It's been raining for 3 days now and I checked both the port and stbd tracks and their machine screws. There is no evidence of leakage. When I get time I'll probably still rebed the port track but in the foreseeable future it appears that I fixed the leaks on both sides. Port side simply by retorquing the screws and stbd side by rebedding.
Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Thu, Dec 13, 2018, 11:22 PM Josh Muckley via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > I got the stbd track back on just in time for rain tomorrow. I never > thought I would use an entire roll of butyl but I'm getting close. If I > had pulled the port track I would have been in trouble. I couldn't > understand exactly why the OEM used 3" machine screws instead of 2" but > decided not to chance it by changing things up. I did cut 3 tricky ones > shorter. The OEM washers seemed small so I upsized to that which would > just fit. And instead of standard nuts and lock washers I changed to > nylocks. > > Whatever sealant was previously used, I found that it was slightly soluble > in isopropyl alcohol. I was not meticulous in removing all the residue > since butyl sticks to everything. A 3/4" butyl would have probably filled > the track perfectly but with the 1/2" it was easy to lay one side up > against the machine screws, then down the other side. It overlapped making > a really nice bead down the center. > > In hind sight, 2" screws would have been sufficient. Since getting the > washer and nut on the exposed stud was synonymous with playing the game > "Operation" I used tef-gel to stick the washers to the nut driver. I could > quickly catch a thread or 2 to capture the washer and move to the next > stud. Once all the nuts were preped I would come back with a deep socket. > Since so much of the stud hung down I decided to use a drill and adapter to > tighten the nuts. I started with the first nut and all seemed well except > that once I had applied the requisite torque I realized that the screw was > still loose in the hole. I tried to loosen it but no luck. I've > experienced galling in the past, particularly with nylocks. I should > have expected and prevented it. I didn't expect it on the first screw and > chalked it up to having used the drill. I moved on with only hand tools > but soon had a second nut seize. It was at this point I decided to remove > all of the nuts that had been preped to capture the washers and add a dab > of tef-gel to the nut. After this the rest of the screws went smoothly and > torqued to 10ft-lbs. > > The 2 seized bolts were now a new problem. I found that I could push them > out about and inch. This facilitated grabbing them with vice grips. With > one person holding the vice grips and one person on the 1/2" drive rachet > it was still a pretty good effort getting them to break. I was able to > withdraw them, wrap butyl on new screws, and reinsert. Since the track is > hollow, I tried to position the butyl at the penetration area on the screw > (about 1/2" from the head). Fortunately these 2 screws are not in or near > wooden cabinets, and I have very easy access. If leaks occur it will be > easy to detect, they won't hurt anything, and repair should be easy. > > I keep you posted as to how the port and stbd sides compare now that one > is replaced and one is simply tightened. > > Josh Muckley > S/V Sea Hawk > 1989 C&C 37+ > Solomons, MD > > > > > On Tue, Dec 11, 2018, 10:10 PM Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Alright 37/40 owners, >> >> Anybody ever remove the tracks for the adjustable jib sheet leads? We >> detected some water leaking around the fasteners (in the aft berth, stbd >> closet and cabinet). I was initially concerned that the deck area might be >> cored and that leakage was going to mean rot. >> >> I removed some of the bolts this afternoon. Most of the nuts weren't >> even tight and the backing washers seem a little inadequate. The first >> difficulty was finding a socket deep enough for the exposed stud. Is seems >> that the machine screws are about 1 inch too long. I suspect that this was >> to help engage each bolt and curve the track. Anyone have other theories >> for the extra length? >> >> I probed around with a drill bit and was pleasantly surprised to find >> that the deck appears to be solid glass. I was disappointed to find that >> at least 2, and more likely 3, of the 30 screws are obstructed by the >> headliner. 2 are in cabinets where cutting out headliner material will be >> irrelevant. 1 is against the aft bulkhead on the forward side. >> >> I believe that the original bedding material was 4200 or 5200. It is >> already proving difficult to unseat the aft section of track where I've >> removed the bolts. I'm torn as to whether or not to proceed or just >> reassemble and live with the minor leaks. I'd probably be quick to live >> with simply re-bedding to bolts accept that I can't access the deck >> hole/deck surface without removing the track. The track has a hollow >> channel and I suspect that water accumulates in the hollow where it is then >> able to wick down the threads of each fastener. If I'm able to remove the >> track I'll be able to easily apply bed-it butyl tape to the track and >> fasteners. I'll also be able to ensure that the holes in the deck are >> counter sunk. >> >> Anybody have and further thoughts, ideas, or experience? >> >> Thanks, >> Josh Muckley >> S/V Sea Hawk >> 1989 C&C 37+ >> Solomons, MD >> > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > >
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