- Action: To Do List item A0277 - Fix water leak at forward port light above the starboard settee.
- Completed: 16 April 2018
- Cost: $15.00 - estimate of materials used - new screws, sandpaper, and butyl tape sealant.
During a rainstorm on 26 March, Marilyn discovered water leaking in from the forward portlight above the starboard settee. We opened the portlight hatch and checked the rubber gasket seal. The seal was old and compressed, it probably should be replaced on all the portlights. We added to the To Do List item B0285 - Obtain and replace all portlight rubber gasket seals. Believing the leak was only at the seal, we cinched the hatch down extra tight.
Another heavy rainstorm on 15 April resulted in more water leaks from the forward portlight above the starboard settee. We looked closer, and found the water was not getting past the portlight rubber gasket seal, it was leaking through the bronze portlight frame and dribbling down the interior cabin top side wall underneath the mica panel. As old paperwork found aboard Indra revealed that the cabin top sides were replaced previously due to water leaks causing the wood to rot (more on this issue below), we decided to investigate this leak first thing the next day.
When removing the bronze screws from the outside portlight frame, each screw head just twisted off and fell out. Not one complete full length screw was installed, as the picture below, bottom left inset picture confirms with all the very short screw heads accounted for. Based on how the screw head just twisted and fell out, we suspect they were sealed in the holes with a dab of epoxy or sealant. There was nothing applying any force to the outside bronze portlight frame to retain it securely to the cabin top wall - this totally incompetent installation was a facade to conceal poor workmanship.
The top right inset picture below with the outside bronze portlight frame removed shows the path the water was following - the dark and dirty trails on the top edge of the portlight. This mess, along with what little sealant that was used, was removed - used a razor blade to cut and remove about a 1/4-inch of the black sealant around the inner bronze portlight frame. The exterior bronze frame was wire brushed and sanded clean with 80 grit sandpaper to increase the adhesion to the sealant.
The groove that was cut out of the sealant around the inner bronze portlight frame, had butyl tape sealant forced into the crevices. Two strips of butyl tape sealant was layered on the exterior bronze portlight frame. The exterior frame was then mounted and secured to the cabin top side wall with 316 stainless steel screws. As the bottom inset picture below illustrates, the compressed butyl tape sealant oozed out around the frame - a good indicator of a now water tight seal. The excess butyl tape sealant was trimmed clean using a razor blade.
Now knowing that this portlight water leak was a result of incompetent workmanship and lack of use of proper mounting hardware -- did this imply that the other 11 portlights were in the same state - a facade/fake installation? The discovery of this deceitful type of workmanship irritated and pissed me off, to no end! A disturbing trend was developing with all the problems we were discovering about the true state of Indra - she was extremely neglected and incompetently maintained. Due to this ##@## situation, we added to the To Do List item B0286 to inspect and reseal all portlights after enough new screws, butyl tape, and sealant was obtained.
Still irritated with this situation, we reviewed again the old paperwork found aboard Indra, mentioned above, in an attempt to discover who and where this shoddy work was performed.
The bill shown below indicates both the starboard and port side cabin tops were "repaired" during February/March 2012 while located at Miri Marina, Sarawak, Malaysia.
The following inspection report reveals other issues Indra had, but there was no indication this additional work was done at Miri Marina, Sarawak, Malaysia. This inspection report did confirm the starboard and port side cabin tops were "repaired", as pictures of them were included in this report. This report also stated, "At your request the cabin sides were cut out and new ply let in and glassed, filled, faired and painted." This also implies that all of the cabin top portlights had to be re-installed as part of this effort. It is also reasonable to conclude this was the most likely place the incompetent installation and poor workmanship discovered above occurred. It is also reasonable to conclude if the above leaky portlight was installed so incompetently than the same is most likely true for the other 11 portlights.
As to the other issues mentioned in the above report, it is "assumed" that these were corrected while at Holiday Oceanview Marina, Samal Island, Mindanao, Philippines. The for sale advertisement claimed "...newly laid decks and new hardware, newly-spray painted hull and deck..." and the above issues by all "appearances" were resolved. However, based on the significant number of problems discovered aboard Indra, we do not trust or believe anything about Indra, unless we confirm it ourselves.
As to whether the starboard and port side cabin tops were "repaired" - we know definitively. The picture below shows holes and the wood core removed from the cabin top side wall for new AC shore power inlet receptacles. While it shows relatively new and a dry plywood core, voids are visible in the epoxy and paint layers indicating the workmanship and/or material used was of poor quality.
