E42 Caprail Joint
Date: April 4, 2000
From: Pat Mahoney Pm2120@aol.com
ANY ONE WITH ADVICE ON HOW TO REBED JOINTS ON E42 WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Date: April 8, 2000
From: Jerry Bernath bernathj@pocketmail.com
If you are speaking of the top, flat surface where they are joined, and the gap is no more than 1/4 inch, just use the teak deck filler you can pick up at West Marine or any good marine store. If it is on the underside, as was the case for me, I just filled it with BoatLife caulk. If you believe that you need to remove the Caprail, it can be done but is a lot of work that can create more problems for you.
On my E42, they are held down by screws, not bolts, so drilling out the 3/8th teak plug and unscrewing is no big deal. What is a big deal is unbolting the other hardware that is thru bolted to backing plates. On my 88, it appears that they did not use stainless steel and the backing plates have rusted. It is also difficult to get to some of the nuts that are on some of the bolts. Get the picture?
If you are you trying to solve a leak problem, I would sure try to seal the cracks between the caprail and deck externally before pulling them.
I had leaks in the main salon and found that all I needed to do was loosen the bolts on the topside hardware and pump Lifecaulk under them to cure the leaks.
The trick is to tighten the bolts but not fully allowing about 12 hours for the caulk to set up. Then tighten the bolts fully. This method allows the caulk to actually become a gasket under the hardware. I hope this helps, good luck with the repairs.
Date: April 8, 2000
From: Lee and Carol Elwell LEEELWELL@aol.com
Pat Mahoney:
Read your request for information on rebedding the cap rail on the E42. I am not sure exactly what your problem is but we have resealed the cap rail where it meets the vertical connecting piece of trim in order to stop leaks that were appearing in the hull about a foot below the cap rail. Would be happy to discuss this in length if this is similar to the problem you are having.
Date: August 6, 2000
From: Michael Gendel mgendel@worldnet.att.net
Pat;
I have hull 145. She is undergoing total, complete rebuild. I recommend Dow 999-A or a 7nn series black caulk. Route out the joint of the horizontal pc and the vertical cove trim however you wish to about 1/8 or so. Then fill. Go to a store that deals w/ the construction trade and get some of the small tools for tooling the caulk. Same for the joint at the bottom of the verticle trim. Looks sharp when you are done.
Think about making a jig that sits on and overlaps the cap rail if you don't have a steady hand. Someone can hold the jig and move it as you go along.
Go to the Dow http://www.dowcorning.com/ site and navigate to their spec pages. You can also call for tech assitance. Tell them your application, tool time you want etc. They are VERY good.
3M makes stuff too. http://www.3m.com/automotive/Marine/line.jhtml;$pageID$-masf. Also great technical help. Bear in mind that you will probably find the caulk you want under construction caulks or glazing sections.They are generally cheaper than caulks with the word "boat" in them. Some time over the winter I will work on the deck side seams and will likely use a white caulk. Cheers
Date: August 6, 2000
From: Michael Gendel mgendel@worldnet.att.net
Pat;
Correction. 999-A is not suitable. It is not recommended for teak. Sorry. I missed that in the fine print. It is great for rebedding plexiglass lens in aluminum frames. Use the primer first for that application.
Date: November 19, 2000
From: Lee and Carol Elwell LEEELWELL@aol.com
Michael:
I am not sure if I understood the question correctly. My cap rail is bonded to the fiberglass with 5200 (as best as I can determine). My 42' developed leaks that would show up on the inside of the hull behind the cabinets etc. After much investigation, the yard superintendent traced it to a gap located behind the stainless steel rub rail. When the stainless steel rubrail was removed there is a small 1/8" to 1/4" gap where the cap rail meets the trim piece that is screwed and bonded to the side hull. Water was getting in that gap and through the process of osmosis was getting in the open end piece of the deck to hull connection. The water would travel internally in the hull fiberglass for a distance of 3" to 6" and then bleed out on the inside of the hull. He ran a very small 1/4" router along the gap to increase the opening size and then filled it with a caulking material. He then reinstalled the rub rail and we have never seen another drop of water on the inside of the hull at the deck joint. This repair was done two years ago and since then the boat has been to Nova Scotia, Maine and back and we have not had the water problem appear.
I don't know if this gives you any help or if my answer didn't help in answering your question. Either way, good luck!
