Dehler 39 ( 2002) Mast Boot Leak

[britishsea]

I have a new (to me) Dehler 39 ( built in 2002) and i am trying to track down the sources of rain water leaks. I am getting significant amounts of fresh water in the bilge and the only place i can find that is leaking is the mast boot ( ie, where the mast penetrates the deck) . There is a complicated rubber mast-boot assembly and im wonder if there are parts there that need periodic replacement?

Does any one have experience with mast leak repairs or know what what manufacture made the mast boot assembly so i can contact them?

Also, the Dehler 39 seems to have such a shallow bilge that there is no single low point where all water will collect in sufficient depth to pick up small amounts of water that finds it's way into the bilge. Has anyone found a solution to centrally collecting and disposing of small amounts of water? Right now im having to use a sponge to manually remove water....

[britishsea]

up date to my below post, mast boot is a sparcraft design and parts are still available. The existing seal seems to be be hardened with age an as a result allowing water to pass. I have added some sealant to the mast key and that seems to have stopped the majority of any rain water egress. When i next have to remove the mast, i will at that time try to replace the seal.

[kimbp]

Did it fix you problem.
I just took over my 2001 model and after a 140+ nm ride of primarily port winds I discovered wet seats next to starboard chain plates.

Yesterday I had my second ride with quite some heeling to the port side resulting in weat seats next to port chain plates.

A leak in both sides of the boat? It is possible of course, but are there other possibilities?

Today I realized I could see light while looking up between the mast and the mast boot, even though the seller told me it was only a few years old.

Is it possible the water can splash up under the tanks while heeling? I took out 6+ litres from the bilge today

[kimbp]

Just a short update on my experiences.

Seems like water runs in under roof at mast and out to couches.
After having tightened the the sparecraft seal I don't experience the problem any more. So great.

Still sometimes gets quite some water to bottom of ship if raining. Still have to figure out why? Probably via cable channels.

[jon77]

Hi kimpb, did you have any success working out why you're getting so much rain water in the bilges ?

I have a similar issue and also suspect it's coming down the mast via the cable channels, but am surprised how much there is - and am not sure how to fix it

(PS the mast is a Sparcraft F460)

[kimbp]

I was told by the Danish Sparcraft dealer to put on some vaseline between the sealing and the mast and also between the sealing and the roof. Furthermore they suggested to add a thin layer of silicone outside to close any holes between mast and sealing.
So far this year I haven't had much water in the bilge. A little though. Still I do see wet couches in both sides. Still think it comes from the roof though. Have also seen ingress at the roof panels around the mast.
I talked to someone having a Dehler 36 (also with sparcraft mast). They told their lower sealing plate wasn't tight against the rooftop so they had to remove it and put on new sealant. I think I'll have to give that some attention next winter.

[jon77]

quick update - I also found, in the heads, the hose to the tap had a small split - very difficult to see - and the water was running into the bilge
now replaced the hose and much less water in the bilge