Standing water in berth hold of tomcat

S

satchley

New member
Hi everyone,
I'm new to cbrats, cdorys, and forums and am about to purchase a 2006 Tomcat. I had a marine survey done for the bank loan and one item that makes me worry is the 4-5 inches of standing water the surveyor found in the storage compartment under the front berth. It apparently didn't come from above since no cushions were wet, the hull is supposedly in excellent shape, and no visible clue how the water got in there. Now, keep in mind I live in Ketchikan and the boat is in Homer. I haven't seen it yet (except for pics) and will be flying to check it out before purchase this weekend. The owner was shocked as well to hear about the water and were going to dry it out and take it for a spin when I arrive to see if we can find what's happening. If anyone has an idea I would love to hear about it.
Another issue was a full length crack in one of the fish lockers. The owner doesn't think it leaks but if it did where would this water go?
Lastly, I've read alot on this forum about water intrusion in the hull and am curious if there is an access hatch or two that will show if damage has occurred?

Thanks in advance- Stacey
 
Congratulations, we've got a 2006 and love it. You didn't say whether the boat was in the water or on a trailer. I suspect on a trailer.

If that's the case and it's "down by the bow", the water has run forward from either the port or stbd bilge at the stern and has no way to be pumped out. In the water, the boat sits down by the stern and the bilge water goes to the stern and is pumped out automatically by the bilge pumps. the two hulls are full length and contain the fuel tanks, water tank, and a few other things and water will run freely the length of them.

Once you put the boat in the water or raise the bow, the water will run all the way back to the transom, the pumps will start and pump it out.

As for the crack in the fish box, if it really is a crack and not just a gelcoat mark, the water would run into the bilge and be pumped out the same way.

Sounds like a non problem to me if the boat is not in the water and the water is standing in one of the hulls in the bow, with the bow slightly down.

Charlie
 
Hi Stacey,

Welcome to the Brats.

We have a 2006 TC also, however, our forward storage compartments are sealed off from the rear of the bilge by a bulkhead. I had water in there once. It was a product of a not-so-well fitting drain for the anchor locker. Water does get down past the windlass and is supposed to drain off to one side or the other. The newer TCs have a center drain and the storage bins next to the anchor locker are sealed.

It doesn't sound like a deal breaker to me, maybe a bargaining chip!

A crack in the fishbox is a non issue also. The walls are cored with balsa and pretty sturdy. Lots of discussion has gone on here regarding the pros and mostly cons of the fish boxes.

Good luck on the purchase. :wink:
 
Roger may well be right, have never really looked, I thought it was one continuous space. If the boat is in the water and a trailer is available, have it hauled out and take a good luck at the hull. Easy to see problems, probably has bottom paint. You should be able to see problems, as the inspector/surveyor should.

BTW, the current owner has probably never looked under there. We don't use that space at all and I didn't even know it was there for several months after we got the boat...

Charlie
 
I had the same problem with my 2007. It is water coming in through the windlass and not draining out properly. If you stick your head inside the rode locker you will see what we are talking about. I fixed mine with epoxy paste without too much difficulty and made sure water coming in could only flow left or right and out of the boat (instead of down into the forward sponsons.

Water cannot run from bow to stern in the sponsons. It's sealed off underneath save two elevated round ports for cabling.

The cracked fish box probably had something too heavy placed in it. Make sure it's sturdy, seal the crack with epoxy paste, and you are good to go. Beneath the fish boxes are the sponsons so they are not structural.

Good luck with your purchase!
 
WOW! You guys are awesome. I submitted this post and then went out for the day with my wife. I was excited to see the amount of responses and read all of your ideas about the water issue. Your experience and willingness to share is another huge plus for owning a Cdory Tomcat. Thank you lots.
It sounds like the windlass is the most likely prospect and I will check that out when I arrive on sight. If I dry it out and we pour a cup or two of water into the rode locker that should prove the theory. Epoxy paste will probably be in my future.
Also nice to hear the crack in the fish box is a non issue as well. My wife and I were planning on using them for storage but I wonder if things will stay dry in them.
Overall I think it's a good boat and the hull is in great shape. It has two 140 suzuki's (400hrs), Raymarine C80, Wallas, fridge, radar arch with radar, triple axle trailer(sitting on currently), roof mounted ac/heater (shore powered only), and all the standard stuff you find on a Tomcat. It needs bottom paint, a dinghy, privacy curtains, and a full canvas back made, but that will be later. Anybody know if I can purchase the stock snap curtains somewhere or do I have to have them made?
Thanks again everyone, If all goes well I will post some pics of my new boat in a couple weeks.

Stacey
 
For the record, my 2008 TomCat has never had any water intrusion problem, except for the fishboxes. I solved that one by a drain in the floor of each fishbox, with short plastic pipes terminated near to the bilge pumps.

Roy
 
satchley":2t3pt274 said:
Also nice to hear the crack in the fish box is a non issue as well. My wife and I were planning on using them for storage but I wonder if things will stay dry in them.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I have never been able to keep anything dry in my fishboxes, despite various "fixes" like drainage holes in the hatch channel, etc. Like Roger says, several discussions here about the fishboxes -- I would say they are they single most complained-about item on a Tom Cat.

Warren
 
Doryman":280rd863 said:
Unfortunately, I have never been able to keep anything dry in my fishboxes, despite various "fixes" like drainage holes in the hatch channel, etc. Like Roger says, several discussions here about the fishboxes -- I would say they are they single most complained-about item on a Tom Cat.

Warren
Click to expand...

I wrote "solved" but it's a bit of an exaggeration. Water does drain out but possibly slower than it gets in (from rain, usually) so stuff can get wet. What really did solve 95% of the problem is the sloping canvas back I had made. This keeps the cockpit dry when I'm away from the boat. The remaining issue is heavy rain when you're out on the water or on the hook. Platforms in the fishboxes coupled with drains might be worth trying. I forgot to mention that my boat has no macerators or holes in the fishboxes. They are used for storage only.[/i]
 
Doryman":1h4jqrly said:
satchley":1h4jqrly said:
Also nice to hear the crack in the fish box is a non issue as well. My wife and I were planning on using them for storage but I wonder if things will stay dry in them.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I have never been able to keep anything dry in my fishboxes, despite various "fixes" like drainage holes in the hatch channel, etc. Like Roger says, several discussions here about the fishboxes -- I would say they are they single most complained-about item on a Tom Cat.

Warren
Click to expand...

I would think that if one were to either move the overboard discharge up well above the waterline or temporarily plug the hole at the aft end of the box, it would keep water out. JMHO The faulty check valve is the culprit! !
:wink:
 
Satchley..............

I saw that boat several days ago on the Homer Spit. It is on a trailer and it looks to be slightly down at the bow.

I am going to Homer tomorrow. If there is something you want me to look at I would be happy to do it for you.

It is a really nice looking boat from 75 yds. away on the road going by.
 
Now I'm not a TC owner but wish I was. As for the fish boxes, why not actually put FISH in them? Then you don't really care if they're 100% dry all the time. Just a crazy idea.... :lol:
 
Hi Jack in Alaska,
Thanks for the offer Jack, but I'll be there next weekend anyways. I'm going to have to view everything and make sure it's all sound before I leap into a big purchase like this. My wife and I are a little nervous. Our last big purchase was a house in Wasilla that turned out to have multiple problems that I had to fix for years. Don't want to repeat that again.
I'll figure out what I'm going to do with the fish lockers later. Who knows maybe I will actually put fish in them. Right now I just want to know that they aren't broken. Can't wait to see the boat.
 
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