Leaking hole for electrical wire in stanchion

[edokarura]

Have a look at the attached pics (from above and below). I've got water coming through the hole which feeds the wire to my aft nav light. This travels down the tube of the stanchion, drops onto the bottom of the locker, then drains down to and around the base of the steering shaft then into my aft cabin, soaking my bed.

So……..

Any thoughts? Where is the failure? Is there supposed to be a watertight boot or some such lining the wire hole to keep out the water? How would you fix this?

And since we're there, I probably ought to re-bed the stanchion base. How does one do this in the case above where it it is on top of a layer of both wood and fiberglass?

Thanks!

Ed
'91 E-34 "Kinnaree"

 

[MMLOGAN]

Rain Loop

Ed,

I would start by sealing the around the wire where it enters the stanchion. Use a good quality marine silicone. Where the wire exists below the transom I would put in a rain loop. Basically you create a low spot in the wire run that funnels the water into your aft lazarette instead of following your steering shaft. Think of a rain loop as "U" in the run so the water follows gravity to the low point of the "U" and drips from there.

There is a ton of info on the site about re-bedding. Some like butyl tape, some like 3M 4200. It's a personal choice.

Best of luck,

Matt
Wind Chaser E35-III # 187

Have a look at the attached pics (from above and below). I've got water coming through the hole which feeds the wire to my aft nav light. This travels down the tube of the stanchion, drops onto the bottom of the locker, then drains down to and around the base of the steering shaft then into my aft cabin, soaking my bed.

So……..

Any thoughts? Where is the failure? Is there supposed to be a watertight boot or some such lining the wire hole to keep out the water? How would you fix this?

And since we're there, I probably ought to re-bed the stanchion base. How does one do this in the case above where it it is on top of a layer of both wood and fiberglass?

Thanks!

Ed
'91 E-34 "Kinnaree"

View attachment 13843

 

[Shelman]

So so familiar

I had the exact same problem on my 26. My bi-color light wiring ran through the stanchion base just like yours. I recently commented about it in a thread about re bedding an anchor locker.
I tried EVERYTHING. I re bedded it with silicone, (I was so naive back then) I filled the stanchion with silicone, ect. Finally I cut the wires, and re-routed them to an alternate location. I filled deck hole with epoxy, then wet sanded to remove the silicone contamination. Finally the stanchion needs to be properly bedded with butyl tape or your choice of other sealant.
This website has great how-to steps for bedding your stanchions http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects
Ideally you could re route the wires through their own watertight cable outlet. (preferably a metal one, not plastic) they are little fittings designed to be a through hull for electrical wires. Perko makes one good example.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...gine=adwords!6456&keyword=product_ad&type=pla

It took me quite a while to get all the leaks found, and stopped, but now my bilge is dusty and dry. good luck.

 

[Christian Williams]

A roll of butyl rubber tape is good to have for small rebedding jobs. Easy, instant, removable 30 years later. Maine Sail explains all here. I buy it from him, since I don't have an RV store nearby.

Lazy as I am, I would probably just cram some butyl into that stanchion hole.

 

[Loren Beach]

I'm votin' with Mr Williams.
Gotta say, tho, that when I took my bow pulpit off to rebed and reinforce the backing beneath, I found that the factory had put a major glob of sealant (tough stuff, and it wasn't silicone) up inside the pulpit base almost two inches, around those wires. No leaks, but I did wonder how much rain water might somehow fill up the ss tubing above that plug.

Our '88 boat had the identical stern light - same welded mount and wire feed. We had no drips back in the lazaret and this was likely because the wire entrance was sealed with a bit of sealant where it entered the hole in the tubing.
Note that on your boat rain could also run down between the tubing and the base and then enter the interior, too.
Seal that joint with thin sealant as well.

Best,
Loren

 

[Ryan L]

My 2c

I agree with the drip loop advice. I agree with the butyl tape (amazing stuff). If you decide to goop the inside or base of the tube (thus trapping water inside) it seems to me there is a much higher risk of corrosion, especially crevice corrosion, but I don't know this from first hand experience. Maybe the best idea is to move somewhere that doesn't have rain? Kidding aside, if it were me and I was going to use goop I'd make sure the goop went higher than the area where the water was likely to enter the tube in order to minimize the amount that would be just sitting there rotting your stainless from within. Plus I'd stay far away from silicone in favor of 4000, 4200, sikaflex, etc. Good luck!

 

[Glyn Judson]

Keeping the water out.

Guys, Ryan brings up a good point. I have resorted to sealing the joint between the stanchion and the base using Rig Rap white tape to make that joint waterproof which seems to have worked over the years and is just as bulletproof as butyl tape, which I might add is amazing stuff to have around. Glyn

 

[edokarura]

A roll of butyl rubber tape is good to have for small rebedding jobs. Easy, instant, removable 30 years later. Maine Sail explains all here. I buy it from him, since I don't have an RV store nearby.

Lazy as I am, I would probably just cram some butyl into that stanchion hole.

I think this is a good idea but oesn't butyl have to be under compression to work its magic?

 

[edokarura]

Guys, Ryan brings up a good point. I have resorted to sealing the joint between the stanchion and the base using Rig Rap white tape to make that joint waterproof which seems to have worked over the years and is just as bulletproof as butyl tape, which I might add is amazing stuff to have around. Glyn

You guys know of what you speak:

In order to remove this stanchion base I had to remove remove adjacent stanchions and discovered little puddles of water inside their bases.

First thought was, why didn't someone drill drain holes at the base of these when they were installed?

Any ideas?

 

[bigd14]

I drilled 1/8" relief holes at the lowest point I could in the stanchion bases in case any rainwater got in. Then sealed the wire as it passed through the deck with Sika-Flex. And put a loop in the wire below decks. No sign of leaks in the last three years...