Rain leaks

A forum for discussing topics relating to older MacGregor/Venture sailboats.
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warren631
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26D

Rain leaks

Post by warren631 »

I get rain drops through the gangway slider either from the sides or from the forward edge. It's not from the popup. Is there supposed to be a gasket in there somewhere between the slider and popup? Maybe I should remove the metal sliders to look underneath but I think there are nuts on the underside which makes it awkward. 26D. I have sealed all other deck openings. I get a couple inches of water over the winter.
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Highlander
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Re: Rain leaks

Post by Highlander »

I had same issue on my :macm: remove to the sliding hatch & found pin holes & a couple of bigger holes 1/8" dia where their musta of been an air pocket under the gelcoat & once that eventually cracked & brkn off it would leak when it rained was right underneath the slider lip where it slides on wearing out the gelcoat after I fixed it using a gelcoat repair kit & let it harden up & cure I then installed velcro tape on the sliding section on both sides of the deck after 7 yrs the tape is starting to come off so I need to replace it I used the fuzzy side of the velco tape but it collects dust & sand , I still have the other side of the velco tape looks like little tiny plastic pins with I believe little tiny round heads on it so I,m thinking of using it this time but instead of putting it on the deck where the hatch slides I,ll just install it on the underside of the hatch itself that way I,ll only use half as much tape & it,ll b totally hidden under the sliding hatch outa of sight & should not hold dirt & sand being upside down ,
A word for the wise don,t use something that,s gonna b to slippery a friend of mine installed some kinda of gliding tape on his & said it was great hatch slides like the cats a$$, then one day while sailing he had to get up on the hatch to reef his mainsail boat hit a wave that hatch went sliding forward like a skate board dropping him straight down into the cabin of his :macm: on the way down he tried to brace himself with his arms but not in time as it happened so fast he ended up pulling the muscle's behind both shoulder blades & hitting his head pretty hard on the cabin steps :evil: , I did tell him before I did,nt think that was a good Idea :D
just some thoughts for u to ponder on , but it could also b coming thru from other hardware close by & just running in that direction anothe time I had a roof leak & found a pin hole in the gelcoat about 3" away from the mast light deck plug :( , hope this gives u some help
J 8)
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warren631
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26D

Re: Rain leaks

Post by warren631 »

Follow up for anyone interested:
The rain was dripping from the nut access holes on the underside of the slider. The white round plastic hole plugs must have shrunk. I pulled the plug out and filled it with foam sealant. Don't know where the rain comes from or goes to now but no more drips.
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Be Free
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Re: Rain leaks

Post by Be Free »

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but those plugs were never meant to be water tight. They are, as you described them, covers for the access holes for the nuts above them. They are cosmetic.

You should not have water in that area. Unless you accidentally (and temporarily) sealed the leak with the expanding foam the water is eventually going to come out somewhere else.

Sorry.
Bill
2001 26X Simple Interest
Honda BF40D
"If I were in a hurry I would not have bought a sailboat." Me
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warren631
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26D

Re: Rain leaks

Post by warren631 »

Had a lot of rain lately but no leaks so far after using the foam sealant. Maybe the rain is filling a cavity under the sliders. Maybe the cavity will fill up completely with rain water and not allow any more rain to come in. That would be great. When I originally pulled out the nut plug I had about a gallon water pore out but it hadn't rained for a week. My guess is the slider bolts were not fully sealed or some invisible crack. It would be a big job to pull off the whole slider and re-seal all the slider bolts. Now it's all sealed closed by an easy fix. No drips so I'm happy for now.
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