babbot1 wrote: I don't have a 328 but I notice a lot of rain water running down the bimini support tubes. I get a lot of rain in my cockpit that run down the tubes and from there it goes along the windshield channel on the bottom. I haven't been able to figure out how to prevent this yet.
I keep my boat in a covered slip, but it did get out into a lengthy rain a few weeks ago. I noticed a drip coming from the connection point of the tube grab rail (that I use to get up on the bow while going up the stairs) and the metal frame around the window. A picture below is of the general area.
The next picture, from below show the actual connection point. If you go outside the window, this joint is covered by the rubber gasket that runs around the window frame, and at this particular point it covers a large bolt that connects to the aforementioned grab tube to the frame.
I have not done anything to correct it yet, but my inclination is to pull out the bolt, and either silicone the whole area and/or teflon tape the bolt to see if the entry area is the rubber gasket surrounding the window frame. Perhaps with age the rubber gasket or weather proofing has shrunk and the gap is where water is gathering.
Unfortunately the drip it produces, is directly above the sliding door to below-decks. If I leave the door open, it drips on the stairs. So the night I stayed out in the rain, I placed a foil dish with a rag in it (to prevent the drip-drip-drip sound keeping us awake at night). In the morning, I carefully slid the door open, as to not knock the dish on my head, and discovered well over a litre of water. That large amount indicates the water running down the Eisenglass on the port side was being driven behind the rubber gasket and through the bolt. Or maybe I will not go out on rainy days!
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