Hi Larry,

By any chance, does your boat have any rigging on the cabin roof above this cleat for a lee cloth?  This would keep you in your berth as the boat rolls.

The hull to deck joint is constructed like the lid on a shoebox.  The deck slides over the hull.  The joint is sealed with polyurethane foam tape and secured with rivets.   This is an inherently strong joint.  But, anything can wear out eventually.  Your hull to deck joint is something like 35 years old.  Is there any evidence of a collision that might have compromised the hull to deck joint?  Try blasting water from a garden hose with a spray nozzle at the underside of the hull to deck joint.  Do this all around the boat.  Any leaks should be quickly revealed inside the cabin.  Fixing a leak in this area is a big deal, so good luck!

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
1976. Sanford, MI
Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 11, 2025, at 4:07 PM, Larry W <62himis at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I bought my Rhodes last year and have not had it in the water yet. When I
> get the mast up and boom on in my driveway I may be able to tell what this
> is for. What is the cleat in the cabin as you step through the
> companionway? It is on the centerboard trunk and its position tells me a
> line comes down from above to be cleated.
>
> From what I gather the hull is one piece and deck is one piece. Where the
> two meet a previous owner ran what looks to be a continuous silicone bead
> around the boat. Is there an issue with the Rhodes leaking water into the
> cabin at this point? Serenity is a 1990 model.
>
> Larry Willis
> Serenity
> -------------- next part --------------
> A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> Name: 20250808_120629.jpg
> Type: image/jpeg
> Size: 1514007 bytes
> Desc: not available
> URL: <http://rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20250811/a7a98c10/attachment.jpg>
> -------------- next part --------------
> A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> Name: 20250808_120635.jpg
> Type: image/jpeg
> Size: 1398604 bytes
> Desc: not available
> URL: <http://rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attachments/20250811/a7a98c10/attachment-0001.jpg>