Northlight

Of course not, he's to busy serving Martinis.

Why, yes!

Thanks to mrsmelly and Phil for your comments. I've ordered some sealants and will see what transpires!

The boiling hot weather earlier this month and now the last two days of torrential rain here in South Yorkshire seem to have had an adverse effect on two portholes of my Hudson. Both those leaking are on the starboard side and rain has made considerable ingress underneath the gunnel immediately below the portholes. Up until this point I haven't noticed any problems but then the boat is now 16 years old and maybe something like this should be expected? Having gone through some previous posts on the subject I'm thinking of removing the outer brass plates and resealing them with something like Polyurethane PU40 sealant or similar. I've also noted the recommendations for' Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure' but this would possibly be just a temporary fix, albeit good enough until I'm nearer my home turf! However before I do and maybe open a large can of worms, I wonder if anyone else could guide me if they have also tackeled a similar job, specifically on an earlier Hudson hull? I'm not sure of what I will find once I have removed the outer brass plates as to how the portholes are fixed. They have a 15mm or so rubber gasket on the inner side of the glass which all look functional and so any leak must be coming in and down between the outer brass plate and glass. Thanks for any response!

The boiling hot weather earlier this month and now the last two days of torrential rain here in South Yorkshire seem to have had an adverse effect on two portholes of my Hudson. Both those leaking are on the starboard side and rain has made considerable ingress underneath the gunnel immediately below the portholes. Up until this point I haven't noticed any problems but then the boat is now 16 years old and maybe something like this should be expected? Having gone through some previous posts on the subject I'm thinking of removing the outer brass plates and resealing them with something like Polyurethane PU40 sealant or similar. I've also noted the recommendations for' Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure' but this would possibly be just a temporary fix, albeit good enough until I'm nearer my home turf! However before I do and maybe open a large can of worms, I wonder if anyone else could guide me if they have also tackeled a similar job, specifically on an earlier Hudson hull? I'm not sure of what I will find once I have removed the outer brass plates as to how the portholes are fixed. They have a 15mm or so rubber gasket on the inner side of the glass which all look functional and so any leak must be coming in and down between the outer brass plate and glass. Thanks for any response!

No, but that nice Mr Hudson did supply a nice hex key to undo them with! The odd thing is that the Owners's manual describes the weed hatch as being the quick release type and not like what's fitted, so maybe it was changed or modified at a later date. On the subject of weed I've had a horrendous day battling with tons of the stuff on the River Nene, real prop clogging stuff but not once did I need to lift the hatch, just around six thousand and eight prop reversals to clear it. I'm also now convinced that my original problem is caused by the hatch cover or the cavitation plate vibrating against the shaft and an extra tight turn or two with the hex key has eased the vibration but not totally. As soon as I can I'll fit some gasket material that will hopefully cure it once and for all. Mike.

Where will you fit this gasket? Richard Between the top of the hatch and the deck, not at the cavitation plate end, there is a lip at the bottom of the hatch shaft that the cavitation plate sits. Very interesting, thanks Sea Dog, I'll dress that nick first thing to see if it helps.

Thanks to all of your views so far! Yes, it might be something horrible lurking like a drive plate on the way out..yuk..I've checked the engine mounts and they're all tight and one of the prop blades has a slight nick but I don't think that would likely be a problem. In answer to Nick, yes it the boats name was Lionel when I purchased her in 2013 but when originally Built in 2001 she was names 'Lion' and is now renamed as such! I will fit a gasket as a matter of course but will now look into more serious causes! Thanks again, Mike.

G'Day, Are there any Hudson owners or or anyone who might be able to give some advice on weed hatch gaskets? This last week I seem to have acquired a drumming vibration from under the weed hatch and having checked there's nothing around the prop or any adverse play in the prop shaft I'm wondering if the lack of a gasket might cause this even though having had the boat now for three years it has never been a problem? The original boat manual says the weed hatch is of the type secured by a quick release crossbar but that isn't the type fitted. It's secured by four 10m stainless bolts in each corner and has an anti cavitation plate which makes be question if this is sitting too near the prop without a gasket in place but as I say it has never to date been a problem! Thanks for any feedback.

Thanks for all the replies and now having inspected the bits of my old stove it's a wonder it didn't collapse a lot sooner! In my defence we've only had the boat since September and I've been busying myself with what I considered more pressing maintenance but this could have been a disaster. I will definitely, as BEngo suggests, replace all bolts and screws with stainless and obviously much easier to do from new. As for wheather Morso are the best or not some of their fittings in my view could be very much improved but they seem to have held a very high market profile for a number of years now and so I imagine there are more of them to go wrong. Just my 2ps worth but once I've cleaned everything up I'll let anyone know who is interested in spare bits. This is a great forum and cheers again everyone.

Thanks for your advice. I've actually taken the plunge and bought a new replacement but will then set too and try and rebuild this one and sell it on. I wonder if Morso use stainless steel bolts on their new stoves? M.

Yesterday as I made up our Morso Squirrel stove, thankfully from cold, it returned a massive clunk as I tried to engage the door latch and literally came apart at the seams. The front panel complete with door has come away from the top of the stove and there are gaps down both the sides and the back panel again where the whole stove seems to have dropped away from the top. I don't like to think what would have happened if it had been roaring away! It was fitted new with the boat in 2001 and so is only thirteen odd years old and looked in pretty good nick. I'm told from a couple of independent sources that it's unlikely to be repairable and will need to be replaced. I will save all the old bits and try and discover what has failed so spectacularly and hope it doesn't happen again. Has anyone else ever had the same sort of experience with a Morso? Cheers, Mike.

Many thanks to Rich and NMEA for you guidance. As you say power consumption is the main issue over time. Mike.

Thanks Pennine, even I can manage that!

Hi, In common with two other recent posts I have also become the proud owner of a beautiful 12 years old Steve Hudson boat and now look forward to becoming more active on these brilliant forums instead of just lurking. Unfortunately I have to leave her for a week and with no electrics available on her mooring yet and the warning of impending arctic conditions I've decided to drain her down as the onboard Mikuni heater has an exhaust leak that I need to address. However I would also be uneasy of leaving the thermostat on "frost" setting with her unattended for that length of time due to battery drain and possible fire risk. Does anyone else though have a view as to leaving deisel heating running unattended? My other question though is that there is an Indesit washing machine on board and I wonder if washing machines pump out every bit of water or is there residue left that I should maybe try and flush out? There isn't any reference to winterising in the manual. Thanks for any thoughts. Mike.