Aft Shower woes 396

[650Guy]

So just finished my first full season with my 396 and decided to redo the sealant around the shower door in the aft cabin as it was... well, awful! As I cut away all the caulk, I began to see why there was so much. Apparently it had a leak and all the wood under the door was about as rotten as politician, as soft as a sponge, well you get the idea.

Has anyone seen this and how did you fix it? from what I can tell, this piece of wood goes all the way around the shower door. Across the bottom, up the right, hinged side; and then across the top.

Kinda feel like I just opened a can of worms I really didn't want to... but now have to.

[bud37]

Hopefully that is just trim you can pick out of there........can you see under to see how the shower cabinet is supported.....maybe even a call to Carver to see if you can find any construction info.

[650Guy]

I have not dug deep enough to be able to see. I'm hoping and praying its just trim with no real support/functionality other than cosmetic.

Maybe a call to Caver on Monday might be a good move.

[km1125]

If it's wood, I can't imagine that would be actually all one piece that goes across the bottom and up the side. That would be really wasteful to produce. I'd bet there's a joint at that lower right corner and two pieces (or more) are glued together. I don't know that specific model so I can't be sure though.

I'm actually surprised it's even wood. With that vintage, I'd expect some type of composite and I'd probably be looking at some composite options to replace it.

[650Guy]

I’m definitely looking at composite ' to replace it with. The fact That it is Wood surprised me too

[650Guy]

Just an update:

So I have gotten the entire shower wall opened up and thought I’d document what I find and how I fix it to help anyone else that may come across this issue.

1). The entire wall is just 3 pieces kept in place by silicon. Each seam held together by a u-channel then silicone seals it.

2) the base is self supporting, the front wood that has rotted in my case, is simply cosmetic with the exception of mounting the shower door.

In the pictures below, piece one is a single piece of wood. Basically the cut out the section for the shower door. The right side, the piano hing is screwed into the molding.

Picture 2 is what is behind the wood at the base. Along the floor, there is a small channel that the wood sits in.

Picture 3;shows from inside looking at the cabinet.

I have contracted a company to make the pieces out of composite. They are measuring and will build the curve into each piece. Once I get the pieces and start installing I will take more photos and provide the name of the place that made the parts to help anyone else out.

[Tireless]

I have the same shower that may require some attention. Using a composite product like starboard may be a great idea as it is impervious to water, but some of those products will not adhere to a sealant. Make sure you can use a sealant with what you decide to go with, as there may be a slight chance it will not adhere. I had some starboard work done by a dealer on my first boat at the time of purchase and they told me sealant will not stick or make a seal.

Just an FYI.

Greg

[Helmsman]

Source of the post I have the same shower that may require some attention. Using a composite product like starboard may be a great idea as it is impervious to water, but some of those products will not adhere to a sealant. Make sure you can use a sealant with what you decide to go with, as there may be a slight chance it will not adhere. I had some starboard work done by a dealer on my first boat at the time of purchase and they told me sealant will not stick or make a seal.

Just an FYI.

Greg

A quote from another forum regarding starboard and adhesive. “One tricky thing to remember about actual Starboard (and not just other generic sorts of PVC lumber) is that it requires it's own special adhesive to get it to stick properly. So if you use it be prepared to either deal with their spendy two-part glue or arrange the design such that you can use mechanical fasteners to hold things in place.”

[650Guy]

This is a great point!! As of right now, I'm not completely sure what the material will be. The company providing the wall parts builds commercial retail display's and is local to my area (Northern Ohio/Cleveland area). They are going to give me material options and cut and curve the product to fit. I will be doing the installation. But this is definitely something I will discuss with them. I was not aware about starboards "special needs" so a big thank you for your heads up with that!!

I should have more info this week and will continue to update this string on my progress.

Funny part is, this little project started out as my EASIEST winter job... Simply fixing all the caulk around my shower. HOW BAD COULD THAT BE?? hahahahahaha.

[Viper]

The other thing to consider about King Starboard and the like is that they are not the easiest material to clean. Their rough surface is prone to getting dirty and scuffing very easily. I would not use it for this particular application, there are a lot of composites out there that would be much better here.