New problem, deck to hull leaking

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VTBoater

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Hey guys,
I have never dealt with this issue before. It was raining yesterday and so I decided to get in and see where the leaking I have been getting was coming from. Looks like multiple leaks along the seam.
It appears to have some sort of rubber between the two surfaces. I could not find much info on how they built these old Silvertons.
So to repair the leak, am I looking at removing the entire rubrail? I am a little confused about what is holding these two surfaces together. There are screws on the top of the rubrail pointing down vertically. Are these what is holding everything together?
 
Have your rub rails ever been re-caulked. I removed the old and replaced. Bilge dry ever since. My Silverton just has caulking along the top seam. Easy job.
 
There is very little to no caulking on the rail. Just not sure if that much of a leak can be fixed with just a bead of caulking down it. The port side does not seem to leak much at all, no caulking there either.
I am trying to find out how it is put together, put an email in to Silverton info, not having much luck yet getting any answers.
 
you'd be surprised how much of a leak will develop if the rail isn't properly caulked. Are you a memboer of The Silverton Owner's Club? That's where you'll find the answer.
 
I'd remove and replace caulk from the top as suggested.

The rub rail acts as a rain gutter so to speak, I could picture water travelling horizontally looking for a void!
 
Screws are a step up from POP Rivits. The best are nuts and bolts that actually pull each side together.
As Walshie was referring to, water may find a 'hole' on the outside but travel 10' before finding a 'hole' on the inside so patching where it's leaking on the inside may be useless.
 
If you are not a member of the SOC, you should join. No better site exists to get the best info brand specific. Since Silverton was bought by Egg Harbor, lots have changed. There is now a source for parts for older Silvertons. When I joined the SOC (annual fee) in 2003/4 it was an okay site, BE was much better back then IMHO, more activity. I stayed a member all these years because "brand specific" questions or problems are always best fit to discuss with owners of the same manufacturer. Fast forward today, the SOC is an amazing informative site for Silvertons. Well worth the admission.

"There are screws on the top of the rubrail pointing down vertically. Are these what is holding everything together?"

The screws you see are just hold the rubrail to the hull, that and the sealer is what affixes the rub rail. Since the boat is around 18 years old, you should remove the rub rail and install a new one and seal such properly. This is a DIY project, and costs to do such is not that bad. IMHO, doing this is the best way to go so you never have to revisit this problem for quite some time. I have never done this, but have read about many that have.

Good luck and it is not an unusual problem as boats age.
 
+1 --- and I miss my Silverton 402!
 
Hey guys,
Thought I would post a follow up in case anyone else is searching for info.

So the rubrail on these older Silvertons comes off in two steps, first the metal cap in the center, then everything else is in one piece. The seam between the deck and hull is a flat seam that is through bolted with a rubber gasket in between. The bolts were able to be tightened in spots, and I had to add some where it looked to be maybe an impact had broken some. I removed the entire rubrail, scraped, sanded, cleaned, tightened up, and the caulked the entire seam including all the screw holes above the seam. Used a thick layer of sikaflex over the whole seam. Then reinstalled the old rubrail, I didn't have the time or funds to replace the whole thing. Put caulking in all the screw holes before installing.
Going back after work today to finish up, will run a nice bead of caulking between the rail and the hull.
I am pretty confident the leaks will be gone. This was a pretty big job, I had two very full days into it, and not quite done yet.
 
Thanks for the follow up. Let us know how it works out.
 
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