E27 rain water filling icebox

All the plywood under the countertop in the ice box has rotted away. During heavy rains, the ice box fills up with water. I'm thinking that it may be leaking in through the rub rail. I thought maybe it was coming in from the grab rail and then finding its way on to the counter then in to the ice box, but I've had a tarp over the boat throughout the winter which covers most iof the grab rail. I re-bedded the life line stanchions but they didn't seem to be leaking.
I was thinking of just running a bead of sealant, Sikaflex or 4200 all along the top of the rub rail where it meets the hull to see if that helps it. I do need to get new rub rail inserts at some point as mine are cracked and leaving nice white chalk streaks down the hull, but I'm trying to not spend so much money and it looks like that stuff is quite pricey.

Any ideas?

And once you find and fix that pesky leak, here's just one thread about repairing the damaged countertop.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?8383-E27-Galley-Countertop-replacement

As another owner once observed, about what goes into keeping up a boat.....
IIRC, he said that it was "Time, Skill, Money" : pick any two!


Loren

ps: I have been regularly short of all three, but can testify that a lot of time can substitute for $. Alas, I am a slow worker!

Have you pulled off the side panels that give you access to the stanchion bolts? That may at least help tracking down the leak.

As for my E29, there was a slow leak which kept the underside of the galley constantly damp. The wood started rotting away.

I tracked the problem down to the hull deck joint (behind the rub rail).

To fix it, I pulled off the rub rail. I _very carefully_ used an angle grinder to widen the gap in the outward facing hull deck joint flange enough so that some sealant would fit in the gap. I packed it with 3M 5200. The boat's been dry ever since.

Just fixed the same problelm

Haiku
I just had to rebuild this shelf with coosa board. I had my E27 tarped too. What I found is that is was coming in through my chain plates (the entire boat was rebed the previous spring by the yard!) I cut the plywood out from the shelf, spliced in a piece of coosa and then skimmed coated with epoxy. I also will mention that mine was so bad, that the rot extended to the cockpit bulkhead. I discovered it too was completely rotten when trying to install a new stand pipe muffler system. I had to completely tear it out too and rebuild. As for the countertop, the plywood under it was partially rotten, but only about half. I took a putty knife and scraped the bad wood out (that was easy and then let it dry for a couple weeks). I then mixed 404 West System filler and skim coated the voids to removed areas and then skimmed it level to the plywood that remained by angling my arm through the icebox access door opening and using a shop light. The bear plywood that faces the cooler ice from above can no longer absorb moisture! It wasn't easy, and it was messy, but much easier than ripping the entire counter up. The counter is rock solid now. Take a look at photos. Get an oscillating tool and dremmel!

Thanks for the replies.
Scott, it seems like we have the same problem. My bulkhead is also rotten. I'm going to re-bed my chain plates today and see what happens. Then maybe in the winter when I have some more time, I'll do what you've done and replace it all.

Success!

No more rain in the ice box. What a relief.

Thanks, Scott!