Suggestions for leaky cap rail

[dmksails]

The cap rail on my Tashiba-31 is leaking. The obvious fix is to remove the rail and re-caulk, but that will be an expensive project. I tried running a bead of Sikaflex on each side of the rail and had some success, but now it's leaking again. I've seen some boats use a cover on their rails - more as protection for the teak I think - but would this also protect against the rain?

[Thumbs Up]

Leaking to where? inside the boat? You have a cored deck. The water could be coming from anywhere.

[LLCoolDave]

A sunbrella cover that has been waterproofed will keep rain out while the boat isn't moving. Capt. Tolley's isn't a permanent fix but it will hold you over till you find a more permanent solution.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=3780156

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udZYPuJVNkI

[tkeithlu]

You can seal leaks from the top (what you are doing so far) or the bottom (bite the bullet and re-caulk). The problem is that from the top sealing tends to leak. It is just a thin coating over the leak, not a thick cushion of sealant. You stand a good chance of chasing that leak chronically, while not knowing what may be happening to your core. In addition, more leaks will develop for the same reason as the first one, whatever it is. So, you'll have to judge whether the potential future problems are sufficient to justify doing the repair right the first time. You know my not so humble opinion on it.