Catalina 350 International Association

Hi,

Wondering if anyone else has experienced what is shown in attached photo, the sealant under the hatches appears to be turning to liquid and running down the lining. It was very hot in Australia this summer, but not that much hotter than usual. Maybe this is a function of age, Avalon is a 2003 hull thus has seen over 15 seasons.

Any thoughts welcome, I haven't taken it apart to tidy up yet, the "runs" were already hard again when I noticed them.

What the file shows is "tears" of white sealant running out from under the aluminium hatch frame and down the side of the lining around the hatch opening.

Regards

Yup, a common issue.

"Special Tool" needed to remove it: Cheap plastic knife (like from fast food restaurant).

Speed of removal is somewhat temperature dependent-- too warm and it won't ball up. Too cold and it is too stiff.

It will come back, but should not take 15 minutes per hatch to remove.

Problem probably made worse by using shields that keep light and heat out of the interior, as it traps heat in the hatch. But certainly better for the interior of the boat.

Russ: We had the same thing. We had put some windshield reflectors in each of our hatches. Just laid them on the screen mesh. We realized that they were reflecting the already not sun back into the glue or sealant, whatever it is. I used a plastic scraper and it cam off. No leaks so I did not reseal, yet.

Cheers mate.