[C320-list] cabin top hood

[Jon Vez]

I did remove the spray hood on my former 320 (hull #582) to recaulk the outer edges since the caulk had shrunk and was leaking. There is no gasket and the channel appeared to be to catch water and allow the companionway to slide back. There is also a piece of wood on the aft end of the hatch that acts as a stop. In my case the wood was  clearly water logged. I dried it out and coated it with Git Rot. 
When replacing, I simply recaulked the outer seam with 4200 and also caulked the screw holes.
Hope this helps...

Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 1, 2016, at 10:53 AM, <kspir4 at cox.net> <kspir4 at cox.net> wrote:
> 
> Ahoy mates,
> I recently had a leak in the cabin and located the entry point by spraying water on various outside sections of the cabin top.  It turns out that the source was caused by water entering around the hood that covers the sliding companionway hatch (not an isolated incident according to our great website).  I was going to be out of town for a few weeks so I hired my marina repairmen from the well known marina in Solomons to take the hood off and make the necessary repairs while I was gone.  In doing the work, they said they saw and filled some extra screw holes that were made but not used and filled a channel that was collecting water.  The problem I am now having is that it is extremely hard to move the sliding hatch off of the companionway doors when starting from a fully closed position.  It slides fine when I get it off the doors but to get it off the doors I have to pound it laterally multiple times with the heel of my hand using all of my 200+ pounds.  
> Before the work was done, it appeared that there was some type of gasket under the hood (between the hood and the cabin top).  That may have held the hood up higher and, if not replaced, is the cause of the sliding hatch to hang up on the doors.  I cannot tell if the gasket is there since the marina then put caulking around the hood (obscuring the area where the gasket is/was).
> I have asked the marina supervisor to investigate but, in the meantime, I thought I'd present two questions to my fellow 320ers:
> 1.  Can anyone verify that there was a gasket type material between the hood and the cabin top and, if so, does anyone know where to get a replacement?
> 2.  Did the marina commit a faux pas by putting caulking around the hood?  I figure if Catalina didn't have it there originally, it shouldn't be needed and will hinder future access. 
> Clearly, I am relearning the adage that "If you want something done right, do it yourself".
> Thanks,
> Ken
> MoonDancer
> 2006  #1089
>