edison Sailing Center dock between Joe's Crab Shack and Centennial Park. I spent almost 4 years at the Yacht Basin and enjoyed it. I painted my vinyl covers and it actually looked pretty good. Not new but a pretty quick fix...

 

[Forkliftt]

Welcome aboard Mike!
I have chased and repaired some leaks recently on our Present 42 that had evaded me a while. The biggest leak was on the rear stbd side of the salon. I had tried several different approaches to locate the path- and finally wore the wife's rain jacket ( I need one) out in a storm and stuck my head inside the stbd flybridge doors and watched several small leaks collect and follow a trough of sorts that dropped through a hole into the salon behind the wooden balance along the edge. Apparently a prior owner had placed a tv on that wall and just drilled a hole for the wire where he wanted it. There is a factory hole on each side as well but the wiring that runs through is inside of a short PVC pipe that is secured slightly elevated- eliminating water leaks. It only showed up on heavy rain that lasted a while. But when it did!! Buckets full it seemed.
I also eliminated old/ unneeded radar arch hardware and repaired the holes. Remaining hardware was cleaned and refastened with Butyl tape (Thanks again Al).
I'll post any future leaks I have to fix as well.
Either of you guys tech savvy enough to build a Present 42 website? I would spring 1/3 of the cost for GoDaddy or another provider??


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's