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Is deck hatch supposed to be water tight?

JERRYC446
JERRYC446 Member Posts: 7
My sd 217's deck hatch cover leaks terribly.  I bought the boat recently from an individual.  I thought the under deck storage would be water tight but when I pulled out the lifejackets thay were all moldy and wet.  I examined the box and see that it has drain holes.  The box itself appears to rest right on the hull so any water in the bilge could easily come in from the drain holes.  I can get plugs for the holes.  But the box itself appears to be pieced.  Looks kind of like a shoebox that had been cut in half and slid back together.  I think I can clean up the area at this seam and 5200 it to seal it but the deck lid itself does not look like it was designed to be a water tight seal. 
 
My deck lid has a seal but it is not water tight.  Was this designed to seal?
 
 

Comments

  • Dave
    Dave Member Posts: 30 ✭✭
    Hi Jerry, My 217 deck hatch has a gasket but I doubt it would stop water from getting in as the hatch lock does not draw the cover down tight. But then I have been caught in a few rain storms and I have never seen any water in the storage area. My storage box looks to be one piece with a drain hole in the stern end. I only keep hardware such as fishing gear, ski's and other hard surfaced items in the under-deck storage as I don't I don't think it is ventilated well enough for cushions and PFD's. Those I keep under the seats or in the head.
    Dave