Chronic window leaking

[paulga]

Greetings,
Neither is caulk. IF you only want to seal it temporarily JUST to stop immediate leakage I would use a cheap Home Despot latex caulk. Temporary ONLY! Easy to apply, cheap and not difficult to remove. Save your $$ for the proper materials when you do a proper repair. My $.02.

Is this the one you mean?
Dap acrylic latex caulk

There is a similar caulk that has silicone. The above link did not mention silicone.

 

[RT Firefly]

Yep. REAL cheap and REAL temporary. NO SILICONE. Keep strongly in mind this is MY temporary fix.

 

[paulga]

Yep. REAL cheap and REAL temporary. NO SILICONE. Keep strongly in mind this is MY temporary fix.

The two sealant in my link - why they don't work as well?

JB weld epoxy putty or 3m adhesive weatherstrip

 

[Greg QS]

Is this freezing cracks of the gelcoat?
The connection between flybridge and the cabin roof is hidden inside, how to check it?

View attachment 155987

Yes These are typical freeze cracks. The moisture inside freezes and an expands and caused this type of crack. It is a bit away from the window . Most flybridges have external flanges that are screwed down. The screws over time weep into the structure and run down. I suspect you have exposed screws somewhere above. Maybe behind that trim board with the screen.

 

[JDCAVE]

The best procedure would be to remove the window completely and clean off any old caulk, then rebed. Trying to caluk without removing the window if it does work will be a short term fix since the window will work with the wave action and heating and cooling. Then the caulk applied on the outside will give way.

I read through the entire thread and agree with Dave. You need to remove and re-bed the window and if necessary replace any rotten structure underneath. I re-bedded all 7 windows in my pilothouse. It was a day per window, once I got the hang of it. Some were leaking and some were not. None leak now. The work was done 9 years ago now. Also re-bedded two windows in the saloon, including replacing a broken slider window pane and re-bedding the fixed pane as well. Trying to just apply caulking without removing the window is not a long term solution.

Jim

 

[paulga]

I caulked the corner and along the lines last month as a temporary fix.

Yesterday there was a heavy rain, the inside was still wet to my touch. So the caulk didn't work as expected

I heard the connections between the bridge and the cabin top is a potential leak source. The boat is slanted with the bow being higher, so guiding the water to the aft. However, the bridge is fully enclosed, the rain does not come in the bridge, so where could the rain enter the space b/t the bridge and the cabin roof?

 

[Comodave]

Ok, the first thing to do is to try to determine where the water is getting in. I would start by using a really good tape, maybe Gorilla tape, and tape a piece of plastic completely over the window in question. Make it extend beyond the window frame an inch or two. Tape it down really well. Then see if the leak is still there. If it is still leaking then it is coming from somewhere else than the window. If the leak is gone then the window is leaking. And if it is the window leaking you must remove it completely and clean, clean, and clean some more both the window frame and the fiberglass that the window sits on. Check the wood around it to see if any needs replacing. Then use a quality marine caulk. I like Sika brand. That is the only way to properly seal a window. You can fart around for days trying to caulk it without pulling the window but that is all you are doing, farting around. Do it properly and do it once. And use a quality marine caulk. Quit looking for something oddball to use.

 

[paulga]

Ok, the first thing to do is to try to determine where the water is getting in. I would start by using a really good tape, maybe Gorilla tape, and tape a piece of plastic completely over the window in question. Make it extend beyond the window frame an inch or two. Tape it down really well. Then see if the leak is still there. If it is still leaking then it is coming from somewhere else than the window. If the leak is gone then the window is leaking. And if it is the window leaking you must remove it completely and clean, clean, and clean some more both the window frame and the fiberglass that the window sits on. Check the wood around it to see if any needs replacing. Then use a quality marine caulk. I like Sika brand. That is the only way to properly seal a window. You can fart around for days trying to caulk it without pulling the window but that is all you are doing, farting around. Do it properly and do it once. And use a quality marine caulk. Quit looking for something oddball to use.

If it's the window, the awning track with waterproof canvas should work. I'm going that approach.

I cannot see where water could get into that space below the fridge floor