How to stop water intrusion in to V berth from rub rail area

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Island Dreamer

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Had my 2520 out on a rough day with a small craft advisory. I was heading directly in to it for about 2 hours. The boat handled amazing especially with the trim tabs push the bow down a bit. I have the Volvo Penta 5.7 inboard and was loaded with about 130 gallons of fuel. The boat did not slam at all. My passenger has been on another 2520 with an outboard on an extension bracket and said it was dramatically different. He felt the one with the outboard slammed into every oncoming wave and described it as "molar jolting."
After about a few minutes of water and spray hitting every inch of the boat, I saw a leak running down the carpet on the wall near the window in the V berth area. The leak started where the angled carpeted wall meet the horizontal flat part. After the journey I went outside to inspect under the rub rail. I could not see any loose rubber but did see that there is a white caulking tucked behind the rub rail. Is this a maintenance item that has to be caulked every so often? I may take a hose and slowly hit under the rail until I can force the leak again. I'm not to sure about the construction of these boat and why water would enter as this point.
 
Had my 2520 out on a rough day with a small craft advisory. I was heading directly in to it for about 2 hours. The boat handled amazing especially with the trim tabs push the bow down a bit. I have the Volvo Penta 5.7 inboard and was loaded with about 130 gallons of fuel. The boat did not slam at all. My passenger has been on another 2520 with an outboard on an extension bracket and said it was dramatically different. He felt the one with the outboard slammed into every oncoming wave and described it as "molar jolting."
After about a few minutes of water and spray hitting every inch of the boat, I saw a leak running down the carpet on the wall near the window in the V berth area. The leak started where the angled carpeted wall meet the horizontal flat part. After the journey I went outside to inspect under the rub rail. I could not see any loose rubber but did see that there is a white caulking tucked behind the rub rail. Is this a maintenance item that has to be caulked every so often? I may take a hose and slowly hit under the rail until I can force the leak again. I'm not to sure about the construction of these boat and why water would enter as this point.
Search this site, common problem. Most say it’s the screws from the rub rail install, wasn’t the case for my 2007 2120.
I pulled the rub rail, resealed all the screw holes, only to find it was the seam where the cap sits on the hull.
Sealed Inside and out with “ LifeSeal “ problem solved. Been fine last few years.
Pretty easy fix really, I have photos
 

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Yep, common problem. Pull out the rub rail insert. Remove one screw at a time and shoot some silicone in each hole and put screw back. Reinstall the insert.

Take some alcohol or acetone and wipe the bottom and top of the rub rail where it meets with the hull. Run an even bead of silicone the entire length of the boat where the rubrail meets the hull top and bottom. Use a wet finger to fair out the silicone the entire length. (Doing this would have indirectly solve Bluesthing’s leak.)

This leak happened to me when I got the boat new more than 20 years ago—still no leaks…
 
Thank you. This is the next project after I pull the rear plug and reinstall! There was only one spot leaking so I may just attack a few feet of the area that was leaking. This was the first time in rough water and I'm sure water was hitting under the rub rail with force for two hours straight. Do you know exactly which Lifeseal you used? I see a caulk and a sealant.
 
I have done it both ways in the past, the way @Bluesthing sealed the cap/hull gap is the correct way.
It gives lasting results with no cosmetic issues, otherwise bead of caulk/silicone inevitably starts flaking away where the rub rail meets the cap/hull. A dealer/friend once told me this kind of evidence of a repair can lower resale value, too.

--
 
Boat Life makes both “ Life Caulk “ and ” Life Seal “.
for this repair I used “ Life Seal “ white.

I removed the rubrail, 1 side at a time, cleaned the hull and underside of the rubrail. Caulked the hull seam and put a dab of caulk in each screw hole as I reinstalled the rubrail. Used minimal caulk on the outside hull seam, more liberal on the inside - behind the carpet.
Look close at the pic of the inside and you’ll see the caulk pushed thru from the rubrail screws

A handy trick is to use rope to support the rubrail if you unscrew the entire side - I used lines from the bow rail, midship and aft cleats.

As for the resale comment, I would think a leak would have more of an affect on resale than evidence of a repair - and no leak!

Search and you will find this is a common issue ( not just Parker boats )
I’ve read where buyers of relatively new boats had cabin leaks repaired under warranty!

Easy DIY repair / service issue.
 
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Search this site, common problem. Most say it’s the screws from the rub rail install, wasn’t the case for my 2007 2120.
I pulled the rub rail, resealed all the screw holes, only to find it was the seam where the cap sits on the hull.
Sealed Inside and out with “ LifeSeal “ problem solved. Been fine last few years.
Pretty easy fix really, I have photos
Thanks for the photos. It helps understanding how this boat is put together.
 
Boat Life makes both “ Life Caulk “ and ” Life Seal “.
for this repair I used “ Life Seal “ white.

I removed the rubrail, 1 side at a time, cleaned the hull and underside of the rubrail. Caulked the hull seam and put a dab of caulk in each screw hole as I reinstalled the rubrail. Used minimal caulk on the outside hull seam, more liberal on the inside - behind the carpet.
Look close at the pic of the inside and you’ll see the caulk pushed thru from the rubrail screws

A handy trick is to use rope to support the rubrail if you unscrew the entire side - I used lines from the bow rail, midship and aft cleats.

As for the resale comment, I would think a leak would have more of an affect on resale than evidence of a repair - and no leak!

Search and you will find this is a common issue ( not just Parker boats )
I’ve read where buyers of relatively new boats had cabin leaks repaired under warranty!

Easy DIY repair / service issue.
Yes, it appears that leaks in new SCs are not uncommon. Some say about 1 in 5 experience window seal leakage. Please post if you have any thoughts on this!

--
 
Thanks for the photos. It helps understanding how this boat is put together.
Parker has a great video on you tube showing parts of pilot house assembly, you can see a lot of assembly detail in the pictures.

--
 
There was only one spot leaking so I may just attack a few feet of the area that was leaking.

The only reason you found this leak is you saw water in the cabin. What about the areas you can't see? The entire length of the boat is susceptible to this leak. Might not be a big problem since the water will eventually make its way to the bilge. But what if there is a leak near the gas hoses and salt water finds a path to the top of the gas tank? Maybe this is the reason why some boats have premature gas tank failures.
 
The only reason you found this leak is you saw water in the cabin. What about the areas you can't see? The entire length of the boat is susceptible to this leak. Might not be a big problem since the water will eventually make its way to the bilge. But what if there is a leak near the gas hoses and salt water finds a path to the top of the gas tank? Maybe this is the reason why some boats have premature gas tank failures.
In my case, there were a few drips down the carpet inside the cabin - in rough seas when the bow slams the swells. Minor, but still annoying. The way the water ran down the sides in my case, it ends up on top of the deck - not below deck and could not enter the bilge . For water to get below the deck, there would have to be compromise where deck meets the hull.

I must not be communicating this very well, if you look in the cockpit, under the gunwales, you can see the screws for the cap and rub rail and likely the cap seam.
Any drips in the cockpit would just run down onto the deck. In my case, it was swells slamming the bow that forced the water against the hull seam causing the minor drips down the carpeted walls in the cabin.

If swells slam the sides of your vessel hard enough to cause drips ( that would just run down onto the deck ) - the drip is the least of your problem!

Hope this clears thing up?
 
A half measure which I did an my friend's 2120 (mine does not have this issue) was to put a masking tape 1/8'' to the bottom of a rub rail and another tape 1/8'' off on hull under rail. Take 3M 4200 and bead it forcing it as much as possible with your finger under the rail. Remove most of it and pull tapes while it is still wet.
It has been holding on his boat for about 10 years.
 
I finally got around to tinker with the boat. Here’s a couple of pics my 1999 2320. Obviously other models and even other years of the same model will have slightly different configurations so this may not apply to your boat. The first pic shows the port side amidship. You can see the fuel fill on top and the fuel vent and rub rail is outside. The inspection hole was cut by me so I can mount an electric winch to bring in giant bft. So if there was a leak at the rubrail, fuel fill or fuel vent there is no way of seeing it. The second pic shows you the inside of the inspection port. As you can see, if there was a leak in the fuel fill/vent or rubrail at that area, the 2 hoses act like a straw directing salt water right through the pcv chase to the top of the tank. Once salt water gets to the tank, there’s no way of getting the salt out. I wrap a cotton towel around the hoses and check it for dampness routinely. So far she still passes the sniff test—knock on wood…
 

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