well I put the boat in the water for the first time since I got it. We instantly noticed that water was leaking in under the engine. Found that it's leaking at the seam in the rear where the aluminum trim is. I drilled the rivits out and removed the trim and sure enough, that's where it's leaking. There were loose rivets and some are missing. What is the best way to seal this up? I have heard to use silicone and had another guy say to just fiberglass the seam closed and just drill new holes for the rivets. What do you guys think I should do?
water leak in rear of boat at seam 1988 seville
- Thread starter mvvette97
- Start date
Danny Troy
Member
Are you sure that is where the water is coming from, as that looks like it's well above the water line. That's the rub rail you are talking about. You would be lucky if that is where the leak is, since you can pretty much use a sealant, as you said, and it should do the job. The best stuff is 3M 5200: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Adhesive-Sealant-CARTRIDGE/dp/B0000AY6CA
yea that's where it is leaking. It probably wouldn't leak after the boat was leveled off in the water. I noticed it leaking when we had it still on the trailer with just the front strap still hooked. The water was about level with that bumper because of the incline of the ramp. I just figured I would fix it anyway. We did back it all the way in and the leak stopped since once level the water was below the trim bumper.
Danny Troy
Member
Yes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just hit it with some 5200. If you really wanted to do it the right way you could remove the rub rail rubber, then remove the entire rub rail, then re-seal it with the 5200. May not be necessary, unless rain water is filling the boat while docked, and the bilge pump drains the battery too far down.
