Pilot house leak

[Jeremyvmd]

So since buying the boat every time we have a heavy rain, when I've come to look at the boat the next day there is water on the floor infront of the port seat. I tracked the source to under the sliding window but can't track it down any farther... Looks like there's some sealant under portions of the window frame but it's not completely sealed. Anyone else have this sort of leak? Where was your leak? Any ideas on the best way to fix it without removing the window?

[Russell]

I have been trying to stop this same port side leak since I purchased my 05 model. Originally the water would leak on the quarter berth. I put new rubber gaskets in the ports because they seemed to have some rust around them suggesting a leak. No help. I re-caulked the seam where the pilot house is set on the deck, a big job. Removing the ceiling over the quarter berth revealed the water was following the radar power cable that ran in the pilot house pillar and lots of mold in this overhead space. I caulked the pillar space liberally and less water came in the quarter berth but from farther forward. I removed and re-caulked the radar arch, the roof handrail and some of the other bolts going through the roof. This did not help. I removed the strip below the window and saw there was a gap between the space in the roof pillar and this space under the window. So I sealed that and now the leak changed to the space in front of the passenger seat and some in the quarter berth. So the water was actually coming in somewhere else and running aft into the pillar space through the hole I sealed. The only thing left seemed to be the window. Spraying water with a hose on the window showed a leak. I removed the window, cleaned off the sealing tape that was used instead of caulk and put a generous bead of 4200 on the rim and reinstalled. Next rain the leak was as bad as ever and I am stumped. It might be the port windshield. We are supposed to get a large rainstorm this afternoon so I just went to the boat and taped the edges of the window to see if I somehow left a gap. Salt water comes in too if I am out running in rough seas with water splashing up on and over the pilot house. I will let you know if I find it. I never had any problem like this on my 97 model.

[socalmike]

Please keep us posted.

[Jeremyvmd]

I wonder if it's leaking through the track that the window rides in. Might have to look into that:/

[Russell]

We had a real deluge yesterday and some water still appeared in the passenger space but none in the quarter berth. The ceiling and cushion are out of the quarter berth so even a small leak will show up on the fiberglass. The window frame is solid so it is not coming in that way. Something is happening in the corner below the windshield pillar. I need someone to watch inside while a hose is directed at the windshield and then the side window.

[Jeremyvmd]

How big of a pain was removing the window frame? Is it just screwed on? I was just gonna fill in the space under the window with 4200 but im worried that will redirect the water elsewhere...

[Russell]

Removing the window frame was not difficult. If you are not strong it might be a good idea to have someone help you. The only problem is the screws down in the lower forward space that cannot be removed in place. I took out all the other screws and because they do not go through the pilothouse but through the window opening, it is possible to pull the frame out from the rear and force it back to reveal the corner screws. This is where a helper on the inside would be of use. The frame is a bit heavy and I enlisted the help of my neighbor to reinstall it. There is no way to put those screws back in down in the corner but the remainder seem sufficient to hold it in as flat as possible.
Inspection of the frame installed shows gaps between the fiberglass and the frame. It appears that the pilothouse is not perfectly flat and the sealing tape they used did not seal everywhere. The screws were corroded from salt water and I suspect the window was leaking from day one.
As I mentioned the other day, I taped up the edges of the frame and some water still got in. Yesterday I removed the tape and put 4200 all around the edge. I am hopeful this will finally do it. If you see gaps between the frame and fiberglass you might try doing the same. I pushed it in with a putty knife so it is not noticeable.