Sliding Door Leak

[Tanah-Keeta]

Anyone have a problem with leaks around the sliding door? If so, what was the fix?

[duetto]

hi,

yes, we have such a leak. it seems to come from 2 sources: 1) the door latch assembly. water enters the outside latch which is ABOVE the inside one and drips in 2) there is is some entry point on the lower slide track. however, it is upholstered and i can't see it from the outside.

no solution on hull 23.

[Tanah-Keeta]

Just an update... I talked with Dick Tuschic at Rhumbline and he said that sometimes the seal at the top of the door and around the port side fails. He said that we should not try to remove the door since it would damage it. He recommends caulking the top and port side..... probably with silicone... but I guess 5200 would work also. He also said that the earlier models leaked at the door latch mechanism but the manufacturer fixed the problem. You might want to contact the door manufacturer to see if the fix can be applied to your door.

[Moonstruck]

I had leak from lower track. With my door fully closed, lower track left end has a small access opening about 3/4' x 1/4". Evidently this is supposed to be covered. Mine was not so I made a small cover from a piece of this white vinyl (I used a piece of vinyl soffit material) and silicone sealant. No more leak! My boat is a 2005, #64.

[James Power]

The first thing to do is figure out where the door is leaking. The best way I have found is to have one person inside with a flashlight and another outside with a hose.Start at the bottom and work up slowly. Areas to be suspicious of are the bottom starboard corner, around the perimeter and the door latch. Where have you seen evidence of a leak ?

[Dan White]

James
It is SO nice to have you on our list. You are a genius when it comes to our boats!

Hope all is well with you and your family. Where are you living now?

[duetto]

hi james,

where/what is the problem with the bottom starboard corner? is it the door or frame assembly?

[James Power]

The problem with the lower starboard corner is with the door frame. The joint where the vertical frame meets the horizontal track / threshold has to be caulked. Look at the attached photo, (hopefully it went thru), then see if your is. There should be caulk around the joint and extend up 1 1/2 inches on the outside. If this is where the leak is you should be able to see water coming in at the joint when someone sprays water from the outside. Thanks for the kind words Dan. Jackie and I are living in our house on Georgian Bay and enjoying every minute of it.

[phild]

How did you go about posting the attachment?

[duetto]

hi james,

thanks for the picture.

2 fup questions:

1) should entire starboard door frame be caulked or just the lower corner? we have zero caulk on ours.

2) looks like the picture was taken w/o the door in place. i've had lower rail out. is it easy to remove door completely?

[Lady of the Lake]

You can upload an attachment to your post by selecting the Upload attachment tab at the bottom of the "Post a Reply" page. Selecting that tab will allow you to browse for a file on your computer to upload and also post a comment for the image.

Sam

[phild]

Thank you Sam! The ability to post pictures is a definite enhancement!

[James Power]

Hey Duetto, you might as well run a bead of sealant up the edge. It cant hurt. Make sure the lower joint gets a good seal. If you have had the lower track cover off, removing the door isn't difficult. Grab the door by the outside handle and lift up and out. Its got a bit of weight, so be prepared. While the door is out its a good time to clean the track and door rollers.

[duetto]

thanks james....let the caulking begin

[Ross Bowling]

James Power
It is wonderful that you are monitoring the forum, you were such a Big Help to me in Catskill, and I hope that we will be able to lean on you and Jackie in the future. I hope all is well and again, Thanks for your help with my shaft seal.

Ross Bowling
34-114