Mushrooms on a Sailboat? Stanchion Replacement

scrimshawsc34 · May 12, 2019, 05:18:46 AM

Good Morning All....

I just got a 1986 C34 #63... PO did some hack DYI things, but that's for another time... Going through and emptying the boat, I opened the slider above the Nav Table and found a mushroom growing out of the wood. First, no, sadly no pics, I was too wierded out by it, secondly, no I did not sautee' it up. :-)

I'm in the process of breaking down the interior so that I can get all the bad wood out and get behind it to see where the water is coming from. It's been suggested that it's the Stanchion leaking.

1. Suggestions on removing interior?
2. Suggestions on how to Re-bed the stanchion?

I'd like to hear from the voice of experience on this, as I'd rather not have to do it again. :-)

Thank You in advance.

Michael P.
1986 Catalina 34 #0063
Standard Rig
Lake
St. Clair, Michigan

scgunner · May 12, 2019, 07:34:10 AM

Michael,

First thing, find and fix the leaks, with that much damage they should be to hard to find. The stanchions are usually the culprit but not always, I had a leaky port and tried everything to fix it(rebed, new gasket, etc.), turned out there was a small, almost invisible screw hole above the port, a dab of West epoxy problem solved.

You'll need to be a little more specific as far as removing the interior, removing cabinetry is a lot different from removing a bulkhead for example. That stanchion in the cabinet above the Nav is also the vent for the holding tank and it can be problematic, the same goes for the one on the opposite side of the boat in the galley cabinet, it has the vent hose for the water tank, it's a leaker too.

mdidomenico · May 12, 2019, 07:47:47 AM

my boat is a bit later vintage then your's, but i've been fitting the same battle. i've had to remove all the wood from the nav station and the galley. i've find two main culprits, the vented stanchions and the nav side also has a leak in the rub rails screws (this one took me a while to find). as for the stanchions, i pulled both sides, lopped off the vent fitting, filled the hole with epoxy and rebed the stanchion as normal. leaks no more.

scrimshawsc34 · May 12, 2019, 08:00:59 AM

I'm checking to see if PO Fixed leak, but having a challenge getting the wood off and tearing down the nav. I'd like to take it apart vs. demoing it. Thoughts?

I'm open to a phone call to discuss if that's easier.

KWKloeber · May 12, 2019, 08:23:19 AM

MP

Congratulations on your new Good Old Boat.

Bookmark https://marinehowto.com and see RC's articles on using epoxy to pot the holes for thru deck fasteners and using butyl tape for bedding fittings and stanchions and etc.

You should find that site will be one of your go-to resource as you do more and more fix-ups on her. There's other sealants but butyl is my go-to for just about every bedding. I discovered (first "putty tape" before) it years earlier than I found RC's articles.

-ken

Stu Jackson · May 12, 2019, 09:04:53 AM

One of our skippers posted this a few weeks ago:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,10214.0.html

My understanding of removing the wood is to back out each of the bungs for starters. Since I was THE kid who repeatedly failed wood shop, that's all I know.

If your question is more specific, ask away.

The ash battens behind the galley sink are NOT on the port side, so it's just the slider's trim.

scrimshawsc34 · May 12, 2019, 11:09:08 AM

Good news... I got the wood out... rotten to the nav table... looks nicer actually.. Next step rebed...

Stu Jackson · May 12, 2019, 11:45:45 AM

Congratulations. Any pictures or a detailed description of just what you did remove and how? I'm sure it would be helpful to many other skippers. Thanks.

Jon W · May 12, 2019, 04:39:53 PM

Hi Michael, I've rebed all of my lifeline stantions. Mine were all sealed with some type of caulk that I removed, then cleaned the base of the stantion and the deck thorougly with marine de-bond and acetone. Be sure to remove all old sealant. To reseal I drilled a countersink at each hole (see Mainsail How To's), wiped with acetone again, then used bed-it butyl tape from Mainsaile's website store.

Something else I did on all stantions and would recommend, is to add metal backing plates from Catalina Direct to the underside of the deck. Much better than the washer only OEM method. In my case, the hole pattern and outside edges required some grinding to fit under the deck and to match where the mounting screws come through the deck. The vented stantions are more difficult than the others because of the limited access underneath and awkward positions, but can be done. After two years I have no leaks in any of the stantions and they are much more robust. Also check that your vent hoses connecting to the stantion are tight.

scrimshawsc34 · May 13, 2019, 05:59:21 AM

First, Stu, great idea... this may even be a pinned post, as sooner or later, everyone needs to do this. Cabinet work is out, but I can detail it.
Jon, Thank you for the details, that is exactly what I'm planning on. Please feel free to comment on my progress here.

Taking out cabinets:
1. Drill out Bungs in shelf (4) and remove screws
2. Drill out Bungs in the shelf forward of the nav station that are holding the shelf up and remove screws
3. Remove front of cabinet... it's "tabbed" together, but not glued, so brute strength worked
4. Remove Shelf
5. Remove screws from wood backing... mine was rotted, so fell apart.

Question: How do I remove the Counter top above the nav table? The wood backing goes below the surface and the wood is still rotten below that.

KWKloeber · May 13, 2019, 07:34:53 AM

Quote from: scrimshawsc34 on May 13, 2019, 05:59:21 AM
this may even be a pinned post, as sooner or later, everyone needs to do this.

MP
Consider writing up a TechWiki article? Pictures, pictures, pictures of anything thy will assist others.

-Ken

mdidomenico · May 14, 2019, 05:34:44 AM

Quote from: scrimshawsc34 on May 13, 2019, 05:59:21 AM
Question: How do I remove the Counter top above the nav table? The wood backing goes below the surface and the wood is still rotten below that.

there are screws underneath holding it down inside the hanging locker. if you've removed all the shelving above the countertop then there shouldn't be anything else above the counter top. if so a picture would help of what you're looking at. i've pulled all of my wood out around the nav table, i do remember the sequence it all came out in. its unfortunate that catalina didn't make it more modular, where everything could come out in one go. but rather there's a sequence to getting it all out. all with hidden cleats and screws