Dorade

Hello all. Went down to the boat last weekend and installed my fuel tank access ports. I had pre-fasbriucated all of the parts and everything went smoothly! The tank on my 86 E-38 was not at all the same as Christians whose boat is only one year different than mine. I only had one baffle and had only a small 2"x2" triangular opening in the bottom corner of the baffle. Therefore I did not need three ports. fI was happy to see that as the tank bottom is pitched toward the bottom corner all of the debris accumulated there. Clean up of the interior was easy, and I now look forward to not having any fuel issues in the future. BUT! Finish one project and gain THREE! Such are the joys of boat ownership. During my work on the tank I noticed that the dorade began to leak as well as one port and a drip was found on the forward bulkhead. The stanchions need re-bedding which I am doing next weekend, the port is an easy fix, but the dorade? Why would it leak in a simple rain? My first attempt will be to make sure the drain holes are clear and unobstructed. If that doesn't work, I will have to take off the vents, but I will only be able to view into the box through the holes. My dorade box is approximately two feet long and goes athwart ship. It has a teak cap on top onto which the vents are mounted. I am hoping to not have to remove the teak. Has anyone else out there had this problem? Any suggestions as to a remedy ? What would cause this to occur? Any and all suggestions are welcome.
P.S. Thanks Christian for the 5 minute video of your port access!

I have a lot of experience with the forward dorade on my boat. If it's similar to mine can likely help. Does yours appear as molded part of the deck, or screwed down? Mine is the molded in version (appears that way anyways, it really isn't).

The dorade box is a common problem on these boats from what I've heard over the years, at least here in Texas.

Forward dorado

Hi Don, my interpretation of your post is that you are having trouble with a leak that appears on the forward bulkhead. It is possible that the leak originates in the dorado box forward of the mast. Here is a link that may help: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...es-what-s-it-for&p=87221&highlight=#post87221

The dorade pictured in the link is the design I have. With a teak cap over the winch handle holder, since leaving that open usually results in a bigger leak problem.

Aesthetically it is a very nice dorade. Beautiful actually. I personally think all sailboats should have dorade for aesthetics alone to say nothing of functionality. But that's another topic. The problem with this dorade is its construction, the design underneath will eventually leak on all of them, more so in areas that have wide seasonal temp swings. You cannot appreciate the construction flaws by looking thru the cowl plates. I thought I had a good feel for how it was put together, ended up entirely different than I expected. For years I would remove and cap the cowl base plates, no more since repaired. The repair isn't easy, better in the hands of a skilled fiberglass man, which is what I did. I'll try to find pictures and post, along with a full description. Might be a good blog topic (if so that would be my first).

Thanks for the responses. I think the dorade issue is separate from the leaks at the bow pulpit base mounts. The bulkhead leaks are too closely aligned with the base mounts location. It raining now and will continue most of the weekend so my timing should be pretty good. I am hoping the dorade box drain holes are just clogged. If not clogged I will remove the solid teak cap and see whats going on down in there. Am pretty well versed in epoxy and fiberglass work so if interior repairs are needed, it's not that big a deal, just time better spent sailing. Taking down a roll of butyl tape for the bow pulpit base mounts and port light exterior trim ring. Will let you know what I find out at weekend's end and try to get some pic's. Am doing this along with bending on the sails, rigging the jiffy reefing, installing the heat exchanger I cleaned and refurbished, re-stocking the pantry with food, dishes etc. flushing and filling the water tanks, filling up with diesel (I drained my tank to install an access port 2 weeks ago) install my new VHF. All in two LLLOOONNNGG work days. Better get my cape back from the cleaners before I go down.

Keep the round side down!!