springer3
New Member
I used my 215 EC all last season. It rained many times, but there was no trace of a leak from the hatch cover. The PO had caulked the glass cover permanently closed with some pretty good sealant.
The hinges are inside the circle that he caulked. The leak got through the hinge area only after hours of pounding rain. It was 4 AM, and I was sleeping through the storm until the water drop hit my forehead. It was one drop every 10 minutes in pouring rain, but I knew the carpet would be ruined and the boat deck would rot if water leaks were let go.
A phillips screw driver and a variety of scraping and cleaning tools are all that is needed. I removed the trim ring inside the cabin, but learned that was not necessary. Getting the factory's sealant loose was a piece of cake after dealing with whatever the PO had used. The factory used gobs of white RTV, but there are welds where the hinge section is joined to the rest of the aluminum ring. The weld beads keep the hatch flange from getting flush with the deck. The water staining pattern showed the RTV had lifted from the fiberglass deck and allowed water to pass. Possibly foot traffic around the hatch cover, or possibly thermal cycles broke the bond between the RTV and the fiberglass deck, starting the leak.
Carburetor cleaner and a rag worked great for getting down to the fiberglass on the deck and to get the hatch flange down to shiny white. Per the instructions, I scuffed both the boat deck and the hatch cover with fine sandpaper. I filed the two weld beads almost flush to make a closer creavice than the factory's defective design (most older 215 EC's I looked at had a hatch leak).
I made three continuous beads of 3M marine adhesive/ sealant - one either side of the screw holes on the hatch cover, and one dead center of the screw holes in the deck. There was a gratifying extrusion of most of the adhesive/sealant as the screws were snugged up in sequence. I made sure each screw had sealant under the head, as water can get around the the screw holes and rot the wood underneath. I confirmed the flange was completely flat against the deck. It took about half a roll of paper towels to wipe away the excess adhesive. Cosmetically the hatch looks like new.
The original rubber seal for the glass cover looked fine, but I plan a soap-bubble test by pressuricing the cabin with a fan, while I wash the hatch cover and surroundings. Any bubble generation should tell me if the cover or the permanent seal are leaking. The 3M adhesive is about 10X stronger than RTV, and should bond the hatch cover to the deck. RTV is a great sealant but a poor adhesive. It was not up to the task in the long run.
Including a trip to the hardware store, the job took 6 hours and cost $20 for the marine caulk and cleaning supplies. I am looking forward to enjoying a functioning hatch cover, if only the thunder storms would stop so I can get the boat out.
The hinges are inside the circle that he caulked. The leak got through the hinge area only after hours of pounding rain. It was 4 AM, and I was sleeping through the storm until the water drop hit my forehead. It was one drop every 10 minutes in pouring rain, but I knew the carpet would be ruined and the boat deck would rot if water leaks were let go.
A phillips screw driver and a variety of scraping and cleaning tools are all that is needed. I removed the trim ring inside the cabin, but learned that was not necessary. Getting the factory's sealant loose was a piece of cake after dealing with whatever the PO had used. The factory used gobs of white RTV, but there are welds where the hinge section is joined to the rest of the aluminum ring. The weld beads keep the hatch flange from getting flush with the deck. The water staining pattern showed the RTV had lifted from the fiberglass deck and allowed water to pass. Possibly foot traffic around the hatch cover, or possibly thermal cycles broke the bond between the RTV and the fiberglass deck, starting the leak.
Carburetor cleaner and a rag worked great for getting down to the fiberglass on the deck and to get the hatch flange down to shiny white. Per the instructions, I scuffed both the boat deck and the hatch cover with fine sandpaper. I filed the two weld beads almost flush to make a closer creavice than the factory's defective design (most older 215 EC's I looked at had a hatch leak).
I made three continuous beads of 3M marine adhesive/ sealant - one either side of the screw holes on the hatch cover, and one dead center of the screw holes in the deck. There was a gratifying extrusion of most of the adhesive/sealant as the screws were snugged up in sequence. I made sure each screw had sealant under the head, as water can get around the the screw holes and rot the wood underneath. I confirmed the flange was completely flat against the deck. It took about half a roll of paper towels to wipe away the excess adhesive. Cosmetically the hatch looks like new.
The original rubber seal for the glass cover looked fine, but I plan a soap-bubble test by pressuricing the cabin with a fan, while I wash the hatch cover and surroundings. Any bubble generation should tell me if the cover or the permanent seal are leaking. The 3M adhesive is about 10X stronger than RTV, and should bond the hatch cover to the deck. RTV is a great sealant but a poor adhesive. It was not up to the task in the long run.
Including a trip to the hardware store, the job took 6 hours and cost $20 for the marine caulk and cleaning supplies. I am looking forward to enjoying a functioning hatch cover, if only the thunder storms would stop so I can get the boat out.
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