Cockpit Compartment Latches

[Rockjumper]

Pulled the five latches in the cockpit of my 2016 C28 today because I had noticed some water dripping into the compartments. It looked like water dripping from one of the engine compartment latches had corroded the top my my primary fuel filter causing the paint to peel. Found that none of the five had any sealants or gaskets used during installation.

The plywood in the latch cutouts had started to rot on a five year old boat that been kept garaged much of it's life.

Everything is back together with some sealant, new O rings and silicone grease in the latch mechanisms. Hopefully they will be watertight now.

It would be a good idea to check these things if you notice any water entering the aft compartments before the water does it's work on the plywood.

 

[BB marine]

I had the same issue with my C26 2016 Cutwater. There have been a few threads about this. It seems that the Ranger owners have not had issues with this. At least I haven't ever seen a comment about it. The Cutwater owners seem to experience it more. Same company different build facility. It may have been one build technician that was lacking experience or just didn't want to take the extra few minutes to properly seal the latches. I agree with you it would be a good check to confirm that the latches are sealed properly.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

None of the latches on my 2011 R29 where at the factory.

 

[Rockjumper]

Next little project is fixing the locker gasket tape. Noticed a couple locations where the tape doesn't line up with lip on the floor.