2010 cdory rainwater entering cab.

[Westcoastdory]

Hey everyone, I’ve purchased my first Cdory 22 recently. And I’ve come across a problem that I’m looking for some insight on.

I have found out unfortunately that my used 2010 22 cruiser has a pretty drastic freshwater leak. Rain water or water from the washdown basicly anything that accumulates in the rear fishing area is entering into my cabin. The water is filling every compartment primarily the compartment under the table and under the drivers seat. However I’ve found it in every compartment at this point. I’m not talking a little bit of water after a good downpour we are talking full compartments with water. I live on Vancouver island Canada and we have no shortage of rainwater that is for certain.

I’ve confirmed the leak is from the fishing area by flooding the back of the boat. With the garden hose. I’ve sealed the cabin bulkhead and the screws holding the trim pieces that cover the fuel tanks. Hoping that someone on the forum has experienced the same issue and could provide some helpful advice on where I should start my search. But if not I will find the issue and post it here to help other that might have the same problem.


Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated! Looking forward to checking this off the list and getting blue belle back on the open ocean!

[T.R. Bauer]

It's pretty common for the joint at the bottom of the cabin and the floor of the boat to leak water into the cabin.

[ssobol]

[jkidd]

My 2007 22 the bottom of the cabin is glass to the hull on the inside and was told by the factory that the rear raise deck is also glassed to the bottom of the boat. So the chalking just fills the crack between the two parts. I guess that there is the possibility that the factory forget something.

[thataway]

Unfortunately the newer boats are harder to "fix".

What it sounds like, is that water is getting under the floor in the cockpit, then the taping between the aft cabin bulkhead has come loose and there is a leak allowing water to come under the bulkhead into the cabin.

The "simple" answer is to stop water from coming into the boat--get a cover, or slat back which protects the cockpit. ($$$)

The real answer is not to "seal" these areas with a bedding compound, but to put sold tabbing back where it belongs. There is some defect, in the glassing or tabbing the bulkhead to the hull. There is probably someplace the water enters under the floor. There should be several layers of glass tape where the aft bulkhead meets the hull. IF the resin does not adhere well to the aft bulkhead or to the hull bottom (in the 25's also), water goes under the bulkhead, It may also cause some rot in the balsa core of the bulkhead.

Another source could be the hull to deck joint--be sure and eliminate this. The rub rail is held on by pop rivets, the hull to deck joint is glassed in place (strong and good). But the rivets corrode and fail. There fore those may need to be replaced. Putting silicone along the edge does not work in the long run. These have too be replaced with bolts.

Back to the cockpit--farily easy fix in early boats. There is no floor in place, and the inner side of the hull is fully exposed. Identify where the tab is loose, grind it away carefully, put in a proper filet and then use epoxy and two layers of glass tape to re-establish the proper tab into the hull. I like to do this on both sides of the aft bulkhead. Some boats have a hole from the cockpit and a sump under the cabin step, with the bilge pump there. Others have the bilge pump pick up just aft of the door, and many have the bilge pump all of the way aft. All boat should have that, because this is where water pools when the boat is on a plane.

"Normally" in the water, the low point is at this cabin bulkhead or slightly beyond. This may also be true if the boat is in a neutral position on the trailer--bow up allows draining back to the sump at the stern of the boat. This may also prevent water from getting into the cabin.

The problem in PO and most boats after 2008 (may vary) they have the floor glassed in. From 2002 on there was an option of a two part floor which was removable and the best of both worlds.

First in the 2010 boat, I would put a hole and round screw cover into the floor at the forward end of the cockpit just aft of the door--this allows access to the very shallow bilge and you can arrange for a one of the bilge systems (Dri Bilge or DIY) which gets all of the residual water out of the bilge.

I feel it would be too destructive to pull the floor out and put a proper tabbing aft of the cabin bulkhead (front of the cockpit). So you are only left with the inside of the cabin option. Pull any tabbing which is there, grind/sand smooth and epoxy in 4" and 6" tape concentrically over this joint. (The inside of the aft cabin bulkhead and the inner glass layer of the hull). Old tabbing should be ground and sanded fair so you can lay the concentric layers in epoxy, Water tank will have to be removed. Any screws into the floor eliminated and furniture tabbed into the hull. No holes into the hull--These equal to hull delaminating and water intrusion into the core (no difference if Balsa or Foam--both if delaminate is bad.

Be sure the step area is glassed off from the inner cabin--no holes, and glass/epxoy tabbed in. Put a sump pump in there, and run the dri bilge system thru there also.

What about just putting sealant in there? Unfortunately this does not work in the long run. I have seen the sealant fail. It is the quick and easy method.

Speaking of which. The fiberglass guy who just did a lot of work on my Caracal swears by a sealant (which I have used with polycarbonate (Lexan), That is Dow 795. It is expensive, but I'll admit it works well. It is used as a structural adhesive in buildings and also in mega yachts with the large polycarbonate widows. He used that for bedding fiberglass to fiberglass. I had a glob of 795 I accidentally touched on one of the SS stays on My Cal 46, when bedding the Lexan windows of the pilot house. I tried to knock it off--over a period of 8 years sailing from Icy Straits to the Equator--and it was still there when I sold the boat...

[Karl Konecny]

My 2008 22' cruiser had a similar problem. It has the glassed in floor in the cockpit and water was accumulating under that and creeping into the cabin through tabbing that had pulled loose from the hull. I traced the water source to the screw holes holding the fiberglass gas tank covers to the cockpit floor. These covers were screwed in under the splash well lip and into the vertical portion of cockpit floor bilge under the gas tanks. Over time the lower screws became loose and widened the holes through the cockpit floor. tightening them did not stop the water intrusion. In the end I removed the gas tank covers and sealed the holes in the cockpit floor (that area does not have balsa core). I added an inspection port in the cockpit floor (which must be off center because of a support between the cockpit floor and boat hull). I have not had any moisture under the cockpit floor since.

[Karl Konecny]

I also repaired the tabbing as per the advice of Dr. Bob.

[ssobol]

My '08 22 has the permanent flat floor in the cockpit. However, it only goes up to the point where the aft cabin bulkhead is located. It is not attached to the cabin bulkhead and there is a gap (i.e. the aft cabin bulkhead can be removed without affecting the flat cockpit floor). Since this is the low point of the boat, water can accumulate here and fill the gap. If there is an imperfect joint between the aft cabin bulkhead and the hull (cabin) floor, water can get through. The solution on my boat was to seal the outside gap between the bulkhead and the flat floor with 3M 5200. No more leak.

[Westcoastdory]

Ide like to thank everyone for the insight, I have found the problem. After looking into each area suggested by other cbrats members. I was still unable to find the issue. So in the end I tried a bit of a haywire alternative test. I jacked up the front of the boat with a large Jack. Got it as high as possible in the front. Then I filled the front compartments with water got a lawn chair and a cold beer and waited.

I found the leak! There is two screws that hold the bilge pump in. They had busted . The water was entering the cab via the bilge pump screws. It took some time but glad to find it. Hopefully this post helps others in the future too!

Now to try to remove all the water and seal her up. Thanks all !

[Karl Konecny]

Excellent use of a beer break. Great idea to jack up the bow.