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Drain Holes in Quadrant Box

dlmarx

Junior Member
With all the rain we have been getting in Norcal I am now in a hunt for leaks on my Ericson 29.

One that is particularly bothersome, is leaks around the quadrant base plate bolts.

When I looked further I am also noting leaks between the fiberglass and the liner in this area.

It appears the sealing between the floor and the front and back walls do not look like they are sealed well anymore.

The baseplate also looks like the sealant is old and degraded.

Would it make sense to seal these holes and reseal the seams around the walls.

It has two sets of drain holes both aft and forward in the box.

Were these drain holes part of the original design?

Also is there anyway to re-bed the baseplate while the boat is in the water? At first glance it looks like the rudder would drop out if I started removing bolts.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave
Quadrant_box.jpg
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Not sure of the baseplate. Is that a packing gland not seen in the photo?

Maybe this enhanced pic will help those more familiar with the E29.

1Quadrant_box.jpg
 

dlmarx

Junior Member
Thanks for the response, Not sure if its a packing gland as it appears to just be a plate which holds the quadrant.

This is the first time I really have started digging around in this area.

I did tighten the bolts down but was wary of pulling the plate off without understanding what its function is.

Will take a picture of it next time I'm at the boat.

Thanks,
Dave
 

dlmarx

Junior Member
Thank Peter.

I think the previous owner was having problems with the aft cockpit drains, as they drained really slow when I first got the boat. I used a plunger and pulled 40 years of dirt and lost hardware. It now drains good so I think he drilled these holes to have the overflow pass into the front part of the cockpit to drain during heavy rains.

What kind of cover do you have for the access port to rudder? Someone in the past made a custom snap on piece of canvas. It is starting to show its age and I am thinking about replacing with something more watertight.


Thanks,
Dave
 

Jenkins

Member II
Dave,

The cover on my boat is a homemade wooden cover that is on my list of things to replace too.

Peter
 

JPS27

Member III
My E27 has the same drain holes, 4 of them, two forward, two aft. I also have a leak problem that is one of my "holy grail" leaks. I have fixed and rebedded (with butyl) my rudder stop, and have rebedded my plate for the quadrant (and emergency rudder). I have moisture in the core where the rudder post comes up and I can see it from the quarter berth. I thought it would dry up with the rebedding but hasn't happened yet.

I don't think there is new moisture getting in thru the rudder stop plate or the quad plate. But if it is it would be from water dribbling in thru the teak cover that is less effective with the rain is coming hard and from the right direction.

In my case I don't think the water is coming in through the holes. I wouldn't seal mine as at least there's air flow for when there is moisture. IMG_7373.jpg
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>>I have moisture in the core where the rudder post comes up and I can see it from the quarter berth.

How does the rudder post come through the hull? A rudder tube, with packing gland? Just trying to envision how you can see the core.
 

JPS27

Member III
Christian, I don't want to derail Dave's thread, I'm just sharing a similar experience. When you take off the emergency rudder piece, the quadrant, and the base plate you can look down the tube (once the rudder is out) obviously ;), but also around the tube at the top is a gap. You can see down into the aft cabin. So you can also see threelayers of fiberglass--the floor under the quadrant, then core (damp), then fiberglass, then another layer of damp core, then the cabin lining.

Here are some pics I've take in the past when working on the rudder etc. Jay

Deck plate removed.jpgDeck plate.jpgTiller cap off.jpgRudder.jpg
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Jay,

Yes, that gap--not desirable. On many boats, water comes up the rudder tube when the stern squats. Often, grease between post and tube is required. Such water is often the source of mystery leaks. I don't know the E27 well enough to know if that applies. But core loses sandwich strength when wet and since the top bearing of the rudder takes a lot of strain, well, I'm sure it's on your list to fix.
 

dlmarx

Junior Member
Jay,

Thanks for replying.

I was hoping I would get enough airflow through the canvas cover but probably a good idea to leave the holes and just reseal around the base of the box.

This might be a stupid question but is there anyway to re-bed the quadrant base plate with the boat in the water, I just had the boat out this summer for doing the bottom and would like to avoid hauling out so soon if possible.

Thanks,
Dave
 

JPS27

Member III
I'm wondering if anyone else with a 27 can tell us what this quadrant plate and underneath that looks like on your vessel...

Dave I'm certainly no expert mind you, but I don't think I'd try to remove the quadrant plate while in the water. I can't imagine how you might do that. I will say that the first time I took my steering system apart it took a can a lubricant and two extra helpers at the boat yard to pull the rudder off the boat. The grease in there was rock solid.

I'm pondering Christian's point that the leak could be coming from water being pressured up the rudder tube. I do wonder -- given the gap between the tube and hole in the cockpit floor -- if the leak would be more like a torrent if that was what was happening. But the persistence of the leak is causing me to reconsider the possibilities. Here are two pictures (not taken for this issue, so not the best) to kinda show the area I'm talking about from inside the boat. On the close up pic you can catch a glimpse of the gap I'm talking about on the right.


IMG_5414.jpgIMG_7517.jpg
 

dlmarx

Junior Member
Thanks again for the response. Didn't think there would be a way to do this in the water.

My E29 has the same gap. Its actually quite wide as I can see the core material on the backside of the tube.

-Dave
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Allow me to backtrack. It may be that the "gap" is merely a designed gap, and there to provide passage for the rudder tube, which is held by the fitting. And so filling it is more on the optional side, and possibly with flexible material at that. But again, I'm just going by a few photos, so take it with a grain of salt.

The core still needs to be addressed, and the wetting factor stopped. But you knew that.
 
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JPS27

Member III
I checked my quadrant area today after a driving rainstorm and yep there was probably a cup or two or water sloshing around that I surmise entered through the wooden hatch cover. While I can't be sure this would be the ultimate fix, I think installing a water tight inspection hatch would be a start. Problem is there are not hatches that I can find that would fit without some enlarging of the cut out. But, there is a business called Boat Outfitters I found online that appears to make custom ones. Any worked with them? Or any other ideas, would surgery on the existing cutout be an ok idea? Thanks. Jay
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Jay,

Cutting the inspection hole bigger to fit an off the shelf sealing hatch cover is fine. I did that on my boat and do not have any leaks there. I'll get a photo and size when I'm at the boat.
 

JPS27

Member III
Thanks, Mark. A picture of the hatch and the size would be helpful. I need to get this taken care of. And I'm concerned about what a "fix" of the core around the tube would be like. I can't imagine removing the floor underneath the wheel and recoring where the quadrant sits. Need to eliminate water intrusion first.
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Jay,

I found this photo on my computer. I'll try to remember to get a size later today.
quadrant access.jpg
 
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