Stupid Viper newbie question #3

Started by Luke Porter, June 20, 2011, 09:21:30 PM

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Luke Porter

The beer coolers on each side of the cockpit - is there any way to stop water getting in there? They have seals but every time it rains (which is almost all the time right now) and when we dunk the leeward rail (not as often as the rain but still a factor) they just fill up. The water seems to stay in them quite well but I'd rather it didn't get there in the first place. Ideas?

Luke.
"Porkchop"
Can 166
Halifax, NS

Jeff Jones

Really doesn't seem like you should be having this issue on a brand new boat Luke... but dont go start thinkin' your special.

Remove the hatches from your brand new boat - completely.  There's probably little to no sealant behind them.  Drew had a good suggestion - trace the outline of the outer flange before you take them off.   Before you goop on a reasonable amount of new sealant tape that outline off.  Goop away, put them back in.  Remove the tape and have a clean installation.  Go to home depot and get some 3/4" window sealant (adhesive on one side).  Stick some of that stuff on the hatch face.

Then take the sealant and seal that "drain" hole..   It's too high to let all the water drain anyway.  That should get you pretty dry.

The wife, son and i were up in Halifax last August, gorgeous place to sail a sportboat.

Olaf Bleck

#2
I say don't worry about it.  Sail in cold water, it'll keep the beer so it'll be cold when you crack them.

... and hike harder. LOL

No seriously...

There's a thread here somewhere on which covers to buy that are better, but the long-timers all say it's a losing battle.

The thing is, particularly on the Mark I boats, to keep the water in the "coolers" from leaking into the bilge.  The cooler itself is just a box that's glued to the inside of the cockpit floor.  Over time that can develop leaks.  Seal them with RTV (aka silicone sealant, Room Temperature Vulcanization)  There are also round access holes that are poorly sealed which allow access to the jib blocks.  It's worth sticking your head in there for a look around.

The Mark I boats also have a little drain tube from the cooler into the cockpit.  Not meant to stay dry...

Lastly, if you have decent covers, to keep the rain out...  unscrew them and apply a generous amount of RTV.  Enough so it squeezes out on all sides.  When applying, clean the edges of the cockpit and the cover frame up with acetone and use your fingers to vigorously smear a thin layer of RTV onto all the surfaces.  Then apply some beads of the stuff and install.



East Coast: Viper #56;  West Coast: Viper #24 (available for charter)


Robert Bernard

MC-Master Carr is your friend. Find the rubber section and look for closed cell EVA foam rubber. it comes in strips the are 1/4" by 1/4" with adhesive backing. I got about 15 feet for 10 bucks. it only takes a minute to put in the hatch and only uses about 5 feet for two hatches. When it starts to deteriorate I have enough left over to replace it. This stuff works better than the window stripping material. I also RTV'd the hatches and the drain hole and haven't had a drop of water in my lockers since.
Viper #76   Navi-Gator

Drew Harper

biggest problem with the hatch design is we can't find ones just  atad bit smaller. The cockpit side decks are slightly round. This is problematic in sealing. You just have to bury it in caulk, then it works fine....hence the outline/tape idea. Otherwise it's a messy cleanup.

Use 1/4 weatherseal...stripout the existing seal on the hatch and the 1/4" is bulky enough to allow the lid to seal it tight.

Our old boat has watertight hatches.
#189 UK Built Mark IV Viper "DILLIGAF"

Lee Shuckerow

I've had an idea for a while that hasn't been done yet as far as i know. Since our hatches don't leak and we don't have a "drain/let water in hole", seriously when is that hole going away? The idea is to get a piece of material wider than the hatch with velcro, stiff side, all the way around the edge. then put velcro, fuzzy side, all the way around the hatch. Then put velcroed material over hatch. to access hatch pull material out of the way and open. We have used this technique on the forward hatches of mumm 30s and melges 32s, on which we launch the kite out of the forward hatch. If you don't think it works then you haven't spent much time sponging/sucking water out of the interior of the boat. the difference is dramatic and immediately noticeable.
Jackpot  #235

Justin Scott

Quote from: Lee Shuckerow on September 06, 2011, 02:41:04 PM
I've had an idea for a while that hasn't been done yet as far as i know. Since our hatches don't leak and we don't have a "drain/let water in hole", seriously when is that hole going away? The idea is to get a piece of material wider than the hatch with velcro, stiff side, all the way around the edge. then put velcro, fuzzy side, all the way around the hatch. Then put velcroed material over hatch. to access hatch pull material out of the way and open. We have used this technique on the forward hatches of mumm 30s and melges 32s, on which we launch the kite out of the forward hatch. If you don't think it works then you haven't spent much time sponging/sucking water out of the interior of the boat. the difference is dramatic and immediately noticeable.

PY (Rondar) recommended exactly that approach at a debrief after 2008 NAS.
Viper - Mambo Kings
Right Coast Refreshments Committee

Drew Harper

Quote from: Lee Shuckerow on September 06, 2011, 02:41:04 PM
I've had an idea for a while that hasn't been done yet as far as i know. Since our hatches don't leak and we don't have a "drain/let water in hole", seriously when is that hole going away? The idea is to get a piece of material wider than the hatch with velcro, stiff side, all the way around the edge. then put velcro, fuzzy side, all the way around the hatch. Then put velcroed material over hatch. to access hatch pull material out of the way and open. We have used this technique on the forward hatches of mumm 30s and melges 32s, on which we launch the kite out of the forward hatch. If you don't think it works then you haven't spent much time sponging/sucking water out of the interior of the boat. the difference is dramatic and immediately noticeable.

No holes in new boats.
#189 UK Built Mark IV Viper "DILLIGAF"

Hays Clark

Quote from: Jeff Jones on June 20, 2011, 10:16:43 PM
Remove the hatches from your brand new boat - completely.  There's probably little to no sealant behind them.  Drew had a good suggestion - trace the outline of the outer flange before you take them off.   Before you goop on a reasonable amount of new sealant tape that outline off.  Goop away, put them back in.  Remove the tape and have a clean installation.  Go to home depot and get some 3/4" window sealant (adhesive on one side).  Stick some of that stuff on the hatch face.

I might need to do the same repair for 144.  I'll try to photograph the repair if I end up doing it this summer.  It's an annoying issue if you put warm layers inside the lockers just to find them wet when you want them.

Anyone recommend if the lockers should be left open or closed when under the cover?  Been trying to figure out how much the boat sweats to avoid funky smells.

Luke Porter

Quote from: Infinite on March 31, 2012, 04:59:20 PM

Anyone recommend if the lockers should be left open or closed when under the cover?  Been trying to figure out how much the boat sweats to avoid funky smells.

I leave mine open, mostly to dry out.

I took both locker lids off over the winter and found plenty of sealant behind them. Unfortunately the sealant ran inside the limits of the cuts on a couple of corners so I essentially had an unsealed hole directly into each locker. Lots of goop outside all the cuts and bolted the lids back on, they should now be good. We start sailing again in 3 weeks, I'll know for certain then.
"Porkchop"
Can 166
Halifax, NS

Dan Tucker

Quote from: Infinite on March 31, 2012, 04:59:20 PM

Anyone recommend if the lockers should be left open or closed when under the cover?  Been trying to figure out how much the boat sweats to avoid funky smells.
Lockers open to dry, but more importantly, make sure the drain plug or something to the buoyancy chamber is open to equalize pressure with temperature changes. Boat owner 101.
Race it like you stole it.