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so i have discovered that where the pedestal attaches to the cockpit floor, appears to be leaking.
should i seal it with butyl tape or a caulking compound- whats best
and where to get it.
i will obviously remove the pedastal first!
thanks all
wayne

given the amount of lateral stress that the pedestal is subject to, I think butyl tape is probably best. An overly hard sealant such as 3M 5200 would not be appropriate. Perhaps 4200.

So far I've had almost 6 years of a leak free pedestal joint with just a bead of 5200 around all bracket edges and pedestal base, looks like it will go for six more. the 5200 so far seems to have plenty of flex left in it. I didn't want to remove my pedestal and 5200 seemed to be the toughest stuff around and the white matched the boat.

If u go with Butyl tape , its around 35$ a roll @ the marina,s . but about 7$ a roll @ most RV shops & usualy avail. in diff colours & sizes widths & thickness

J
PS I used butyl tape on my two plastic strips that I removed to repair water leaks under my sliding hatch , in this pic on the left is velcro tape to let the hatch slide without scratching the gelcoat & on the right is the butyl tape that the plastic strip was screwed back on & resealed with

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... G_0834.jpg

Heres where the crack in the gelcoat was & letting water in only when my dodger was off
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... G_0821.jpg

re-installed
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... G_0844.jpg

But will the $7 roll have a picture of a boat on the box hahahaaha

Highlander wrote:If u go with Butyl tape , its around 35$ a roll @ the marina,s . but about 7$ a roll @ most RV shops

J

great, thanks guys!!

The water will be coming down the cables etc well it would be on ours at least because there is a raised pipe section so that any leaks under the pedastal at floor level can't go through below but if water runs down the wires it can.

ahhh!! roger that.
thats exactly what it is doing- but then how is the water getting to the cables, it has had a canvas pedestal cover over the pedastal, and if it is a rainy week- there will be about 1/2 to 1 gal of water under the rear bunk. but it is running down the cables- have checked under where the rudder lift ropes run through the pipe- its not coming from there. also water will be sitting on top of the plastic bunk boards- have removed all the cushions for the winter- and have a dehumidifier running

Sounds like it's not leaking from the ped.

One common place for water to leak is from the motor cables through the motor well and the steering shaft that passes through the same location. Water runs down and through this hole and drips into the aft berth. That's where I'd check.

--Russ

thanks Russ
yup i did check that, where i seemed to find most the water was on the cables coming out the pedestal- and when i stuck my finger up into the hole below the ped. and felt around- it did feel wet .
thanks- i will keep looking- got to do the top of the coke bottle funnel mod for the rudder lifting ropes- and will have another thorough look around.
thanks all

If your canvas cover goes below any holes or covers on the pedastal it's not coming in there so if the water is round the wires the only other possibility is the pipe seal where it goes through is broken and fairly well to get that much water, it could be that the pipe doesn't go up far enough also?

yup, cover goes right to the floor- will have to open things up, and take a good look.
thanks