Sealing a Leaky Hull To Deck Joint

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:03:10 +0000

Cape Dory sailboats are often prone to leaks at the hull-to-deck joint, which can occur both at the teak toe rail fasteners and where the glued joint edge has degraded. Sealing this area from above is a huge task; it requires either fiberglassing over the entire toe rail and then repainting the whole boat, or removing the rail entirely to glass the joint and reinstalling a rail - which still leaves you with potential leak points at the new fastener holes that could leak.

Instead, to save some labor and ensure a seal, here in part 5 of this Cape Dory 30 Refit series we make this deck joint watertight by fiberglassing it from below deck. This internal approach creates a permanent bond without the need for a total exterior refit. By choosing this method, we still have the option of keeping the original toe rail in place and adding some height to the worn down rail by laminating another piece of wood to the top and finishing it with a durable accent paint rather than high-maintenance varnish.

If you have other techniques for tackling these joints or any questions about the process, let me know in the comments.