Check the cockpit drain hoses and the thru hill tubing they attach to, especially if the boat may have spent time in salt water. I don't recall whether the drain configuration was the same on the early boats, but I found the tubing crumbling apart on my M17 (1980 vintage) and replaced them with new stainless steel tubing, glassing it in to the same exit points from the hull. The exit is below the waterline so a failure there will result in a good test of your bailing ability and the amount of positive flotation in your boat. On my M17 I had to wriggle in on the starboard quarter berth to be able to inspect the drain hose attachment to the through hull exits. Have a hose running water into the cockpit and you'll be able to see if the leak is there. I'd also feel along the tubing and visually check the condition as closely as possible. On Aug 1, 2018 05:34, "claritysailingadventures--- via montgomery_boats" < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote: We've got an old 1974 M17 that I bought for a song (well, for the price of a decent guitar), and it's going to need a lot of work. Most of the work will be cosmetic, but when I got her she was full of water, and I'm wondering if all that water came in through the hatch and companionway, or if the hull/deck joint is susceptible to leaks. I'm not sure how the joint is constructed, or if I ought to pull and re-bed the toerails. Or if the boat will pop apart if I remove the toerails! Any thoughts about what I might want to look or watch out for before I put her in the water?

Yes check cockpit drain for sure. Some ideas what else might contribute below in case your cockpit drain is not leaking... I have a 1974 M17 also, got it in pretty darn good shape, and still, I have been slowly stopping topside leaks this past season (as it sat uncovered during rainy spells, so I found a variety of small leaks that added up over time). Was yours sitting uncovered for many seasons? Here's what I found, maybe worth checking on yours also: Any/all deck fittings. On mine, nothing I've so far pulled off was bedded (except windows, but seals were shot, see below). Mast step fastener holes would ooze a little each rainstorm. An electrical through-fitting next to step also. A cowl vent had been added to foredeck, like this or equivalent: http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Cowl_Vents-Sea_Dog_Low_Profile_PVC_Cow... This dripped in some of course, the design is idiotic and guaranteed to drain into the boat because the flange goes down into the deck instead of up out of it. I still have oozing in and running down inside of hull just aft of cabin (more on port side it appears) - suspect winches, if also not bedded, but have not checked yet. Otherwise it probably is a small ooze through my hull/deck joint, as there's no fitting that could let water in, at the location where it runs down, and that is the low point of the rail as the boat is sitting stored on the trailer . Windows - these were probably the main topside leak on my boat. Seal of frame to cabin and seal of plexiglass to frame were both shot due to age, all replaced/fixed now. Does it snow and/or freeze where the boat sat uncovered? If so, then snow/ice dams can form in the drain recesses around cockpit seat hatches and cause water to run in through those openings, instead of drain away. Companionway boards, if warped or poor angle at overlap or leaking at cover strips (depending on how they're made) etc. - Mine were warped so there was a gap that water could drip in, between boards. I put plastic over that part temporarily when boat was stored uncovered (now have new boards). HTH finding & stopping any topside leaks...if there is any hull-deck leakage on my boat, it's fairly minor at least. It would take a lot of water on the deck over time to get more than a few cups inside. cheers, John On 08/01/2018 05:33 AM, claritysailingadventures--- via montgomery_boats wrote:

We've got an old 1974 M17 that I bought for a song (well, for the price of a decent guitar), and it's going to need a lot of work.  Most of the work will be cosmetic, but when I got her she was full of water, and I'm wondering if all that water came in through the hatch and companionway, or if the hull/deck joint is susceptible to leaks.  I'm not sure how the joint is constructed, or if I ought to pull and re-bed the toerails.  Or if the boat will pop apart if I remove the toerails!  Any thoughts about what I might want to look or watch out for before I put her in the water?

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