Water under deck in transom bilge area

A

Ashley Lynn

New member
I removed the battery tray (held down by 4 screws) from the bilge area, between the two gas tanks of my 2007 22' cruiser. I was going to replace the tray with an enclosed battery box.

Well, once I removed the screws...water has been steadily leaking "UP" out of the small holes that were created by the 4 screws. I have been using a syringe to continually remove as much of the water as I can.
I plan to seal the screws better than they were initially after I get the water out.

Does anyone know how much water can be under the deck in this area of a 2007----it has the molded in raised cockpit floor?
I do not want to reseal the holes prematurely. If I get out most of the water---will the balsa core be alright?

I am hesitate to drill the holes larger to remove the water. I have seen the references that Dr Bob Austin has suggested to overdrill a hole that is cored..seal with epoxy, then drill the hole. I am a bit paranoid about drilling any holes.

I wish I knew what the hidden areas of my 2007 22' cruiser looked like.
It would be easier to fix/troubleshoot.

Always something to do....good and bad.

I am looking forward to my 1st extended cruise-----the Gulf Coast gathering in October.

Thanks as always.......
 
I think that's why most of us don't like the idea of the molded cockpit.

I can only hazard a guess, hopefully a good one. I would think that the inner liner (the one with the holes in it) is a solid piece of molded FG, no core. The outer hull is the cored part, has core between two pcs of FG. It should be OK as long as whomever drilled the holes in the inner liner didn't pierce the outer one. I would think that tray was put in by whomever rigged your boat, installed engine(s) and batteries.

I'd call them first and ask, it's a new boat... If you're not too far from them, have them come to you. On Edit: Saw you bought your boat from Wefings. I'd call Marc and ask him on the phone, their service is pretty good, at least as it appears here on the site!

Hopefully not a serious problem, let us know, not much experience here with the boats with liners in them.

Charlie
 
Ashley Lynn":3w3akclb said:
Well, once I removed the screws...water has been steadily leaking "UP" out of the small holes that were created by the 4 screws. .
Click to expand...

Is your vessel floating on the water when this is occurring or is it on the trailer?
 
My boat is on the trailer. I believe that water got under the raised deck through 2 of the 4 screws (2 were not secure) that were used to mount the battery tray. Once the screws were removed...I noticed water escaping via the holes from below. I suspect there is bilge water below the deck--how much I do not know--that is the question.

I have the boat on the trailer in my sloped driveway and will attempt to wet vac all the water out that I can. Then, reseal.

I have already spoken to Marc, my dealer and he has been very responsive. I believe that it isn't anything major...I just want to make sure I remove as much as the water that I can before I reseal the holes.
 
Ashley Lynn":21aede4u said:
Does anyone know how much water can be under the deck in this area of a 2007----it has the molded in raised cockpit floor?.
Click to expand...

Bob, although my 04' doesn't have the raised deck that your vessel apparently has, I have been removing water from the forward section of my vessel and as of today I have "syringed" out 3 gallons of water.

Don't know if with your raised deck, there is a possibility of your water problem originating up in the bow area of your vessel. (That could be a possibility). The water that I am dealing with seems to be slowly releasing from the foam that is packed into the bow area.

You might want to take a look at the "thread" on this site entitled "Water Intrusion on 2005 22' Cruiser".

I share your pain... :wink
Dave S.
 
mikeporterinmd":zl9drj9r said:
You could try using a shop vac to speed the process along.
Mke
Click to expand...

I tried that Mike, but the water releases sooooo sloooowly from the foam that the "be patient, wait until the hole fills with water again and suck it out method" seems to be my only option. On the positive side, I'm getting a lot of extra excercise climbing into the boat every time I go out to the shop. (If the boat were actually in the water, I'd be thinking that the water is leaking in from the outside).
 
I would take the boat back to the dealer and ask them to have it professionally repaired, and fixed so that it does not happen again. A 2007 boat is too new for this kind of a problem.

Steve
 
I agree with proper professional repair--and hope that is what you get. Just sealing, if this is cored, is not enough. I would have the hole drilled out, and then you can see what the core is--if it is balsa, you need to dry it out. Two choices--one is to vacuum bag it, the other is to cut out the wet part and fill with epoxy. The screw should go into epoxy, not into core!!!! Just because the factory did it wrong is no excuse to do it wrong again on repair. There is no sealant which will keep water out of a cored material--espically when you are using a plastic tray. Most of the time silicones are used, and they do not adhere well to the plastic--and eventually if water stands, it will seep into the core--then eventually rot.

I would suspect that the floor of the newer 22's is just like the core of the other decked cockpit boats--balsa core--as is the 25 and TC.

Vacuum bagging will keep suction on this area for a long peroid of time and will get the moisture out--cutting will assure that all moisture is gone.

good luck.

Bob Austin
 
Hi Folks,

I think Steve is right. Back to the dealer and have it professional done.

Try and determine who screwed the plate on without sealing it, if you can, before telling the dealer about it. They may have insurance to cover bad work. I have seen some real bad work done by dealer shops, though I have never had work done by a C-Dory dealer.

This is a good message. When I purchased my C-Dory used, I pulled each and every nut, bolt, and screw I could get at, checked for water, and then rescrewed using a good marine sealer. I am still doing it. I may have some wet core, but the boat runs very well, so I don't worry about it.

Fred
 
Bob, we will all be together in a few weeks at the Gathering and we will take care of it correctly , whichever way we need to .
Marc
 
Wefings":2oma00ik said:
Bob, we will all be together in a few weeks at the Gathering and we will take care of it correctly , whichever way we need to .
Marc
Click to expand...

That's what we all like to hear from a dealer. Marc, you are apparently the "Right Coast Les", at least in my book! :cigar :beer :thup

Charlie
 
Back
Top