caulking 36' ET

[MaasGuy]

Hey Everybody! Need to re-caulk the seam where the flybridge meets the house on our 36' ET.....any suggestions on which product to use? Currently leaking into the salon when it rains.

[ByronFox]

I have a 1979 Albin 36 trawler, and also have water leaking into the main salon on the starboard side. It appears to be getting in from behind the varnished trim outside and above the windows or from the fly bridge . Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Mariner]

I tackled this project on our 2003 36 ET around the same time this year. 3M 4200 is the product to use. I had to do a temporary fix with regular silicone caulk due to the fact that it was simply too cold out over the winter to get the 4200 to flow into the joint. It didn't leak, but I came back later and redid it with 4200.

[ltgoshen]

Did you have to take the upper rub rail off to reseal it? If you don’t mind explaining the process it would be very helpful.

[Mariner]

Did you have to take the upper rub rail off to reseal it? If you don’t mind explaining the process it would be very helpful.

Yes. Removing the upper rub rail isn't hard (or at least it wasn't on my boat...they are not all the same). In my case, I pulled the rub rail off, and ripped out as much of the old caulk as I could, but you can't really get it all out, nor should you need to. There's quite a lot, and IF mine was leaking (I'm still not certain of the source of my leak), it was likely in one area where the original caulking had been done incorrectly at the factory and over time, a minor degradation of the caulk let a small bit of water through. I put as much 4200 in there as I could, and put the rub rail back on. No more leaks. Not much else to it, really. I also ran a thin bead of 4200 on the upper edge of the rub rail, but importantly, not the bottom. I wanted any moisture that did get under that rail to be able to drain back out there, rather than inside the structure. Make sure you get the 4200 into the screw holes before you reinstall the rail.

[ltgoshen]

Did your top rub rail sealing job work? Is the cabin dry after it rains?
I still have an under the stove wet cabinets and the backing plywood will have be changed out.
I hate fresh water leaks.