Another Leaky 25

[caution]

After almost two years of trying to find out why our cabin floor keeps getting wet, we think we may finally have tracked it down to 2 problems:

* The shower drains into a small plastic box that houses a sump pump that is supposed to pump that water over the side. The sump pump quit working, so any water in the shower ended up in the cabin. (This is now fixed.)

* The current problem is the exhaust pipe from the Wallas stove. I think the actual problem is that when we're in rough water, spray enters the exhaust pipe, then shoots up past the end of the pipe and leaks back down the outside of the pipe. (Because the flexible metal tube that connects from the stove to the exhaust pipe does not make a perfect seal around the pipe.) I pretty much proved this by spraying a hose at the outside exhaust pipe opening and watching it drip out.

So my plan was to:

1) re-seal the flexible tubing to the exhaust pipe so that any water that entered the pipe would not be allowed to leak back out.

2) install a big clam shell over the exhaust pipe opening on the outside of the boat, to stop spray from getting in in the first place.

The question is this: when we talked to a local marine shop about this, (Harbor Marine, in Everett, WA), they advised not to install the clam shell. The said that the heat from the exhaust would damage the gel coat and result in fibreglass repairs down the road. Does anyone have any thought on this? There are some very large clam shells that stand off a good inch or two from the mounting surface, I have a hard time believing that would allow the exhaust to heat up the gel coat enough to damage it. But I'd hate to find out the hard way.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance...

Tom and Sherry on the Caution Horse

[C-Time]

If a large clam shell would get too hot, why not the metal tru-hull. I would think it would get just as hot.

[Godfry Paul]

I think I'd want to get the factory involved and have them fix this for you. That's got to be frustrating.

[Captains Cat]

I think we sometimes go too far in getting the "factory" involved. The wallas issue doesn't sound like a factory issue. The factory has bent over backwards in fixing stuff but if we press them too hard, it'll end. At some point, we have to take responsibilty for out boats. IMHO.

Let's find out if anyone else has had the problem and fix it ourselves and save the factory for the major issues.

charlie

[Adeline]

I would advise against the clamshell. It might impart resistance to the free flow of air through the stove. I was able to seal my joint with foil tape.

[caution]

Yeah, I'm going to handle this one. Just to clarify, the factory has been very helpful and supportive all along, this has just been a tough one to nail down for various reasons. (Long story.)

[Bess-C]

I haven't had the second problem of a leak from the Wallas exhaust, but I want to address the first issue for any new 25 owners.

We had this problem the first season that we had our 25. We replaced the first little bilge in there with a Rule. That helped a lot, but it still didn't solve the problem. In researching it I discovered that this is a universal problem with these little sump pump arrangements on boats. The problem seems to be that the float valve gets sticky when sitting for long periods between use. One solution is to use a product called CP (found at West Marine) in the drain occasionally. It will lubricate the float switch and help prevent this problem.
Lyle

[DodgeRam]

Just finish reading C-Dory warranty. Pretty self explanatory, if the factory installed it they should fix it . Providing the owner uses common sense , there is a 5 year limited warranty that is included when buying a new C-Dory .


SEARAM

[Godfry Paul]

I agree with Gary. You should get a boat that's water tight. And if not, the factory should make it water tight. That doesn't seem like too much to ask.

[Sea Wolf]

Maybe the Wallas outlet should be installed above the gunnel or with an inverted gooseneck to prevent water intrusion?

This siimilar to gas vent problems that we've had on older model boats.

Water entered the gas tanks through the vents in heavy water from the splashing.

The old style vents, which went straignt down into the tanks, were replaced with newer ones that had inverted goosenecks.

Joe.

[dogon dory]

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

[Sea Skipper]

I installed a modified charlie nobel on my sail boat that worked quite well preventing any wave splash from entering the the Wallis exhaust port. The ends are cut back slightly so that the hot exhaust clears the hull. See the 4th picture over under additional detail images on my Web page.

http://home.bendcable.com/brooksfamily/

However, I have not had any problems on my C-Dory's straight through exhaust.

Hank Brooks

[CAVU]

I tend to go along with Charlie's comments. Our boats are used in so many different ways and every owner expects different things from the boating experience. For me, few things give me as much satisfaction as solving a tricky boat repair and being able to do it myself. I have often gotten good advice on this site which steered me in the right direction. Of course I often find the repair beyond my capabilities, but even then a basic understanding of what is wrong will give me a leg up when dealing with the dealer, factory, etc.

[caution]

Hank, thanks, that looks like a good solution. I was actually wondering if such a thing existed.

Thanks all...

[Sea Wolf]

Tom-

Here's a photo of the Force 10 Cozy cabin Charlie Noble type of exhaust outlet on my boat.





Although it's vertical, it could be easily mounted sideways. It has a heat resistant gasket that can help retard hull problems from the hot exhaust gases.

I't still follow Dan's advice of using a heat resistant RTV sealant on the joints, however, and build in an inverted gooseneck to stop any water intrusion, whether running in the stove on or stove off mode.

I don't think the gooseneck would be any problem, since the Wallas stove has a fan powered forced exhaust system.

However, the Wallas is a somewhat overly complicated and engineered product, so you might consult with Karl at Scan Marine before making any changes!

Ley us know how it goes!

Joe.