Water Leak at Companionway Door Threshold

Hello all you Cal lovers. This is my first of MANY questions I will be bringing to you all, about my New To Me 83 Cal 3-27. My dad and I came across a deal we just couldn't pass up on this boat and she is now moored off the end of our friends dock (too shallow at the dock). We got caught in a rainstorm the other day and decided to come inside and put the drop boards in to keep the rain out of the cabin. After about 10 seconds I noticed a steady stream of water coming from the corner of the companionway threshold (I am guessing that is what it is called, but basically where the fiberglass meets the drop boards). I lifted up the boards slightly to see if there was debris causing this, but to my surprise the fiberglass was sloped, probably 5 degrees towards the cabin instead of towards the cockpit. What the heck was Bill Lapworth smoking when he designed this section of the boat? haha I really wish I had a picture of this, but hopefully my description is detailed enough for you to understand the issue at hand. I just don't see a GOOD way of fixing this without re-glassing that section so it slopes towards the cockpit. Has anyone else noticed this problem on their boat? If so how did you fix it? Thanks, Zac

I have a 1983 Cal 27. I recently met some people with a 1985 model. Neither boat has a wood strip at the bottom. In both boats the drop boards sit directly on fiberglass. On mine that glass does slope towards the cockpit. It does not leak. I don't know about the slope or leakiness of the '85.

That is very interesting. I wonder why your fiberglass slopes towards the cockpit and mine slopes towards the cabin? They are the same year and model of boats unless your's is still from the 2-27 and mine was a 3-27? I will take a better picture next time I am at the boat and see how I need to fabricate this bottom threshold so it fits nicely and doesn't need caulking. How do you suggest I secure the threshold to the fiberglass? I have plenty of Butyl tape from when I rebedded my old Chrysler 22 but I don't know if I want to screw into the fiberglass when obviously the factory didn't.

Mine is a 3-27. I'll take some pictures when I'm there next, as well. It might not be until this weekend.Another data point, as you know the drop boards are ship-lapped so that water doesn't roll inside between them. The bottom edge of the bottom board is also slanted, to match the slant of the fiberglass it sits on. Is yours?