Dear Boat Doctor,
I have a 1986 Pearson 28 on J. Percy Priest Lake in Nashville and I've had a persistent leak that shows up in the aft cabin. There is a "soffit" with an access port where the ceiling makes the turn down along the hull and the water comes out the port. I have sealed around the fittings in the deck above the soffit and along the rail. No improvement so far, but it does not seem to be getting worse either. Do you have any suggestions about what to do next without ripping everything out of the deck?

The boat also has a Hood furler with a continuous line. The line is looking frail where it is sewn together end-for-end. Is there a source for a replacement line or can you offer advice on how to make one?
Peter Anthony
Lebanon, Tennesse

Dear Peter,
I am very familiar with your boat, as I raced aboard one for years. Sadly, I don't have any magic bullets for either of your questions.
It sounds like you have a classic deck leak; water is coming in around the deck fittings. The only way to solve this problem is to remove the hardware and re-bed it with a good quality compound. I like to use 3M 4000UV caulk.

You don't have any option but to replace the continuous line on your furler. I don't know of a way to retrofit to a single line. I have replaced a number of these, and they need to be spliced on the boat. Any qualified rigger should be able to handle this simple splice.