Leaky track.

The old girl has a leaky track causing our cabin overhead oak to warp. Again the previous owner felt it was necessary to silicone the hell out of every bolt, track grove and screw. I'd love to tell him it's a waste of time but its water under the beige, or track in my case.

The track and the silicone

I began this improvement as I do with all of them by removing the problem device slowly, memorizing every detail. This track was held to the deck with 20 or so slotted screws and fortunately for me this all came out without to much difficulty. 

More silicone and grime.

Beneath the track was a lot of grime and silicone that I proceeded to scrub off. Once it was cleaned I could see small spider like cracks exploding outwards from each hole that previously held a screw. You would think as a new boat owner I would be very saddened at the sight of this, but I was grinning from ear to ear. It was a sign that showed exactly where the leak was and for me that's a relief. Its when you can't find the leak that's frustrating. 

Cleaned up and looking cracky.

Crazing or cracking up close

A lot of crazing that was caused by a weakened deck from improper bedding I assume, perhaps it's also the way the track was mounted, just using those slot head screws. 

Next came the daunting task of chamfering each and every crack. I used a small screwdriver as I found it to be more or less agile while chasing the cracks without slipping out. After that I needed a shot of tequila but over drilled the holes instead just to be sure I removed that damn silicone from the fiberglass. 

The crack cleaner!

Afterwards it was masked and prepped the area. I began mixing epoxy and slowly pouring it into the holes. The air bubbles were slight as I tried all sorts of methods to remove them but nothing has worked flawlessly yet. 

In the next few days ill sand, reapply epoxy and finally prime and paint this area. Rain again today so tis project will be on old till the weekend.