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  • #6843

    With all this rain that we have recently had, I have yet again found leaks in the boat. So I thought that I’d start a thread about this, as leaks seem to be a common problem with Bavarias.

    Below are a list of the places that I’ve found leak, and what I did to solve it, and also a few that I haven’t had, but I know someone who has.
    If you have found a leak that’s not on the list (or have found a better way to solve one), please do add your comments and recommendations.

    Hatches & Windows
    My boat was out in the Caribbean for a number of years (which I suspect didn’t help with this), but I found that pretty-much all my hatches and windows leaked. On removing them, the foam gasket had gone hard and was disintegrating, hence letting water in behind the hatch/window in between the deck skins. I stripped off all the old foam, cleaned both surfaces with cellulose thinners, and applied a big bead of ABROMAST Butyl sealant around the frame. The re-seated the frame, screwed it almost home (leaving about ½ a turn left on the screws), cleaned off the excess goo, and then after a couple of hours I went round and tightened the screws completely. This completely solved that problem.

    I also found that some of my windows were weeping through the seal. This was due to them being opened a lot and the two little prongs on the window frame had bent out ever so slightly. I just tapped them back gently with a hammer and a drift, until the cam locked tightly again, and that did the trick.

    Skin fittings
    Bavaria seem to have got hold of a cheap job-lot of silicone sealant (maybe it was old stock left over from the window days), and so they decided to use it to bed all the skin fittings with. The result being that they will eventually ALL leak. They need removing, cleaning up, and re-bedding with Sikaflex. I’ve had leaks from the following fittings:-

    Deck fillers (water and fuel) and waste water outlets
    Compasses (bedded onto foam gaskets)
    ALL transom skin fittings
    Cockpit drains
    Handrails on deck roof
    Clutches
    Mainsheet Traveller
    ALL cleats
    Stantion bases
    Engine panel
    Manual bilge pump
    Emergency steering Post

    I also know that a number of people had had a leak through where the nav light wire goes into the moulding at the base of the pulpit, and there have also been some leaks from around the mast base fittings.

    Any more for any more?

    #9564
    Webmaster
    Participant

      think you should call her Friday Afternoon Girl! Joking aside im sure most your problems are (heat/shrinkage/temp/uv) related. I have owned 3 Bavarias and only the first one had a few small problematic leaks, the last couple have been dry.

      All yachts need constant maintenance, I THINK WHAT YOU DID AROUND THE WINDOW/HATCHES is spot on! and im sure we can all learn from this.

      rgds Ray

      #9566

      She’s had a “full” life, what with 2 Transatlantics and a number of years on charter, so what with the use & abuse and the temperature/uv it’s probably suffered more than your average “Solent Weekender”.

      But it you google “bavaria leaks” you’ll see that this is not uncommon, so I thought I’d start this so that others have a chance of going straight to the problem and knowing how to solve it when they find a leak, rather than taking the boat apart to try and find it.

      Anyway, hopefully some of it will be of some use to someone one day.

      #9568

      Found 2 more yesterday:- both deck shower fittings fell out when I removed the screws.

      #9623

      Just found another yesterday whilst giving it a good wash. The babystay U-bolt had no sealant under it at all (what the hell…)

      #9912
      Webmaster
      Participant

        Hello Fello BOA’s
        AAAAAAAAHHHHH yes Leaks i have leaks in port windows thinking of new rubber seals for my 46 cruiser {2006} has been a charter boat i have found leak maybe coming from mast bedding???? and i have medium badly greek repaired jobs around the starboard shroud plate can this be strengthened thanks

        #9924
        Webmaster
        Participant

          Hi all. A couple of other leaks which will have you scratching your head to find.

          Red plastic hot water pipe near the clorifier. Pin hole develops and allows water from the pressurised water system in to the bilges. Happened 3 times on our 32 despite new pipes. We thought it was leak through the top sides for ages.

          Fresh water pump diagram on the head of the pump. The neoprene gasket deteriorates and water drips in to the bilges under the pump where you can not see it. Again we thought we had a leak in the top sides.

          Best regards.

          Ant.

          #9950
          Webmaster
          Participant

            I can add one!

            Started to find water in the bilge next to the keel bolts on our Bav 30 cruiser, every time we used the boat it appeared, some times a pint or two other times we could be out all weekend and hardly any water, took a sample home to a friend who checked it out and confirmed sea water!!

            After much debate down the sailing club we decided it had to be from the engine as the amount of water present related to how often I used the engine, spent all last Saturday going over the engine with a close eye to find a pin prick hole spraying sea water from the water trap in the exhaust it was so fine it could hardly be seen.

            Another lesson learnt phew.

            Derek

            #9951
            Anonymous

              Sadly pipes and seals perish as they do on cars and if you read any blogs by cruising sailors each day is a round of checks and double checks.
              Boats sailed hard suffer a lot of stresses and strains and inevitably things wear out.
              I don’t know how old your boat is but my 2001 34 suffers less problems than my somewhat newer car and that hasn’t been out in gales and salt water.
              I have taken the perspex out of my Rutgerson hatches cleaned and rebedded them and am about to replace the rubber seals.After 15 years it doesn’t seem unexpected.
              Clive
              WISH

              #13165
              Ellena
              Participant

                Talking of leaks, I have a Bav 38 Ocean and I also have deck leaks, I understand that the teak is laid on a plywood base
                can any members confirm this and any further information
                regarding the process that was used by Bavaria for fitting
                these decks, as it is my intention to strip the old deck next winter and renew any information would help.

                John Williams
                Boat ELLENA

                #13166
                bobclements
                Keymaster

                  The most common source of deck leak on the Oceans (in fact all the boats with teak toerails) is from behind the wooden mouldings under the toerails. These mouldings cover the hull/deck joint. If you remove the stainless steel strip and then remove the teak moulding, you will see the joint, and I would go along it with some CT1, as there’s a high chance that there is a gap in the sealant. I say to use CT1 because you can put it onto wet surfaces.

                  #13456
                  JohnandJaneLinsdell
                  Participant

                    I have discovered several leaks underneath the teak decking and the cure is fairly simple. If you inspect the caulking closely, every so often you will find a small length of caulking of approx 2 inches which also may have started to lift at the edges. Underneath these strips is a small hole that goes completely through the deck. You need to locate the hole nearest to the leak and you should find that the teak has lifted slightly and the water is running under the teak and down the hole. Just seal the small hole and replace the caulking you removed.

                    John
                    Loblolly

                    #13491
                    Peter Ryan
                    Participant

                      I have a leak in the forward bulkhead just behind the anchor locker in my 2001 Bavaria 34, which dampens the forward part of the cushions. I have sealed the anchor locker and resealed toe rails but with no effect. Does anyone have any ideas of where I should look next? Leaking mast? thanks, Peter

                      #13495
                      JohnandJaneLinsdell
                      Participant

                        Hi Peter, if you’ve got teak deck then check my previous post. If you haven’t then check stanchion post base from the inside. You will have to remove the lining. You should soon locate the leak from the black stains.

                        Regards, John
                        Loblolly

                        #13496
                        bobclements
                        Keymaster

                          Hi Peter

                          I believe that a common source of leaks in the forepeak can be water running down the bow light cable where it runs inside the pulpit.

                          Other suggestion is the forepeak hatch. Check the foam under the frame to see if it has gone hard and crumbly. If it has, water might be getting in. You can re-bed it with butyl tape.

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