Where the heck is all this moisture coming from!?

K

Keweenaw2018

New member
So I am currently living aboard (part time) on my 2000 22' Cruiser. I either have a leak, or I am greatly underestimating the amount of moisture that can build up on interior walls on humid/rainy days. I have a welcome mat just inside the cabin door and on rainy or even misty days, I will come home from work or wake up in the morning to find the mat soaked to the bone or even some small puddles on the cabin floor. But I have looked everywhere and can't find an obvious leak. I've checked all the thru fittings and windows and everything I can think of. Does anyone else have this problem. Has anyone been able to resolve or mitigate it. I'm concerned about mold issues.
 
Yes, a huge amount of moister can accumulate and soak everything, especially if you're living in there. If you have shore power, I would invest in a de-humidifier or one of those low-wattage fan/heater things.

Also, you have a lot of cojones to be living on a 22 foot c-dory in the upper part of the upper peninsula of MIchigan in October! And, it's not going to get better for a while.
 
Keweenaw2018":1mmkdgti said:
So I am currently living aboard (part time) on my 2000 22' Cruiser. I either have a leak, or I am greatly underestimating the amount of moisture that can build up on interior walls on humid/rainy days. I have a welcome mat just inside the cabin door and on rainy or even misty days, I will come home from work or wake up in the morning to find the mat soaked to the bone or even some small puddles on the cabin floor. But I have looked everywhere and can't find an obvious leak. I've checked all the thru fittings and windows and everything I can think of. Does anyone else have this problem. Has anyone been able to resolve or mitigate it. I'm concerned about mold issues.
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Check the joint between the aft cabin bulkhead and the floor. When the boat is at rest (and especially when someone sleeps in the berth) the low point of the hull is actually inside the cabin. If water accumulates in the cockpit in this situation, it will pool at the aft bulkhead. If the bulkhead is not sealed properly the water will end up in the cabin, just inside the door.

My '08 had this problem and it was fixed with a good application of 3M 5200 along the outside of aft bulkhead at the floor.

The other source of water inside the boat is the house water system. If it froze sometime, it may have cracked a hose somewhere. Leaked water will tend to accumulate near the aft cabin bulkhead.

Check to see if the drains for the window tracks are clear. If not, water will overflow the track, and some of this will end up inside (more if the window is opened at all). Again, leaked water will tend to accumulate near the aft cabin bulkhead.
 
Patty here. We have been unable to find the source of a leak in our 25' C-dory. Still trying to figure it out. Have done lots of troubleshooting. Water accumulates in the same area as yours, or right at the v-berth if we've been sleeping. For now we find if we leave the water pump on, water accumulates. Turn your water pump off and see if that works.
 
The realty is the factory did a very poor job sealing things. Buy some BoatLife Life Seal. I will only mention a few of the common ones. 1) The pop rivets all around the boat holding the rub rail on. Very small streams of water can run down from each rivet, and find it eventually to the floor. 2) The side marker lights had no sealant. Enough dirt can build up inside the lens housing that it blocks the drain hole. Then water can run thru the hole for the wiring, then like the pop rivets it runs down the inner hull to the floor. 3) The anchor chain hogs pipe, is very seldom sealed properly. This drips down into the chain locker area. 4) The Bomar hatch in the cuddy often leaks. How do I know all this ? Personal experience ! Buy some BoatLife Life Seal, and redo all the fittings on the boat.
 
The original poster has a 2000 boat, so any water in the cockpit should be obvious unless there is dry deck or a false deck over the cockpit.

How much condensation do you find on the walls of the boat. Do you leave a window or hatch cracked? Is there water elsewhere.
 
I was having the same issue. I found the middle bilge pump hose had cracks in it and was leaking in the cabin. I replaced it and I'm hoping that fixes it.
 
Patty, I was getting some water in C-Traveler's cabin on occasion and found out it was actually coming from the bilge. Seems like there is always a little bit of water in the bilge that the pumps can't get out. If enough collects in there, and it won't necessary be enough to activate the automatic float, in a bow down attitude, the water was coming thru the bulkhead under the shower area. (Lousy seal.) Colby
 
johnr":395ypklm said:
Also, you have a lot of cojones to be living on a 22 foot c-dory in the upper part of the upper peninsula of MIchigan in October! And, it's not going to get better for a while.
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It's 65°F here, right now! (But it's really not supposed to be) she's going on the dry next week, but I may have to invest in a dehumidifier for next season
 
ssobol":3dys7x5x said:
Check the joint between the aft cabin bulkhead and the floor. When the boat is at rest (and especially when someone sleeps in the berth) the low point of the hull is actually inside the cabin. If water accumulates in the cockpit in this situation, it will pool at the aft bulkhead. If the bulkhead is not sealed properly the water will end up in the cabin, just inside the door.
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I do have that 0.25" persistent puddle just aft of the bulkhead. This seems like a likely culprit. The boat spent her first 20yrs of it's life in FL, so I don't think there is any frost damage (yet)
 
Number one. Are you running ANY heat in the cabin at all, any time?
Number two. Are the windows always closed?
Number Three. Is the V-Birth hatch always closed?
Number four. Are you cooking in the cabin?
Number five. Is it cold outside much of the time?

All of these things, (except number 1), or any one of them will increase the interior humidity and generate water that has to go someplace. If yoiu run an interior heater, and it is cold outside, it will condense the interior warm air on the cold walls and that will make water.

I just had my boat in the water for parts of 2 weeks. The first week, I ran the Wallas frequently, warming the inside to 70+ F. When it cooled down when I turned off the heat for the night it made condensation and wet walls. The second week, I kept windows open enough so there was some air circulation, I kept the side windows open 2 - 4", and and the center an inch. The V-Birth hatch about an inch and no heat. Outside temps ran 40ish to mid 50's and there was no condensation, no moisture inside the cabin.

Some choices you just have to make.

If yoiu are going to generate humidity (as in IF you are going to breath in the boat), and it is colder than 70ish, you are gong to have to allow for significant ventilation or you are going to get condensation.

NOTE: I'm not saying all your moisture is condensation, BUT breathing in a closed container in cool weather can make condensation, and that adds up to water.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Humidity inside the cabin, is not hard to see. It covers the interior wall surfaces, just wipe your hand over the surface if your eyes do not see it. OP said he had looked all around, and did not see anything. Let us know when you eventually come to a conclusion. I put odds on the pop rivets.
 
He did say he was living on the boat. Did not say if he was cooking or mention any ventilation attempts. Normal water loss for one individual for 24 hours is somewhere between a half to one liter of water a day, and that is just in respiration. It would be more if you include sweat and pee. Assuming he is not peeing into the puddle on the cabin sole, and not doing cardio workouts on board, that leaves 500 to 1,000 cc's of water to go someplace.

IF the cabin is not ventilated that moisture will accumulate somewhere, depending on the ambient temperature. SO, we really need to know the answers to the questions in my previous post.

Also, the OP did not taste the water to see if it was fresh or salty, but then IF the boat is in the water on the Michigan UP it is not likely to be salty, unless he is living on his boat elsewhere.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Cold surfaces condensation would have surface dampness, which would need to be running down the surfaces to reach the floor. The floor is where the OP noted the wet object.
The factory did not seal attachments very well. Sorry if it hurts the C-dory reputation. When the factory bolts the cleat down with no caulking, that is a poor practice. And leads to water dripping into the inside of the boat, and the core in the deck. Personal experience.
 
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