My partner and I acquired a 1979 Nonsuch 30 a few weeks ago. The boat was basically ownerless for a few years and spent part of that time out of the water and part of it in the water (in this case, fresh water). The boat is in good general condition, but it has some interior leaks. Please forgive me if I get the technical terms wrong in the upcoming description of the issue. During a recent rain storm, we were able to observe that several of the bolts coming through the deck joint (the bolts with nuts on them) were dripping water.
Are there other Nonsuch 30 owners on the forum who have experienced and tackled a similar issue? Our thought was that we would start by tightening the nuts on the bolts to see if that might stop the leak. If that doesn’t work, presumably we will need to remove the teak toe rail cap and rebed the bolts? Or perhaps the issue is with whatever holds the toe rail cap on? We’d like to take care of the problem in a way that will fix it for the long-term, if possible. We’d be very grateful for any direction from other owners.
I strongly suggest you not over tighten the nuts. I had found all of mine loose and snugged them down with the result that small stress cracks appeared on deck. Too late I read on the listserve that one should not tighten them down. Removing and re-bedding may be the only option.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221 (1984)
Sea Harbour Yacht Club
Oriental, NC
Thanks very much for the tip, Joe. Sounds like we need to skip Plan A and go straight to Plan B.
I wonder if there’s anyone out there who has experience removing the toe rail? Any insights would be much appreciated.
Amy. You do not tell us where your located…if we knew perhaps someone with experience could evaluate your problem. With a balsa core hull and deck you have to be sure there has been no leakage into the core.
In the meantime you could pick up the West System manuals which tell you how to rebed leaking bolts.You may not need to use epoxy , but it would be great informational tool.
If you are lucky, you may just need to rebed with 5200 or its equivalent. You do not want to seal moisture into the core.
Hinterhoeler did a great job in putting in the original bolts, I have recently relocated my main sheet deck block and was pleasantly surprised to find that the bolt holes had been drilled oversize and lined with epoxy…you will understand what I mean when you read the booklet.
The booklets are available at good marine stores including West Marine (not the same company )
Good luck
Paul Robson
Sea Cat N30U
Traveling the Intercoastal
It has been a while since I pulled a toerail on a sailboat. My first move would be to find a local boat carpenter and hire him as your coach. If you plan on doing it yourself, a good coach will save you a lot of time and money. Amateur attempts at things like this most often spend a lot of time going down the wrong road where mistakes are made and a lot of energy is spent doing things the hard way. It is ALL about experience. Good Luck
Upon re-reading my email, I think that it should have been clearer. Remove and re-bed the bolts, not the toe rail.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221 (1984)
Sea Harbour Yacht Club
Oriental, NC
As mentioned once before, I used Butyl tape under my handrails and it was the worst thing I ever did.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221 (1984)
Sea Harbour Yacht Club
Oriental, NC
Amy. You do not tell us where you are located…if we knew perhaps someone with experience could evaluate your problem. With a balsa core hull and deck you have to be sure there has been no leakage into the core.
In the meantime you could pick up the West System manuals which tell you how to rebed leaking bolts.You may not need to use epoxy , but it would be great informational tool.
If you are lucky, you may just need to rebed with 5200 or its equivalent. You do not want to seal moisture into the core.
Hinterhoeler did a great job in putting in the original bolts, I have recently relocated my main sheet deck block and was pleasantly surprised to find that the bolt holes had been drilled oversize and lined with epoxy…you will understand what I mean when you read the booklet.
The booklets are available at good marine stores including West Marine (not the same company )
Good luck
Paul Robson
Sea Cat N30U
Traveling the Intercoastal
To be honest, I didn’t realize that you could get to the bolts without taking up the toe rail. If that is the case, that is a great thing. My partner will be up here this weekend, so we’ll go have a good look at the boat together and hopefully figure out what’s what. Thank you all for your helpful input.
On another boat I had, I tightened every 2 nd bolt about a quarter turn (goby feel) if they will take it then go back and do the others. That might be enough to squeeze the butel rubber if its not hard. There was comment about coring, I would be really surprised if the coring did not stop a couple of inches from the deck joint.
I recall someone suggesting that you have someone below with a wrench tightening the nut while you secure the bolt from above, from turning. I assume this is to prevent breaking the seal at the head of the bolt. Also, good advice from someone not to over tighten.
Amy
A very big question “has the water leaked into the balsa core”?
Get a marine appraiser to see where the water has leaked into and if it has gone into the core, he will use an instrument that registers if water is in the core, what does he suggest you do to repair it. If there is no water in the core, go ahead with rebedding the bolts.
Don’t use butyl as a sealant, it never cures and is always soft, better to use a proper marine sealant I have always used 3m 5200.
If no water in the core suggest you use a drill attachment to slightly enlarge the area where the head of the bolt will be, but a bead of caulking around the head of the bolt and then insert put don’t fully tighten
until the 5200 has hardened slightly, then tighten. Wipe off the residue with a rag and acetone.
There is no core by the hull/deck joint, Everything I’ve ever read is that 5200 is not for bedding items on deck but for below the water line.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221 (1984)
Sea Harbour Yacht Club
Oriental, NC
I had the same situation on my 1980 C. I tightened the nuts on the bolts so that they were just snug. I was then going to take up the teak toe rail and rebed it. I started to attempt to remove it however it seems to be set in 5200. Gave up on that idea and cleaned a small groove on either side of the toe rail and used a good quality silicone caulk in the grooves . This has stopped any water dripping inside. I suppose you could remove the wood plugs and the screws and rebed them. Good luck..