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E34-II Anchor Locker Leak Into V-Berth ... Fixed?

bkuchinic

Member II
The following may be of use to others who have issues with water intrusion to the v-berth.

I purchased this, my first boat, a '92 Ericson 34-II last December and am getting ready for her first launch.

The boat showed signs of significant water intrusion to the v-berth. I'll try to be as brief as possible.

- Symptoms: bad smell and water collected in the storage spaces under the v-berth, some mold on the v-berth cushions, cushions damp on the bottom, very wet boat manuals on the shelf in the v-berth, mold discoloration on the fabric above the 'shelf" running along the hull on both sides of the v-berth.

- my surveyor noted a drop of water hanging from one of the anchor locker screws during her inspection (it was not raining at the time of the inspection)

Investigation / solution:

- a couple weeks ago I removed the anchor locker 'lid' and removed the perimeter screws. Some were stripped, others mis-sized, a bolt used in place of a screw in one place. The perimeter showed evidence of prior fix attempts including tape, new caulk etc.

- Using various tools I then removed as much of the old sealing material as possible. I hooked a halyard to the anchor fixture that secures the bitter end of the anchor rode and hauled. No movement. I pushed as hard as possible from the v-berth. No movement. I took a "Dremmel" tool, bent one of the cutting attachments to a 90 degree angle leaving a 1/4 section that I slipped under the lip of the anchor locker and removed as much caulk material as possible from under the lip of the anchor pan. Still could not remove the anchor locker.

- Next I located one of the solid wooden blocks used to support cradles in the yard (or keels) and placed that in the v-berth, upon which I perched my car jack. I put a piece of wood on top and cranked while a friend eyed the deck above to make sure I didn't cause noticeable deflection of the deck which I gently cranked the jack up about 1/2". Still not movement at all, but some concerning noises sounding a bit like splintering wood (see below *).

- Next, I crawled into the v-berth with a flashlight, looked up at the aft end of the anchor locker and saw what appears to be a sealed seam between the teak v-berth trip (running between the port and starboard sides) and the anchor locker. I took a screwdriver and worked at chipping away the cement like material. Then a chisel. Then a putty knife. After working at this for some time and making a mess, I again tried to push the anchor locker out with the jack. I heard some crackling, then "BANG"... and success.

- upon removeal of the trim and inspection I could see that a) the trim piece was attached only to the anchor locker, b) the trim was backed by two long pieces of plywood, one partially rotten, that had been screwed and plugged to the teak trim, and further secured with fiberglass resin sequentially: the teak connnected to board #1 connected to board #2 and then finally about 1/2" of fiberglass material running nearly the entire length of the aft portion of the anchor locker. The bond was about 5" high. It appears that upon manufacture, Pacific Seacraft permanently secured the trim to the locker rendering it nearly impossible to remove and reseat the locker. The only reason I succeeded in breaking the bond was that the first layer of fiberglass cloth on the anchor locker, thankfully, separated from the anchor locker (* the source of the cracking noises I believe).

- Associated problem: Some of the screws that secured the anchor locker lip to the deck did not fully "hit" the lip. Prior to rebedding the locker in a very thick bead of Polysulfide I wrapped fiberglass cloth and resin around those 5 points in order to create a target for the new screws that I will install now that the Polysulfide seal and fiberglass has cured.

- Next up: removing the plywood and fiberglass mess from the trim piece, then reinstalling it. I have in mind industrial strength velcro, placed both on a few spacers secured to the back of the team trim, and also to the aft surface of the anchor locker.

- I left the anchor locker exposed for two weeks without reinstalling the cover, through rain storms, and it appears the long suffering v-berth will hencetoforth be a dry space where I can park my teenage daughters when we sleep on the boat.

- before I launch I'll plug the anchor locker and fill it with water from a hose to see if I can make it leak.

- Once I am sure the problem is fixed I'll replace the hull fabric to eliminate the black mold stripes. I bought replacement fabric from Jamestown along with spray adhesive.

I'm on a plane right now and will upload photos when I have the opportunity.

I hope this helps someone out there who may have a similar problem!

Brad
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Good report.

So, do you now know where the rainwater was entering? Off the deck and through gaps between deck and locker pan?

Or individual screws/bolts? Obviously the pan never filled, as from a clogged drain.

Pesky issue with unfortunate damage. Reminds me of a tiny drip under a sink that cost me 40 hours of floorboards repair.

Sounds fixed!
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Brad,

Had a small leak that I swore was coming from the anchor locker. Turned out to be water running through the hole where the bow light wire ran through the starboard pulpit stantion.

Dry ever since.

Rick
 

bkuchinic

Member II
Good report.

So, do you now know where the rainwater was entering? Off the deck and through gaps between deck and locker pan?

Or individual screws/bolts? Obviously the pan never filled, as from a clogged drain.

Pesky issue with unfortunate damage. Reminds me of a tiny drip under a sink that cost me 40 hours of floorboards repair.

Sounds fixed!

Thank you Christian, Given the stripped and loose screws it is apparent the water was coming in there. This would be supported by the fact that the plywood backing the teak trim was rotted in the same area. The rotted wood was also below the area where the prior owner had attempted to patch / tape at the locker + deck joint. I didn't notice gaps in the existing caulking, but it could also have come in through a gap or gaps between the deck and locker pan. If so the re-bedding should solve that issue. I am having some trouble with the eo site password on my laptop and was unable to upload photos last night. I have a note in to the administrator and will try to get that done tonight. Brad
 

bkuchinic

Member II
Brad,

Had a small leak that I swore was coming from the anchor locker. Turned out to be water running through the hole where the bow light wire ran through the starboard pulpit stantion.

Dry ever since.

Rick

Thank you Rick, If I need to continue looking for another source I'll investigate that potential source. Prior to working on my leak problem I did a thorough search of this site to learn about the most common areas of water intrusion. I didn't see another post mentioning problems re-bedding the anchor locker and thought my experience might be unique and therefore interesting and potentially useful to other's here. This seems to have been an ongoing problem with my vessel that the prior owner(s) never successfully resolved. Brad
 

bkuchinic

Member II
A few key photos from the project are attached here:
 

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bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
This seems to be a universal problem. I think the cutout is too wide in some places to give a good seal to the pan. Our pan was poorly sealed with a mish-mash of fasteners and different bedding material. Leaks were rampant. I never want to deal with leaks into the v-berth and bilge again, so we are in the process of finishing the anchor locker mod. This is an easy job, and puts the anchor and chain down low and adds a little dry storage area to the foot of the v-berth, which is much needed on the 30+. An added bonus is all the bow hardware is now accessible from below for rebedding/replacement as needed.

Anchor locker before tabbing and paint.

Anchor Locker.JPG
 
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bkuchinic

Member II
This seems to be a universal problem. I think the cutout is too wide in some places to give a good seal to the pan. Our pan was poorly sealed with a mish-mash of fasteners and different bedding material. Leaks were rampant. I never want to deal with leaks into the v-berth and bilge again, so we are in the process of finishing the anchor locker mod. This is an easy job, and puts the anchor and chain down low and adds a little dry storage area to the foot of the v-berth, which is much needed on the 30+. An added bonus is all the bow hardware is now accessible from below for rebedding/replacement as needed. Anchor locker before tabbing and paint.

Thanks Bigd14, I'm not quite following what is going on in that photo. What is the depth of the floor of your new 'locker?' My E-34 doesn't have a bulkhead in the bow, but for the small teak one with a door to access the anchor pan drain hose that doesn't appear to be structural. If I were to install a bulkhead at the rear of the anchor pan I think my v-birth would be unacceptably small. Does your new setup accommodate a windlass? The following photos were taken before I rebutted the anchor locker pan.

IMG_0089.jpgIMG_0066.jpeg
 

Teranodon

Member III
I struggled with the pan a couple of years ago, as part of a windlasss installation. Here is a report, with pictures:

https://docs.google.com/presentatio...=false&delayms=60000&slide=id.gc508d459a_2_75

There is no way to keep water coming in (e.g., when raising the anchor) but it should go into the bilge. Alas, I still get some coming into the V-berth, at the base of the forward "door". I recently re-sealed the hatch and am hoping for an improvement.
 

bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hopefully this picture helps. The small bulkhead at the end of the v-berth is shown in the photo below. The anchor pan rested on top of this. The new shelf rests on top of this bulkhead, then a new bulkhead is installed to a point about 6 inches below the existing pipe through the bow. We'll cut a new hole at the bottom once its all painted.

It looks like your anchor pan actual drops down into the v-berth and is covered with a finished panel. On mine this drop down area has a small half bulkhead glassed in that hides the pan.

No windlass on this boat, and no plans to install one right now.




Anchor Pan Removed (1).jpg
 

SarahMK

New Member
Brad,

Had a small leak that I swore was coming from the anchor locker. Turned out to be water running through the hole where the bow light wire ran through the starboard pulpit stantion.

Dry ever since.

Rick

We're having the same problem on a new-to-us E26. This is probably a newbie question, but how did you fix the leak?
 

Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Sorry, just saw this.....

I removed the part and rebedded with butyl tape. I also filled the wire hole with sealant.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
- upon removeal of the trim and inspection I could see that a) the trim piece was attached only to the anchor locker, b) the trim was backed by two long pieces of plywood, one partially rotten, that had been screwed and plugged to the teak trim, and further secured with fiberglass resin sequentially: the teak connnected to board #1 connected to board #2 and then finally about 1/2" of fiberglass material running nearly the entire length of the aft portion of the anchor locker. The bond was about 5" high. It appears that upon manufacture, Pacific Seacraft permanently secured the trim to the locker rendering it nearly impossible to remove and reseat the locker. The only reason I succeeded in breaking the bond was that the first layer of fiberglass cloth on the anchor locker, thankfully, separated from the anchor locker (* the source of the cracking noises I believe).

- Associated problem: Some of the screws that secured the anchor locker lip to the deck did not fully "hit" the lip. Prior to rebedding the locker in a very thick bead of Polysulfide I wrapped fiberglass cloth and resin around those 5 points in order to create a target for the new screws that I will install now that the Polysulfide seal and fiberglass has cured.
Since this problem was published I note that repairs have been made. The part about the construction detail does puzzle me, tho. Four or five years ago I crawled thru an early 90's PSC-built E-34(2), and was really impressed by their detailed work on the electrical system and plumbing. I wonder if the guys on the assembly line were less motivated for some reason. Or they had some temp. labor filling in?
Of course we'll never know, now. Still, really puzzling.
As for the wiring in the one pulpit base, we have had that part off, twice, and the interface with the hole in the deck, under that leg, is sealed with some 'LifeSeal' sealant, and has never leaked.)

(That 34 was a Nice boat in many ways, but it had never had a single lick of preventative maintenance done, and the seller refused to price it to allow for $$ desperately needed. We penciled out about 35K in work; broker, unlike most that I have known, was not helpful at all, either.)
As someone once said: "It's a funny old world, isn't it?"....
 
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