From: Charles Nye
Location: Columbia, IL
Date: 02 Apr 2004
Time: 15:05:45
I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem, and if so, what was done about it. I recently purchased a 1976 P30 (tiller steering)that was located in Maine. The boat is in excellent condition overall, and was well maintained by her previous owner. The surveyor's report listed several minor problems, one of which was the fact that the aft section of the cockpit floor in the vicinity of the rudder post had a higher than normal moisture content and was delaminated. After I purchased the boat I went back and examined the area more closely to figure out the reason for the water penetration. I removed the rudder post cap and the plastic shield that surrounds the rudder stock tube as it exits the cockpit floor. What I discovered was a gap of approximately 1/8th inch between the rudder stock tube and the hole in the floor from which the tube protruded. The gap (mostly on the port side of the tube) had been filled with silicone caulk, which was easy to remove. This area I believe is where the water gained entry to the core of the cockpit floor. You would think that the rudder stock tube should have been glassed to the floor to prevent this from happening. My plan is to have the aft cockpit floor opened up, recored if necessary, and then bonded to the rudder stock tube with epoxy. This seems to me to be the only recourse to correcting the water intrusion problem.