Rainwater Intruding into Cabin of Our 1997 CD-22 Cruiser

[Sea Wolf]

I received a PM from Jenafuffer regarding rainwater intruding into the cabin of their newly purchased 1997 CD-22 Cruiser, and since the boats is different than mine, which doesn't have the second bilge pump just inside the cabin door, thought it would be advisable to get some help from other C-Brats with boats more similar to hers. Here's a summary of the dialogue so far:

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Sea Wolf Thank you again for your reply last week.
My husband and I purchased a 1997 22 ft cruiser with a 2006 90 4 STROKE Honda. So far we have had four adventures in 7 days! Cooked dinner twice, two cocktail sunset raft ups, and a 13 mile trip to the back side of Topsail Island.

We live on the NC Intracoastal. Have a 22 ft Grady White and I have been longing for a CABIN for years. I really did not want another fishing boat and had no idea that the C-Dory even existed. There are very few around. I can see from the regional membership that there are maybe two or three in the local area of Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach. I think one states on the Cape Fear River as told by a local marine store supply.

So--- i saw this little boat in a slip facing out with a For Sale sign and the back green canvas cover on. I read the make and starting looking around on the internet. Showed my husband and then we contacted the owner. And so the story goes. Its now my boat.

Seems the boat spent its last few years around here. In the summer it floats in a slip and then is stored undercover on the trailer for the winter. I bet you think our winter are about like your summers!

Appearance wise it is in very good condition for a twelve year old boat. The former owner was retired navy (not a c-brat from what I have researched on your sight). Pulled the boat out of the water, checked the hull, the motor and everthing but pulling out the plug because it was stuck, needing to be replaced. (and we did not have another plug in hand)We had the motor checked out --did the compression test, oil clear and he gave us the records of engine maintenance at the beginning and end of every season. Our mechanic said the engine was almost perfect. He will clean the carburetors to fine tune the engine at a slow motoring speed. Mechanic said the non use of the gas sitting in the tanks was the culprit and gave us a lesson of advice about stabilizer. ----

So all up to the following situation of today all has been good. I hope you can help me out on a water problem.

Last night on our return trip to our slip we did not place the canvas cover on the back cock pit area. Well it rained unexpectly and it did so for about an inch of water. This after noon I fully expected rain the the back but not the cabin. It was deep. the bilge pumps seem to come on for a few seconds (asin 30 ) and then they stopped. The bilge inside the cabin door did not have much water in the area. However inside there was plenty of water. There seems to be a caulking that keep the back water from flowing directly into the cabin. Now just where the heck did all this H20 inside the cabin come from? Is there a hull problem with water leaks?
I have tried to read a hundred posts and mostly they are about the 2007s.
Tomorrow we hope to pull it out and get the plug out. I went to the marine store and purchased a new one today.

Thanks for reading all of this and any advice will be appreciated. I am just trying to learn about my boat and fix the issues as they present themselves. I know that there must be answers out there somewhere.

I really enjoyed your pictures and albums. Your are a real boater.

Can you rename a boat? I do not like the current name.

Thank so much,

Jenafuffer
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Hi!

Glad you're having so much fun with your new boat!

Yes, you can re-name her. Some superstitious types use a re-naming ritual for the process, but I didn't do so, and I didn't fall off the end of the flat earth's ocean either! There's a document on the C-Brat site the Dave S uses at C-Brat get togethers to rename and christen boats. Send him a note if you can't find it.

As to the "leak", there must be a calking leak to one side or the other of the center bilge well just inside the door. My older '87 doesn't have the bilge there, so I'm unfamiliar with the problem somewhat. If you can't find and repair it, it recommend you take that paragraph about it and put it on the site as a new thread, or I could do so for you, if you prefer.

Good Luck, let me know what you find out and want to do.

Joe.

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Top of the Morning to You SEA WOLF Joe

Thanks for the reply.

Today we are going to take the boat out of the water.

Remove the old hull plug and see what follows.

Bucket below I will measure the H20 and I am betting there is a good amount.

I noticed that several posts speak about open screw holes in various areas of the deck floor (2007's but suppose we should take close inspection for any also).

We will check the caulk around the door area between the cockpit and cabin as suggested. It was just strange that there was so much water in the cabin and the inbetween bilge area had little after the rain.

Inspect the bilge pumps both inside the door and outside in the cocokpit area where the back bilge is located 9just in front of one gas tank (even last night I thought the bilge was elevated a little and not in the V of the floor?)

I also saw a thread somewhere on a forum about a brass pipe and a screw below the D towing ring? Can't find it.

Getting out the wet vac and a dehumidifier also.

I have not mastered this web page at all Soooooo if you have time or know how to contact the 1997ers about my hull and water issues inside after the rain. Plus seeing that the circular hatch( on the floor of the berth in front of the porta pot) had H20 in it also.

-------I would certainly like to hear or read some others thoughts.

What a great sight of useful information and contacts.

Jenafuffer

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Any more thoughts to help Jenafuffer out today?

Joe.

[dotnmarty]

A couple things you should do (which are probably not related to the cause of your problem)
1. Clean up any debris from the bilge pump intake.
2. Buy a manual pump (about $20) at your marine supply store.
Good luck and enjoy that beautiful boat.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

In addition to checking the calk around the bridge bridge deck pump, I would also have the hose connections checked. Especially where it connects to the through hull fitting. Could be the culprit....

Just pour some water in the bridge deck sump, open the cabinet doors and turn the pump on...

[JENAFUFFER]

Thanks for the reponses and I will take more. Pulling her out at 6pm Will let you know how it goes. Good ideas. I love this communication!!

[colobear]

We have a 2006 22 (C-Cakes) with the second bilge pump at the cabin door. Water intruded into the cabin in that area and it took a long time to figure it out. Here's what finally seemed to be the problem and what worked for us:

There is a seam along the outside base of the cabin rear bulkhead where the bulkhead joins the cockpit floor. There is a small slot, maybe 8-10 inches wide and 1/2 high just under the cabin door that allows water to flow from the cockpit floor into the cabin bilgepump area. We found some gaps in the sealant joining the cabin bulkhead to the cockpit floor. We found evidence of water leakage through that area by looking at the inside of that same bulkhead wall.

There is a small "bilge" (shoebox size) where the cabin bilgepump is located. We found gaps in the sealant connecting that to the cabin floor and to the aforementioned bulkhead.

We cleaned out the cabin bulkhead seam, gunwale to gunwale in the cockpit and resealed using 3M 4200 marine sealant. We removed the bilgepump in the "shoebox" thoroughly cleaned that area and resealed all the seams, inside and out using, 4200. Where we could get access, we resealed the inside of the cabin bulkhead as well. We then replaced the bilgepump.

That seemed to do the trick as there has been no subsequent leakage. If there was still a leak I would remove the water tank and clean out under the "kitchen" so I could check the bulkhead wall inside as well. I also had a water leak coming into the cabin from a poorly installed watertank vent on the port cabin side by the water filler pipe. That was detected by noticing water marks on the inside cabin wall running down from the water filler area. it was corrected under warranty by redrilling the water filler hose and vent openings, reglassing and resealing. Without a warranty I would probably have resealed the hose and vent with something a little less permanent than 4200.


Welcome to the C-Brats.

[jennykatz]

We had the same problem with a 99 cruiser water is supposed to come in through a s/s vent right in the doorway there is a little shoebox saddle that is supposed to collect the water then it pumps overboard . I believe the sump box was in the doorway or under kitchen wallas stove depending on the year . What we did was add another auto bilge pump in the rear especially witha suzuki 90 hp 4 stroke (wt. 420lb).You need to reseal or maybe rebuild the shoe box resin and cloth work best . Good luck

[JENAFUFFER]

Wonderful I think we are on the same page. Pulled her out, bilges had trash, small bilge near bulkhead is not working properly and there is a definite need for caulk. We will also check outt the water tank area.

Have a dehumidifier going inside with the back canvas on as there is rain again tomorrow. Feel much better and looking forward to the repair and weekend. Looks like we have a new project.

Thank you everyone. I will check in again after the next rain!

[B~C]

below the entry, at floor level, there is a plastic pipe plug with an O-ring. Remove the plug, check the O-ring, clean or replace o-ring and reinstall. That rascal being loose or otherwise not sealing has caused water to get in our cabin more than once, I'll usually just tighten it up a smidge. I think removal of the plug allows the water to drain if you hose out the innards.

enjoy your new waterfront cabin