The fresh water leak that won’t stop

I’m at a loss.

Water leaks into the starboard locker in the aft cabin. I can’t find the leak and it is making me insane.

There are two parts to finding the leak: how the water gets into the locker, and how the water gets into the boat.

This is a fresh water leak: the locker only gets water when it rains.

The locker is under the starboard sleeping area in the aft cabin.

This is what I know:

  • The area above the locker is completely dry, always. Water is not dripping into the locker.
  • The water is coming from the top of the locker. I know this because the locker will completely fill with water.
  • I cannot find a place where water is leaking into the boat, though I am getting water in the bilge. There is a gully that runs under the cockpit that has fresh water in it; it shouldn’t. I presume this is same water that is getting into the locker.
  • A steering cable runs through the locker, but it is never wet.

The inside of the locker, looking forward. Water is visible at the bottom left. The recently applied 4m 4000 is to the right. The steering cable enters top left and the entry is temporarily sealed with green tape.
This is what I have done:

  • When the locker’s dry I have placed tissue paper everywhere in the locker and the water does seem to be coming from the forward top outside corner. I have caulked that area and the seam along the top of the locker with 3M 4000. My goal was to at least keep water from getting into the locker.

    That did not work.

  • This morning after a very large rain there is water in the locker, but no place I touch in the locker is also wet. I am presuming that the water is still coming down the same way, but by this morning at 5:30 AM the trail had dried.
  • There is a cockpit locker forward of the aft cabin locker. But I can find no place in that locker that is wet. The locker did leak quite a bit, but I’ve worked hard to seal all the entrances and now can find nothing that is wet.
  • There is a shelf support that did get water on it when the locker leaked, but (1) no longer gets wet and (2) I sealed it’s seam with 3M 4000. (See Picture)
  • I have wrapped tape around the opening where the steering cable enters the locker. That should keep water from entering the locker. The cable and the area is not wet. It never has been.

The sail track. I can not find any leak from the sail track. Any leak from the sail track into the aft cabin would be easily visible.
There is a sail track that runs over this area. I cannot find a leak from it and the area below it would have to get wet if it was leaking.

The inside of the cockpit locker. Aft is at the top of the picture. The small hose is the drain from the cockpit seats. The large hose is the cockpit drain. Both are dry.
The caulked shelf support is visible. The yellow shelf was trimmed back to reveal the support (and make it easier to retrieve tools that have fallen.) Wiring is from the MPPT charge controller for the solar panels. Batteries are stored under the yellow shelf. This protects them from flooding.
Anyone who has searched for a leak knows that water can travel great distances before it pools. I am at a complete loss. All ideas are welcome, especially from other Maxi 95 owners.

If I don’t have this solved by the time guests start arriving, I’ll drill a small hole in the forward bottom of the locker to allow the water to drain forward into the bilge!

NOTE: It is raining again at 7 AM. The the downward sloping caulk in the aft cabin locker is wet.

Author: johnjuliano

One-third owner of Caro Babbo, co-captain and in command whenever Caro Babbo is under sail.

Leave a Reply