Houseboat Flybridge Roof Leaks - who or how to, repair or replace the roof?

by Bo
(Rowley Ma. USA)

I see that our houseboat flybridge roofs leaks, and wonder who, or how to repair or replace the roof? I have a 36' 1981 Holiday Mansion houseboat, the Super Barracuda model and I love it.

Last year before the end of the season I noticed there was a discolored water coming from the back corner of the fly bridge roof.

I noticed this year the surface is no longer convex but looks more like a roller coaster. I need to get into the body of the roof to replace the guts and then reinforce with the RV roof topper.

I was hoping for a little guidance. What might the proper procedure and materials be? I would love a diagram if you have any, or a phone number of any place or anyone in the New England area that would do this repair.

Can I separate the top and just marine grade plywood and fiberglass? Is there a shim if grade system I need to know?

HELP, thank you Bo



Reply - Answer
Well Bo, welcome to the houseboat forums, and sorry to hear about your roof repair situation. By the way, that is such a beautiful picture of your boat, and such a calm day :)

As you are probably aware, any roofing system will have a certain life expectancy and you may have reached yours after 28 years.

I am not aware of any diagrams available showing the roofs construction, yet the principles are basically the same for most roofs. They are generally a combination of wooden studs and joists, with a plywood layer, and covered with fiberglass.


You likely have a water penetration in a few areas that have over time started to delaminate and deteriorate the shell. The only way is to start to open the area up and visually inspect the damage, and repair or replace from there.

As to knowing any roof repair companies in the New England area, hopefully one of our readers will be able to recommend some folks that can help you.

If you're not familiar on houseboat roofs, you may find the following article on houseboat roof repair helpful.



Lastly, hopefully some of our readers will share and post comments about their houseboat roof repair experiences. Feel free to use the "Click here to post comments." link found near the bottom of this page.


Thanks again for sharing, IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

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