MacGregorSailors.com

Hello all,

I am getting some leaks in the 1999 26X I just bought. I know this because when I first looked at the boat it was dry. However, when I went to pick it up a week later (after a rain) there was some water on the head floor and some in the rest of the cabin.

Where are the common leak points on the boat as I want to properly seal/caulk all of these areas for prevention and repair of the existing leaks. Also what is the best product to use when caulking?

Thanks!

Hi Derek

seal up the chainplates,this to my knowledge is the one are that leaks,other places to check will be where there are any through deck fttings such as the mast bracket and the winches,The windows can also leak,is there a vent in the head? and was there water in the bilges?.

Hey bastonjock.

No vent in the head. However, I just ordered 2 Nicro solar vents. I intend to put one on the front hatch and I do not know yet where I will put the other one, maybe the head window but I do not know if it will get enough light there. As for the bilges, I will know next week. I have to first dry them up from washing the interior. thanks.

Common areas that I have found are the chainplates and the forestay attachment bracket. Recently I has having a similar issue getting water in the bilge and a couple of other areas in the cabin after any type of rain. After months of searching, I found that the hatch slides were leaking. I found this by removing some of the screw covers in the liner and noticed water under the hatch slide area.

On my 2002 X I found that it was leaking through the console where the control cables are run. Used silicone sealant (thin layer) and solved the problem.

The only leaks I've had on my 2000X was the windows (side and front.) Make sure all the screws are snug and put a drop of lock-tight on them to keep them that way. No more leaks in 3 years.

Try searching the archives on this forum. Dozens of posts about leaks and the cures are there for you.

I removed the cover from the back of the rear berth the other day during a heavy downpour to find leaks coming through the bolt holes holding the ladder and rudders on the transom.

I know what I have to do this weekend.

I'm also getting a small amount of water from the bolts holding the post to the cabin top, the post that connects to the rear of the galley that is.

The main areas that water got in on our boat was the side chainplates and bow chain plate, the bow chain plate was the biggest culprit, I'll post the pics about resealing them after uploading to our web site

Glenn

Derek...I also have a 99-X, which had a small leak at the thru-hull cable boot site near the motor. I discovered this boot was simply tied, and not sealed. I untied it, pushed in some good siliconej, and retied it as original. Im not sure if the same type boot system is on every 99-X. These boots are replaceable, and retail boat shops carry them in case yours has a defect.
The other place I fixed was within the hatch gap, which would allow wind to blow water in during heavy rainfall. I fixed this with a strip of A/C foam which is inserted when the boat is within the slip.

Happy Sailing...

Thanks for your help. I intend to seal it all. I hate leaks!!!! I'll run a hose over the boat and see what happens. I may also try the leaf blower trick I just read about.

This morning I found another area that is allowing water to get in, where the steering comes though the hull we have no boot

I'll get a steering rack boot Tommorrow and fit it this weekend.

Glenn

Almost forgot, I've uploaded pics on how I resealed the chainplates.







Taken from here.
http://www.devinetemptations.com/macgre ... plates.htm

Glenn

Very nice family web site Glenn and thanks for the pics of the chainplate repair. I wish I had 1/2 the mechanical ability you seem to possess



Allan

Thanks Alan, we set up our site so friends and family that live in other parts of Australia can keep tabs on what we are up too, I don't like Facebook.

When I have more time I shall be adding pics from our travels overseas and some of my wifes jewellery work.

Glenn

Glenn,
the work You have done looks good and I would like to do the same but I´m affraid g, why?
There must be a metalplate be installed inside the GFC-shell to take up the pulling foces from the shrouds via the rivets. If the rivets are thrilled out how can it be asured that this plate doesn´t fall off ?You might overcome this by putting a bent wire through the hole after the first rivet was thrilled out with the second one still in place. But I´m not sure that this will work all the time one has to fiddle around with the rest of the assembly .
How can the required length of the new poprivets be found out? There is a good chance that the rivets are not compressed against the metalplate but against the GFC, You wouldn´t notice that unless the shrouts are haevyly loaded.
Did You find a way to take care of the points mentioned before? If so please let us know. All the best

Rainer