SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Hi All,

I have just discovered that my recently purchased 570 isn't as ship-shape as I thought. There is water seeping up through the deck in the rear. It appears to be coming up through the screws that the previous owners used to attach a wooden frame to form storage and a bench seat.

Water in the hull and saturated foam was my biggest concern when looking to buy a 570 and I was told when I purchased the boat that it didn't have a plug at the rear, but in fact it does. The plug is fitted permanently from the inside but clearly isn't watertight as there was water in the well there along with a water scoop, so this looks like a possible culprit for the water ingress. If this is the only source of the ingress then the water has travelled through the stringers (assuming that there are stringers fitted) and foam all the way (at least) to the cabin partition. The rear table mount has corroded from the bottom up so this adds to the likelyhood of the plug being the source.

If the plug isn't the culprit, what other potential suspects for ingress are there? I read, I think on here, about somebody having ingress from under the rubber fender? I don't think the rubber fender strip is the culprit though as I can't see any trace inside.

Can this type of foam (whatever type it is) dry out if left out of the water or is it now a lost cause and requires removing/replacing?

Any comments/info greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Mike.

Mike, just replied to you on my thread. If you are near Norfolk give me a shout

Having spent the day investigating further, I don't think the plug is a likely contender. Any water gathering there in the well has nowhere to go so can't really be the source of any ingress.

The rubber fender strip on the other hand is a contender in that it actually hides the rivetted join between the top and bottom halves of the boat. I was easily able to pull the strip down off the join to reveal some nasty repairs from the past. The reveal included a nut and bolt where a rivet would have been (amongst other nastaies), rotting fibreglass and lots and lots of old sealant, the door closed after the horse has bolted maybe.

As there appear to me to be no other real prospects for leaks (as there are no signs) I have to assume/hope the join between the top and bottom was the culprit in the past and replace the rubber fender strip whilst tidying any rotten glass/sealant. That still leaves any water infested foam of course.

Cheers,
Mike.

dij66 wrote:Mike, just replied to you on my thread. If you are near Norfolk give me a shout

Other side of the country I'm afraid but the next time I'm over there I'll give you a shout.