Removing genoa car tracks. Bavaria 39C 2006

[Unique460]

Hi all, I have a slight leak into the rear port cabin on my 2006 Bavaria 39C, I have removed the rear cupboard and any water seems to be appearing from inbetween the inner roof moulding and deck moulding but obviously could be running from a lot further forward. I have removed and resealed all the side windows/hatches, I have removed and resealed any deck fittings above and forward of the area but still a slight drip. I am beginning to suspect the deck genoa track but a hose pipe test did not reveal anything so to be sure I want to remove the track and re bed it on. The question is if I remove the screws in the track are the nuts below deck captive/bonded in and will they stay in situ or will they fall out? I can see no way of checking from inside the saloon but obviously do not really just want to remove a screw completely to find out I cannot replace it and retighten the track in place.
Andy.

[Salty]

Andy, before unbolting your Genoa track, have you tried using “Captain Tolleys Creeping Crack Cure” to see if that will seal the bolts that secure the track to the deck.  A friend of mine has a Dufour 41(2001) which is a J & J design very similar in many respects to the Bavaria boats of that age. He too has been suffering from a small leak of water. Between us we have tried various possible leak areas including the genoa sheet tracks on that side of the main saloon, including re-bedding the bolts that secure the track to the side deck. It has been really difficult to pinpoint where the water has been leaking from, but one possibility identified last time I was onboard his yacht was the exterior Rutgerson (on his boat) frames around the cabin portlight in that vicinity. We have doused the edge of the portlight frame where it appears there may be a small gap, but now we are waiting for a relaxation of the Covid rules before we go back to check whether the Tolleys has done the trick or not. Now I know its a different brand of boat, but some of the Bavs have Rutgerson portlights, and either way the problem appears to be a leak, so the situation is not far different from yours. The beauty of using Tolleys is that if it finds the leak then you know where to start in order to tackle the leak without first opening up something that might not be the source of your problem.

[IslandAlchemy]

A almost guarantee that the leak isn't from your genoa tracks and would suggest that you do not try to remove them.  You are likely to open a whole new can of worms by doing so.

Check all of the deck fillers, the cleats, and the stantion bases first.  My bet is that you'll find the leak here.

[Unique460]

Hi, thanks for the replies , all making good sense really. Removing the tracks was always going to be last resort for me but if I end up doing so then I need to know that the retaining nuts are not going to drop off and be irretrievable. I suppose nothing to lose by trying the "creeping crack cure" first, I will locate some and try it. As regards removing the stantion bases I will have to admit that that I have not done so yet but again the hose pipe test never showed up anything there but removing and rebedding  those has got to be the next plan of attack, I just hope I can get to the nuts for those ok.  The side windows are Lewmar Portalights and I have removed everyone completely, both inner and outer frames and rebedded with sikaflex so I am sure nothing is getting through there.
 The hunt goes on!

[IslandAlchemy]

If it's anything like my boat, there are aluminium plates bonded into the grp in behind the genoa tracks, not nuts.

[Bertie1972]

A almost guarantee that the leak isn't from your genoa tracks and would suggest that you do not try to remove them.  You are likely to open a whole new can of worms by doing so.

Out of interest why did you advise against this? 

Reason for asking is the deck area immediately below my starboard genoa track shows a high moisture level, and I'm planning to lift and re-bed it next year.

Is there something I should know?

Bertie

[Rampage]

The tracks are fixed by means of bolts into threaded holes in an aluminium plate banded into the deck.  Removing the tracks will mean removing those bolts which are likely corroded into the aluminium plates.  If the bolts won’t come out, then you’ll have to drill them out and either fit nuts underneath the plate after drilling through or retapping the bolt holes in the plate.  All in all a bit of a nightmare if you can find another way of resolving any leaks.

[Bertie1972]

Thanks for this.

If they don't move easily at first attempt I'll call on Captain Tolley.

Bertie

[IslandAlchemy]

Trouble is that you can't get bolts in there because it's between the two deck mouldings.

[symphony2]

Thanks for this.

If they don't move easily at first attempt I'll call on Captain Tolley.

Bertie

Interested first in why you think there is a high moisture reading in the deck in that area and then why you think removing the genoa track and rebedding it will cure it? Very unusual to have moisture in a deck moulding, particularly on such a relatively young boat. The conditions that lead to water logged GRP mouldings just do not exist (poor layup and gel coat plus continual immersion in water). Moisture in decks is usually caused by a failure of the outer skin allowing water into the core (if there is core in that area). The usual failure is through badly sealed fittings where the core is not sealed. Again such a condition does not exist on a Bavaria deck. It is not cored in that area, and there are no fittings that go through any cored area. As already explained the track screws go into a tapped aluminium plate bonded into a solid GRP area, so cannot be a path for moisture to enter either the laminatet or the interior of the boat. If there is a failure of the bedding under the track the outcome is more likely to be corrosion between the screws and the aluminium.

Can't see a lot of point in using Capt. Tolleys. This can be useful for sealing small weeps such as you can get around windows or even stanchion bases where the fastening does go through the (solid) deck, so is a potential pathway into the boat.